Blood Circulation between the Heart and Lung
by Rabie Abdel-Halim Published on: 4th June 2025
The medical scholars during the medieval Islamic era placed great emphasis on the value of dissection and the knowledge of anatomy for the diagnosis of affected organs, the relationships of the organs to one another…
Ibn al-Nafis, the Pulmonary Circulation, and The Islamic Golden Age
by John B. West Published on: 1st November 2017
Ibn al-Nafis (1213-1288) was an Arab physician who made several important contributions to the early knowledge of the pulmonary circulation. He was the first person to challenge the long-held contention of the Galen School that…
A Trio of Exemplars of Medieval Islamic Medicine: Al-Razi, Avicenna and Ibn Al-Nafis
by Ritu Lakhtakia Published on: 16th August 2025
This article explores the groundbreaking medical achievements of the Islamic Golden Age (8th–16th centuries), highlighting how scholars like Al-Razi, Avicenna, and Ibn Al-Nafis preserved, critiqued, and expanded upon ancient knowledge. From pioneering hospitals and medical…
Contributions of Ibn al-Nafis to the Progress of Medicine and Urology
by Rabie Abdel-Halim Published on: 12th June 2011
This primary-source study of four medical works of the 13th century Muslim scholar Ibn al-Nafis confirmed that his Kitab al-Mûjaz fi al-Tibb was authored as an independent book. It was meant as a handbook for…
Science in Western Islam: Astronomy
by Monica Rius Pinies Published on: 22nd December 2022
The history of science is a fundamental element in constructing a full understanding of the history of society. Furthermore, we must keep in mind that the globalization of ideas has occurred since ancient times, such…
Avicenna’s Medical Thinking in Colonial Mexico
by Rolando Neri-Vela Published on: 27th August 2017
New Spain was a viceroyalty of Spain between 1521 and 1821. In these three centuries, the practice and the teaching of medicine had a great influence from Arabian medicine, and in this way, the thinking…
World Health Day 7th April: Muslim Heritage in Medicine
by Cem Nizamoglu, Sairah Yassir-Deane Published on: 17th April 2015
World Health Day is celebrated on 7th April each year to mark the anniversary of the founding of WHO (World Health Organisation) in 1948. During Muslim civilisation, various scholars made interesting observations alongside innovative discoveries…
Avicenna’s Medical Thinking in Colonial Mexico
by Rolando Neri-Vela Published on: 27th September 2017
New Spain was a viceroyalty of Spain between 1521 and 1821. In these three centuries, the practice and the teaching of medicine had a great influence from Arabian medicine, and in this way, the thinking…
Ibn Al-Nafis and Vinegar
by Mohamed Hussein Benamer Published on: 17th June 2005
A doctor does a short enquiry into an old treatment for ear infections and discovers its presence in a medical manuscript by Ibn al-Nafis.
Selected Gleanings from the History of Islamic Medicine
by Sharif Kaf al-Ghazal Published on: 3rd April 2007
The medical Islamic tradition is one of the richest and the most lasting components of the general history of medicine. Some of its main aspects are dealt with in a series of five articles by…
The Great Physician Historian During the Golden Islamic Medical History – Ibn Abi Usaybi’aa
by Husain F. Nagamia Published on: 30th May 2021
Most Muslim physicians have heard (or should have heard) about famous Muslim physicians such as al-Razi, al-Majusi, Ibn Sina, Ibn al-Nafis, but few physicians have heard about Ibn Abi Usaybi’aa. Although not as famous as…
Earliest maps of America
by Sevim Tekeli Published on: 4th January 2005
The earliest maps made of America by Columbus have all since been lost. However, a number of very early and accurate maps exist which were made by Piri Reis based on material including the maps…
Rebuttal by the FSTC to Edward Rothstein’s Article
by Peter Raymond, Peter Fell, Ian Fenn Published on: 17th January 2011
Rebuttal by the Foundation for Science Technology and Civilisation to "A Golden Age in Science, Full of Light and Shadow" by Edward Rothstein published in The New York Times, December 10, 2010
Ribat of Soussa, Muslim invention of rib vaulting?
by FSTC Published on: 20th February 2003
In the Ribat (defensive engineering structures) of Port Soussa one finds evidence showing the early use of ribbed vaulting by Muslims. Such a technique was not used in Europe until the 11th century, some 200…
National Geographic Releases New 1001 Inventions Book
by 1001 Inventions Published on: 30th January 2012
25th January 2012, Washington, DC – The latest edition of the best-selling 1001 Inventions book has been published by National Geographic, and will introduce the enduring legacy of Muslim civilization to new audiences in North…
Islam’s Forgotten Contributions to Medical Science
by Ingrid Hehmeyer, Aliya Khan Published on: 9th January 2009
The transmission of medical knowledge can be traced to some of the earliest writings in human history. Yet a particularly fruitful period for advancement in medical science emerged with the rise of Islam. For the…
Medicine in the Middle Ages: New Insights and a Call for Further Research
by Rabie Abdel-Halim Published on: 15th July 2010
[Proceedings of the conference 1001 Inventions: Muslim Heritage in Our World organised by FSTC, London, 25-26 May 2010]. Aiming at restoring historical continuity to the currently available knowledge on medicine in the Middle Ages, the…
Muslim Contributions to Modern Civilisation
by Published on: 19th February 2010
Dr Salim Ayduz, researcher at FSTC, presented on Tuesday 9 February 2010 a conference on the Muslim contributions to modern civilisation in the "Islam Awareness Week 2010" organised by Lancaster University's Islamic Society. We present…
The Mystery of Hayy Ibn Yaqzan
by Salim Al-Hassani - 1001 Book Chief Editor Published on: 19th August 2020
In early 12th-century Muslim Spain, a gifted philosopher, mathematician, poet, and medical doctor was born. Ibn Tufayl, or Abu Bakr ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Tufayl al-Qaysi, to give his full name,…
Obituary: Professor Cesare Rossi, Naples
by Salim Al-Hassani Published on: 29th January 2018
The world has lost a rare scholar and wonderful person. Cesare Rossi was a distinguished professor of engineering and also historian of engineering. He was a friend and an Associate of the Foundation for Science,…