The FSTC website became live this year at www.FSTC.org.uk. The website is designed to provide information about all of FSTC’s activities from research to exhibitions and to show the connections between FSTC and its subsidiary companies and projects. The website is structured around major sections: About Us, Research, Public Engagement, Learning & Publishing and gives details of how you can Get Involved. To visit the corporate FSTC website, click here.

The last couple of months have seen a great spurt in the activities of our international Muslim Heritage Awareness Groups (MHAG) including expansion into the US. On 16th March 2011, MHAG – US was launched at the New York Hall of Science; on 30th March MHAG – UK held a meeting at the Royal Society in London and on 18th April, MHAN - Turkey met for the second time at Marmara University in Istanbul.

During these meetings groups of 30-40 high profile academics, museologists and public figures gathered to discuss current Muslim Heritage research and public engagement projects as well as plans for developing the various groups into successful advocacy and networking groups both nationally and internationally.

We hope to develop MHA Groups in other countries and to hold biennial international conferences to bring the entire network of experts together and promote projects and research in the field of Islamic studies and Muslim Heritage at large.

Recent publications on MuslimHeritage.com include: a reflection on the impact of the 1001 Inventions exhibition and how Malaysia could benefit from it by Zakri Abdul Hamid; a review of D. Fairchild Ruggles’ Islamic Gardens and Landscapes; a republication of Irene Beeson’s Cairo: A Millennial in which the author describes the splendours of the city, especially under the Fatimids and the Mamluks; David W. Tschanz’s introduction to some of the greatest early physicians including Al-Zahrawi, Ibn Zuhr, Ibn Rushd and Ibn al-Nafis al-Dimashqi in his Pioneer Physicians; an illustrated report on Professor Salim Al-Hassani’s recent lecture at Newcastle University on Muslim Heritage and Cultural Roots of Science; and finally the FSTC Research team presents a short history of the Al-Azhar mosque and its progressive transformation into one of the most influential centres of Islamic learning for more than a millennium.

It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing away of our dear friend and colleague Dr. Toygar Akman. He was a long time supporter of FSTC and a member of MHANT. He also contributed two important articles to MuslimHeirtage.com: Subsequent Thoughts on the '1001 Inventions' Exhibition in Istanbul and An 800 Years Old Ancestor about Al-Jazari. The review of his book Cybernetics published on MuslimHeritage.com is a small tribute to his memory.

This is a “once in a lifetime” prize with the lucky individual winning a trip for two to Los Angeles. The prize includes flights and hotel accommodation for four nights, staying close to the California Science Center where you will get to visit the 1001 Inventions exhibition. Following that, the rest of your trip is yours to do whatever you please. All you have to do is tell us in no more than 50 words why you like 1001 Inventions. To find out how to enter click here.

On 18th March 2011 Barnes and Noble officially launched the sale of the 1001 Inventions: Muslim Heritage in Our World in New York, with a book signing by Professor Salim Al-Hassani at the WNET Celebration of Teaching and Learning Conference. As part of the book launch, Prof. Al-Hassani, Mr Maurice Coles and the President of NYSCI, Dr. Margaret Honey, spoke to an invited audience of teachers and educationalists about the myth of the “Dark Ages” and the millennium of scientific history missing from school curricula across the world. Read More...

Join the 1001 Inventions Global Community of more than 63,000 members and connect with like minded people from all around the world supporting our campaign to build social cohesion and promote inter-cultural appreciation. Join us on our website. and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Hundreds of VIP guests attended an exclusive event to celebrate the forthcoming transfer of the 1001 Inventions exhibition from New York city to its new home in Los Angeles. As part of the ceremony, the CEO and President of NYSCI, Dr. Margaret Honey, carried out a symbolic transfer of the exhibition to her CSC counterpart, Jeffrey Rudolph, by handing over a reproduction of the Scribe Clock – an early-13th century invention created by the master engineer Al-Jazari, who is one of the central characters within the exhibition. Read More...

An innovative new project is underway bringing together four faith settings and four diverse artists in a project entitled “Sacred Spaces”.  In collaboration with Creativity Culture and Education (CCE), CE4CE is heading up the production, testing and evaluation of a new creative module that is intended to be rolled our across Hindu, Muslim, Jewish and Christian faith schools. The project team, the artists, and the faith setting volunteers will develop a series of sessions exploring the concept of “sacred spaces”. It is intended that this theme will provide those involved with the opportunity to explore their own heritage in terms of sacred spaces, to investigate the heritage of other faiths, and to examine the concept for themselves in order to develop their own creative response.