STS - Middle East Intellectual Revolutions

Coffee

Originating from Yemen and Ethiopia in the 11th century

Kaldi

The first one to discover the coffee beans

Sufi Muslims

Transported the coffee beans and used them to increase their concentrations during prayers

Cafes

Introduced in 15th-century Turkey

Kiva Han

World’s first coffee shop which opened in Constantinople in 1475

Toothbrushes

From Babylonia and Egypt in 3,500 BC, were created by fraying twigs, with similar devices found in ancient Egyptian tombs.

The Check

Originating from 9th-century Baghdad and Morocco

The Check

Evolved from the Arabic 'saqq,' serving as a written vow for payment to avoid transporting money through risky territories.

A Flying Machine

In 857 AD Andalusia, Spain

Abbas Ibn Firnas

Poet, astronomer, musician, and engineer who lived in Andalusia, Spain

Abbas Ibn FIrnas

At age 70, he made the world’s first ever flying machine from silk and eagle feathers and jumped from a mountain while strapped into it. Stayed in the air for 10 minutes.

Fountain Pens

Response to the Sultan's frustration with the messiness of using ink and quills.

Fountain Pens

Invented in Egypt in 953

The Three-Course Meal

Introduced by Ziryab in 9th-century Andalusia, its format included soup, a main dish, and dessert.

Ziryab

Persian musician, poet, and teacher

Telling Time

Dating back to 2,000 BC in modern-day Iran and Iraq

2000 BC Sumer

Where the system of counting from zero to 60 originated

The Crankshaft

Developed in 12th-century Turkey

Ismail al-Jazari

Engineer born in 1136 in modern-day Turkey

The Crankshaft

Most significant invention of Ismail al-Jazari

The Crankshaft

Converts rotation into linear movement. It is the basis for much of the machinery in the modern world including the bicycle.

The Combination Lock

Invented in 12th-century Turkey

Ismail al-Jazari

Inventor of the combination lock

Five caskets

The number of containers known to exist where a four-dial combination lock are found in the lids from early 13th century

Soap

Originating from ancient Babylonia in 2,800 BC

Arabs

Invented soaps by mixing vegetable oils, sodium hydroxide, and aromatic oils

Algebra and the Algorithm

From 9th-century Iran

Al-Khwarizmi

9th century Persian mathematician who is often referred to as “The Father of Algebra”

The University

Established in 9th-century Morocco

Princess Fatima al-Firhi

Opened the world’s first university in Fez, Morocco

Al-Qarawiyyin University

First educational facility in the world that opened in 859 AD which granted degrees and still operates as higher education insitution today teaching Islamic sciences and law.

Hospitals

Originated in 9th-century Egypt

Ahmad Ibn Tulun

First hospital founded in 872 in Cairo, Egypt. Entirely free of use.

Windmills

Dating back to 7th-century Iran, have been in use for over a millennium, with some ancient windmills still operational today.