STS - Middle East Intellectual Revolutions

· The Middle East is known in the west for its food, as a center of religion, and for its often-troubled recent history.

· But it is also known for its history of innovation in philosophy, mathematics and literature, and science — which has given us many items, concepts, and institutions that we now use all the time.

Coffee

· From Yemen and Ethiopia in the 11th century

· It was an Ethiopian shepherd named Kaldi who first discovered the effects of coffee beans when he noticed that his herd of goats became significantly more energetic after eating a certain berry.

· It was then transported to Yemen where it was used by Sufi Muslims to increase their concentration while they prayed.

Cafes

· Cafes— from 15th-century Turkey

· The use of coffee spread across the region and led to a second invention—the cafe. Although the use of coffee became increasingly widespread in society, it was for hundreds of years closely associated with religion.

· The record of the world's first coffee shop is thought to be Kiva Han, which opened in Constantipole (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey) in 1475.

Toothbrushes

· From Babylonia and Egypt in 3,500 BC

· The first toothbrush was made by fraying the edges of a twig by the ancient Babylonians. Similar devices have also been found in ancient Egyptian tombs.

The Check

· From 9th-century Baghdad and Morocco

· The check as a form of payment originates from the 'saqq'— the Arabic word for a written vow to pay for goods after they were delivered.

· The system was developed in order to avoid having to transport money through dangerous territories.

A Flying Machine

· Abbas Ibn Firnas was a poet, astronomer, musician and engineer who lived in Andalusia, modern-day Spain.

· At the time, the area was part of an Islamic civilization which stretched from modern-day Portugal in the west to Pakistan in the east.

· In 857 AD, at the age of 70, Ibn Firnas made the world's first ever flying machine from silk and eagle feathers and jumped from a mountain while strapped into it.

The machine floated into the sky and successfully stayed there for all of ten minutes, before making a crash landing.

Fountain Pens

· The fountain pen was made in the year 953 in Egypt after the Sultan at the time expressed his frustration at how messy it was using ink and a quill.

The Three-Course Meal

· The three-course meal — from 9th-century Andalusia

· The three-course meal was invented by Ziryab, a Persian musician, poet and teacher who lived in 9th-century Andalusia.

· He insisted meals be served in the format of a soup, followed by a main dish of meat or fish and ending with a sweet dessert.

Telling Time

· Telling time — from 2,000 BC in modern-day Iran and Iraq

· One of the most significant inventions from the Middle East was the clock, and even formalized timekeeping itself.

· The system of counting from zero to 60 originates from 2000 BC in Sumer, modern-day Iran and Iraq.

· The water clock, a device which measured time through the amount of water passing in or out of a container using weights, was also invented and used by the ancient Egyptians.

The Crankshaft

· 12th-century Turkey

· Ismail al-Jazari was an Engineer born in 1136 in modern day Turkey.

o His most significant invention was the crankshaft, a device which converts rotation into linear movement.

o It is the basis for much of the machinery in the modern world, including the bicycle.

The Combination Lock

· The combination lock — from 12th-century Turkey

· Invented by Ismail Al Jazari’s

· First ever four-dial combination lock for a chest or casket.

· Only five caskets from the early 13th century with such a four-dial combination lock on the lid are known to still exist.

Soap

· Soap — from 2,800 BC in ancient Babylonia

· Soap was invented by the Arabs through combining vegetable oils with sodium hydroxide and aromatic oils.

Algebra and the algorithm

· Algebra and the algorithm — from 9th-century Iran

· Al-Khwarizmi was a 9th Century Persian mathematician who is often referred to as "The Father of Algebra," for his scholarship in the subject. He also invented the algorithm.

The University

· The university — from 9th-century Morocco

· The world's first university was opened by princess Fatima al-Firhi in Fez, Morocco in 859 AD. The al-Qarawiyyin university was first educational facility which granted degrees and still operates as a higher education institution today teaching Islamic sciences and law.

The University

· The university — from 9th-century Morocco

Hospitals

· Hospitals — from 9th-century Egypt

· The first hospital was the Ahmad Ibn Tulun Hospital founded in 872 in Cairo

· It was also entirely free to use.

Windmills

· Windmills — from 7th-century Iran

· Some 1,000-year-old windmills in Iran are still in use today.