Medieval+Christian+and+Islamic+Art+and+Science

=**Islamic Art and Science**=


 * Islamic Astronomy**

Medieval Islamic scholars developed models of the universe that were further developed by others such as Copernicus (see this [|article)].


 * al-Qazwini's //Wonders of Creation//**

The //Kitab Aja’ib al-makhluqat wa Gharaib al-Mawjudat//, usually known as “The Cosmography” or “The Wonders of Creation,” was compiled in the middle 1200s in what is now Iran or Iraq and is considered one of the most important natural history texts of the medieval Islamic world. The author Abu Yahya Zakariya ibn Muhammad ibn Mahmud-**al-Qazwini**(ca. 1203-1283 C.E.), known simply as al-Qazwini, was one of the most noted natural historians, geographers and encyclopedists of the period. //(information from National Library of Medicine)//

Many copies of his work were made by various artists and calligraphers. See an electronic copy at the National Library of Medicine and [|turn the pages] by clicking on the upper right corner of the book. Note that Arabic texts read in a different direction from what you expect.

The Walters Art Museum also has a version of the famous manuscript. It is not currently on display, but you can see several natural history images from the Walters copy [|here]. Two examples are below.




 * Islamic Medicine**

Ibn Sina, circa 980 AD, was a Persian (Iranian) polymath who wrote hundreds of works including the //Canon of Medicine//. The Canon was used in European medical schools for centuries. An English translation of the contents with links to pages in Arabic is[| here].