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Museum of Science & Technology in Islam

The Museum's presence on the University campus is intended to expose the University's modern-day researchers to the rich historical foundation on which their University has been built, and the illustrious footsteps in which they follow.

Celebration of the Golden Age of Islam

The Museum celebrates the contributions of Muslim scholars to science and technology during the first Golden Age of Islam from the 650 to 1650. These Muslim scholars include amongst them the great scientists, inventors, engineers, mathematicians and teachers of that time, such as Jabir ibn Hayyan, Abbas bin Firnas, al-Kindi, al-Razi, al-Jazari and Taqi al-Din.

The Museum demonstrates how their contributions shaped the world as we know it today and how their pioneering work laid the foundation for modern civilization. The benefits of their work are all around us today.

Museum Vision

The Vision of the Museum is to showcase the concept of the ancient ‘Houses of Wisdom’ on whose legacy the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology is based.

Museum Mission

The Mission of the Museum is to create a world class facility for teaching and learning about Islamic contributions to science and technology.

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House of Wisdom

The Islamic Golden Age began in the 7th century and lasted until the 17th century. It was a time when the people living in area were encouraged by their faith to use their critical thinking skills to observe nature around them and to inquire, discover and invent.

It all started when Abbasside Caliph Al-Mansour established Baghdad as the center of culture, science and innovation. His first step on the road to discovery was to request the translation of books from earlier civilizations. Such a simple request, backed with a hunger for knowledge, led to the building of a library and translation center known as “The House of Wisdom”.

Later, his grandson Haroun Al-Rasheed expanded the center until it filled an entire building. Its influence peaked during Al-Mamoun’s era, Al-Rasheed’s son, who turned it into an international research center where scientists from around the world with diverse backgrounds came together to study, discover and develop things to benefit humanity.

The House of Wisdom (HOW) in Baghdad was the first of several HOWs that spread across the Islamic world. They competed for the most talented and creative individuals, as it was a prestigious status symbol to belong to a HOW.

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Activities

The Mission of the Museum is to create a world class facility for teaching and learning about Islamic contributions to science and technology.

Arabic Loanwords

The following English words have been acquired either directly from Arabic or else indirectly by passing from Arabic into other languages and then into English. Most entered one or more of the Romance languages, before entering English.

To qualify for this list, a word must be reported in etymology dictionaries as having descended from Arabic. A handful of dictionaries have been used as the source for the list.[1] Words associated with the Islamic religion are omitted; for Islamic words, see Glossary of Islam

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