Friday, May 26, 2017

TOP TEN MOORISH AND ANDALUSIAN SCHOLARS!!

1. Ibn Battuta- travel, geography, exploration

Visited over 40 countries, including China, India (such as Calcutta), Middle East, grenada and Africa. Visited about 200 major cities (or at least places.....).

(from Morrocco I think)

2. Abulcasis- (surgery)

3. Al-Baitar- Improved pharmacology

4. Al-Muradi- clockmaking

5. Ibn Rushd (Averroes)- noted philosopher and commentator on Aristotle

6. Ibn Hazm- second most prolific scholar after Al-Tabari (in the IGA)

Wrote on history, ethics, Islamic jurisprudence and comparative religion

7. Ibn Tufail- was an Andalusian Muslim polymath a writer, novelist, Islamic philosopher, Islamic theologian, physician, astronomer, vizier, and court official.

Wrote a philosophical novel. Thus, arguably, a precedent for Voltaire's "Candide".

8.

Ibn al-'Awwam-often said to be Arab; yet associated with Seville.

Agriculture and livestock. According to wikipedia:


"He wrote a lengthy handbook on agriculture entitled in Arabic Kitāb al-Filāḥa (English: Book on Agriculture), which is the most comprehensive treatment of the subject in medieval Arabic, and one of the most important medieval works on the subject in any language."


9.
Ibn Bassal (1085 C.E.) -Botany. According to wikipedia he

"was a Moor botanist in Toledo and Seville, Spain who wrote about cultivation. Basal wrote the treatise The Classification of Soils which divided soil fertility into ten classifications. He worked in the court of Al-Mutamid for whom he created a royal garden.[1][2][3]"

10.Al-Jayyani- Trigonometry.

According to Wikipedia:

Al-Jayyānī wrote important commentaries on Euclid's Elements and he wrote the first known treatise on spherical trigonometry as a discipline independent from astronomy.


HONORARY MENTIONS:

Muhammad_al-Idrisi- geography and cartography. Made a map known as "The Book of Roger" for the Rogers of Norman Sicily.

I read somewhere that he may have made like 1150+ maps

Ziryab- Another andalucian polymath in the fields of astronomy, geography, meterology, botanics, cosmetic, culinary art and fashion. Also a musician.

Made a new type of deodorant for body odor. Said to have made an early toothpaste, and to have emphasized hygiene.

Heavily associated with Andalusia; but got started in Mesopotamia and Africa. Unclear extraction. 


Ibn al-Khatib- Arab from the Emirate of Grenada (and/or Morocco); poet, philosopher, politician, writer, historian and physician. Often said to have conceived of the idea of a contagion centuries before Pasteur. 



Ibn Sa'id al-Maghribi- Andalusian poet, geographer, and historian



Ibn Zuhr- Physician. He performed a tracheotomy on a goat.

Avempace- Another Moor botanist, astronomer and physicist.

 Ibn Firnas- polymath and glassworker who detailed a method to produce colorless glass. Was known to produce corrective lenses.

Al-Zarqali- Astronomy, instrument maker (by instruments I mean telescopes, clocks, that sorta thing. I think he was also referenced by Copernicus in his heliocentric thesis along with Al-Batani)

Jabir ibn Aflah- An astronomer and mathemitician from Seville. Critiqued and corrected Ptolemaic astronomy. Also invented an early analog computer known as the

Torquetum.


Maimonedes- medieval Jewish astronomer and philosopher.

Maslama al-Majriti- Economics and astronomy

Ibn Jubayr- Geographer, traveler, and poet during the crusades; and wrote about them.

At-Turtushi- 12th century Andalusian political theorist. 


Ibn Juzayy- history, poetry, and law. Helped Ibn Battuta write about his travels.


Leo Africanus- Became an authority on North African geography around the 16th century.

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Travel.  Ok this will be about travel...

First, familiarize yourself with the great travelers; Hemingway,, Ibn Battuta, Marco Polo, Richard Burton.

We will start by counting how many cities Ibn Battuta (a 14th century Morrocco explorer) had visited.

MAGHREB:  19 cities

ARAB PENINSULA-17

ARAB MASHRIQ-  44

PERSIA AND IRAQ:    20

NILE VALLEY:  1 (Suakin, Sudan)

HORN OF AFRICA:   2

SWAHILI COAST:  2

ANATOLIA:    40

SPAIN AND ANDALUSIA-5

CENTRAL ASIA:  23

SOUTH ASIA: 23 (he visited the maldives for example:

SE ASIA:   1

CHINA-2

MALI EMPIRE AND WEST AFRICA:  6

TOTAL:  Over 40 modern day countries, and 199 major cities.  Not bad for the 14th century.

Thursday, August 6, 2015

The IGA and it's influences

OK, I have decided to change the theme of this blog on to philosophy and history.  Namely, the IGA and it's influences.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Today I had steaks for dinner.  They came out great.  I like my steaks to be rare.  I don't know what my dreams are.  Maybe I should be recording my dreams here?  I got up late I must have slept until 3PM.  I find my neighborhood pretty boring.  Austin is so damned overrated!

I am replaying the Mass effect series, but why does it matter given the ending?  I'm starting to realize that although Mass Effect 3 is a good game; it is not really as well written as it's prequels.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

BACK FROM WWOOF

I just came back from WWOOFing (that is know as world wide oppurtunities for organic farms)


Well, I liked Santa Cruz (better than the overrated dump known as Austin....) and I loved this farm called Shumei.  Otherwise WWOOF is pretty gay and like doing anything else (having bosses whine about how lazy I am)

I thought the other WWOOFers I met were great though

Anyway, back in Austin because I am a broke bum who can't get things done...

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Waste of time

Damn, I really waste time.   Its already feb 18?  This long without a new job?

Well, anyway, I have decided to go to China.  That is the only way to make this blog more interesting

Friday, January 6, 2012

LAID OFF!!!

So, this week, I attended a couple of rugby practices.  Majority of the team seemed to be in worse shape; I had got in better shape due to having cycle to work.  I also had a couple of dreams last night about missing work and getting laid off for it.  Well, I did make it to work on time and was basically put on standby/laid off.
Then I went to sports authority and brought a mouthpiece (for rugby) and a bicycle helmet.

Now, I just need to think of a way to make money....