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Islam & Science Exhibition at London's Science Museum:
An exhibition entitled "1001
Inventions: Discover the Muslim Heritage in Our World" is underway
at London’s Science Museum. It aims at bringing greater public
recognition to the contributions Muslim .....Read Full
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More than 15,000 people have rushed to
visit a recently opened exhibition at London’s Science Museum.
Launched on the 21st January, the landmark exhibition highlights the
scientific heritage the world has inherited from Muslim civilisation.
The venue has been inundated with visitors and the Museum’s Director
has described their latest attraction as a “blockbuster”.
1001 Inventions: Discover
the Muslim Heritage in Our World,
which is sponsored by the Jameel
Foundation, traces the forgotten story
of a thousand years of science from the Muslim world, from the 7th
century onwards.
The free exhibition, which
runs from the 21 January to 25 April 2010, will look at the social,
scientific and technical achievements that are credited to the
Muslim world, whilst celebrating the shared scientific heritage of
other cultures. It features a diverse range of exhibits, interactive
displays and dramatisation, all of which acknowledge the Muslim
world’s contribution to many modern inventions, spanning fields such
as engineering, medicine and architecture, and can trace their roots
back to Muslim civilisation.
The launch of the
exhibition marks the beginning of a global tour that will visit the
world's most respected museums and centres of learning over the next
four years.
Professor Chris Rapley, Director of
the Science Museum, commented: “The thousand year period from the
7th century onwards was a time of exceptional scientific and
technological advancement in the Muslim World, spanning China,
India, Persia, Africa and Arabia. This is the period in history that
gave us huge advances in engineering, mathematics, chemistry and
physics. With over 15,000 objects in our collection spanning many
different cultures, the Science Museum provides the perfect platform
for this exhibition, as a place which encourages innovation and
learning amongst visitors of all ages.”
One of the iconic focal features of
this exhibition is a five-metre high replica of the ‘Elephant
Clock’- a visually striking early 13th century water clock, the body
of which contains symbols referring different cultures and is
featured alongside a short feature film starring Oscar-winning actor
Sir Ben Kingsley as Al-Jazari, inventor of the fabled clock.
Professor Salim T S Al Hassani, Chairman of 1001 Inventions,
explained: “The Elephant Clock is an early 13th century machine
which gives physical form to the concept of multi-culturalism. This
engineering marvel featured an Indian Elephant, Chinese Dragons, a
Greek water mechanism, an Egyptian Phoenix, and wooden robots in
traditional Arabian attire. It embodies cultural and scientific
convergence of civilisations and is an appropriate centre-piece for
an exhibition about the roots of science and technology.”
Other striking exhibits
featured in this interactive exhibition include:
�
Model of an energy efficient and
environmentally-friendly Baghdad courtyard house.
- A large 3 metre reproduction Al-Idrisi’s
12th-century world map.
- Model of Zheng He’s Chinese junk
ship – originally a 15th century wooden super structure
over 100 metres long.
- Medical instruments from a thousand
year ago, many of which are still used today.
- Model of a 9th-century dark room,
later called Camera Obscura, which Ibn al-Haytham used to change our
understanding of vision and optics.
Fady Jameel, speaking on
behalf of the Abdul Latif Jameel Foundation, said: “One of the most
important aims of our foundation is to promote global education
projects and this 1001 Inventions exhibition at one of Europe’s most
prestigious museums will help achieve just that through increasing
understanding about a fascinating period of history and discovering
how it impacts us in today’s modern word”.
The exhibition will run from 21st
January until 25th April 2010 (with a short closure between 25th
February and 12th March 2010 inclusive).
Further information about
the exhibition is available at
www.1001inventions.com
.
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