Since ancient times, Muslims have discovered methods for surgery and designed flying machines, laying the foundation for the development of the modern civilized world.
Inventions by Muslims That Changed Human Life
1. Flying Machine
The Muslim engineer Abbas ibn Firnas was the first to implement a plan to create a flying machine and test it. Around the 9th century, he designed a winged frame, hoping it could fly like a bird. In his famous test flight in Cordoba, Spain, the machine soared for a few seconds before falling to the ground, resulting in a broken back for him. Abbas’s invention is believed to have inspired Leonardo da Vinci hundreds of years later.
Abbas ibn Firnas (left) and a simulation of his test flight. (Photo: ilmfeed.com)
2. Surgery
Around the year 1000, the physician Al Zahrawi published a 1500-page encyclopedia on surgery. This book was used as a reference in medical studies for 500 years afterward.
Zahrawi also discovered the use of catgut to stitch wounds during surgery. He was the physician who performed the first cesarean section and invented surgical clamps.
3. Coffee
According to Professor Salim al-Hassani, president of the UK’s Foundation for Science, Technology, and Civilization, coffee was first brewed in Yemen around the 9th century. At that time, it was a drink that helped Sufi followers stay awake for night prayers. Later, coffee was brought to Cairo, Egypt, by a group of students and then to Turkey around the 13th century. Coffee beans began to appear in Europe three centuries later, brought by a merchant to Italy.
4. University
In 859, Fatima al-F
