By IINA,
Sharjah : An Arabian tune suddenly fills the room, the sort of music that reminds me of a backdrop track to the tale of Scheherazade and 1001 Nights. As the dancers emerge from a majestic Arabian palace and sway across the courtyard, the goats simultaneously dip their heads into a bowl of water. To my surprise, I also spot a snake charmer rising from beneath the floors accompanied by his many snakes. The model is one of the many at the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization, which shows that even as far back as ten centuries ago, technology was entertaining as well as practical, Gulf News reported. This model is one of 31 described by Ahmad ibn Halaf Al Muradi in his 11th century book Kitab Al Asrar fi Nata’ij Al Afkar. Initially, the toy is supposed to have been based on a water-clock mechanism although the original machine ran on mercury, not water.
The Islamic Museum opened earlier this month and is situated opposite the Sharjah Creek.
The building used to be known to locals as the Souq Al Majarrah, where you could find all sorts of knick-knacks, whether it be a radio clock or poorly manufactured souvenirs. The souq never really did the two-storey building justice, since the building displays impressive architecture of attractive Arab-Islamic vintage. Its most outstanding feature, however, has to be the gilt central dome that is decorated on the inside with mosaic depicting the night sky and the 12 signs of the zodiac. The Islamic museum displays a range of artefacts representing the different periods of Islamic history from its beginnings in Arabia and the Umayyad era until the Ottoman and Mamluk eras.
“There is a special exhibition of priceless Islamic masterpieces that were brought in from the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin, much of which has never been displayed before,” said Manal Attaya, Director of the Sharjah Museum Department. The ground floor of the museum holds the Islamic Faith Gallery that displays ancient mathematical and astronomical works that were important in locating the direction of prayer towards the Holy Kaaba in Makkah. The entire first floor is devoted to Islamic Art that depicts historical relics, such as a Mongolian silk tunic dating back to 14th Century. The Islamic Art gallery also displays ceramics, metalwork, glass and minor arts made in the Muslim world between seventh and 13th century. “A gallery is dedicated to Islam and contains the Quran and Islamic calligraphies. Another gallery displays the different activities of Muslim craftsmen, weapon makers and pottery makers,” said Aisha Deemas, the curator.
Islam and the Quran also emphasize the importance of knowledge and encourage scientific ventures and an array of mathematical instruments can be found. While touring the gallery, you can easily stumble upon the name of A-Zahrawi – the famous Islamic surgeon who developed more than 200 surgical instruments and devices. The patient would lie on the stretcher and have his limbs pulled, and this particular device was apparently commonly used for orthopaedic procedures and accidents.
From the early Islamic period ancient scientific knowledge was transmitted through the pre-Islamic civilizations of India, Iran and the Hellenic world and was then translated into Arabic, and improved upon by Muslim scientists all over the Islamic world. The foundations of Islamic science in general, and of astronomy in particular, were laid two centuries after the migration of the Prophet (PBUH) from Makkah to Medina in 622 AD. The Abbassid dynasty took over the caliphate (the leadership of Islam) in 750 AD, founding Baghdad as its capital and as a centre of knowledge and learning. Caliph Al Ma’mun, who came to power in 813 AD, founded an academy called the House of Wisdom whose principal translator of mathematical and astronomical works was Thabit ibn Qurra, who wrote more than 100 scientific papers.
Among the astronomers of the House of Wisdom was Al Khwaizmi, whose book on algebra may have been the first on the subject in Arabic. The book was fundamental to medieval algebra and introduced Arabic numerals to Europe. A Quran manuscript made in Turkey in 1867 AD is one of the most appealing artefacts. A delicate black calligraphy script with gilt detailing can be seen on display, with its opening page fully illuminated with the first chapter (Al Fatiha). Surrounded by a broad floral border, you can also see ornamental motifs that decorate the margins throughout the manuscript.