Features & Perspectives
Long-form analysis on geopolitics, media framing, policy tradeoffs, and social impact.
Al-Biruni: Earth Radius, India, Astronomy, Biography and Methods
A source-aware guide to al-Biruni: biography, mountain-and-horizon Earth-radius method, astronomy, geodesy, study of India and Sanskrit, accuracy limits and common myths.
Ibn Sina (Avicenna): Canon of Medicine, Biography, Contributions and Legacy
A documented guide to Ibn Sina, or Avicenna: biography, five books of the Canon of Medicine, philosophy, medical influence, manuscript history, limits and common myths.
Ibn al-Haytham: Optics, Camera Obscura, Scientific Method and Biography
A source-aware guide to Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen): Book of Optics, vision and light experiments, camera obscura, scientific-method claims, biography, influence and common myths.
Bimaristan: History of Hospitals in the Medieval Islamic World
What was a bimaristan? A source-aware history of medieval Islamic hospitals, patients, waqf, physicians, pharmacy, medical teaching, mental-health care and major institutions.
Al-Khwarizmi: Algebra, Algorithms, Biography, Works and Legacy
Who was al-Khwarizmi? A source-aware guide to his algebra, arithmetic, astronomy, geography, the origins of algebra and algorithm, manuscripts and common invention myths.
House of Wisdom in Baghdad: History, Translation Movement and the 1258 Myth
A source-aware guide to Baghdad's House of Wisdom: Bayt al-Hikma, Abbasid patronage, translators, al-Ma'mun, uncertain institutional claims, decline and the 1258 destruction story.
Timbuktu Manuscripts and Sankore: History, Learning and Preservation
A source-aware guide to Timbuktu manuscripts and Sankore: mosque schools, family libraries, subjects, Mali and Songhai history, collection estimates and preservation.
Mali Empire History: Sundiata, Mansa Musa, Trade, Islam and Decline
A source-aware Mali Empire history and timeline covering Sundiata, Mansa Musa, government, gold and salt trade, Islam, Ibn Battuta and gradual decline.
Mansa Musa's Hajj, 1324-1325: Route, Gold, Cairo and What Sources Say
A source-aware guide to Mansa Musa's hajj in 724-725 AH / 1324-1325: route, Cairo, gold, entourage estimates, Mali's networks and the richest-man claim.
Fall of Granada in 1492: Date, Capitulations and What Happened Next
A source-aware guide to Granada's surrender on 2 January 1492, Muhammad XII, Ferdinand and Isabella, the capitulations, initial guarantees and later coercion.
Caliphate of Cordoba, 929-1031: Timeline, Achievements and Decline
A source-aware guide to the Caliphate of Cordoba from 929 to 1031: Abd al-Rahman III, Medina Azahara, culture, government, fitna and taifa aftermath.
Muslim Conquest of Iberia in 711: Tariq ibn Ziyad, Timeline and Sources
A source-aware guide to the Muslim conquest of Iberia from 711: Tariq ibn Ziyad, the Gibraltar crossing, Guadalete, Musa ibn Nusayr, timeline and later legends.