Abbas ibn Firnas
Abbas ibn Firnas | |
|---|---|
عباس ابن فرناس | |
20th century statue of Ibn Firnas outside Baghdad International Airport | |
| Born | c. 810 CE Ronda, Takurunna province, Emirate of Córdoba |
| Died | 887 CE Córdoba, Emirate of Córdobe |
| Known for | Astronomy, engineering, medicine, invention |
Abū al-Qāsim ʿAbbās ibn Firnās ibn Wardūs al-Tākurnī (Arabic: أبو القاسم عباس بن فرناس بن ورداس التاكرني; c. 809/810 – 887 CE), known as ʿAbbās ibn Firnās (Arabic: عباس ابن فرناس) was an Andalusi polymath: an inventor, astronomer, physician, chemist, engineer, Andalusi musician, and Arabic-language poet. He was reported to have experimented with unpowered flight.
Ibn Firnas made various contributions in the field of astronomy and engineering. He constructed a device which indicated the motion of the planets and stars in the Universe. In addition, Ibn Firnas came up with a procedure to manufacture colourless glass and made magnifying lenses for reading, which were known as reading stones.