Lost History

Early Muslim culture set the foundation for the Rennaissance of Europe and for nearly every aspect of the modern world. In this age of conflict, ''Lost History'' provides a vital look at the Muslim world and its deep connection to all cultures. Unlike many histories, which address the noted Arab Golden Age of Baghdad, Persia, and Muslim Spain from 632 to 1258 AD and the fall of Baghdad, ''Lost History'' reveals the many 'golden ages' of Muslim thought, from Shiite Iran to Mughal India, to the 18th century. Engaging chapters introduce a contemporary accountant, obstetrician, civil engineer, or astrophysicist, all whose work is linked to early Muslim advancements.Artful flashbacks render page - turning accounts of such luminaries as Al Ma'mun, who founded Baghdad's international House of Wisdom from which came foundations for modern math, astronomy, chemistry, medicine, and literature; Al Khwarizmi, often considered the Father of Algebra, whose invention of algorithms makes possible cell phones today; revered Arab philospher Al Kindi, who wrote, 'nothing should be dearer to the seeker of truth than the truth itself;' Astronomer Al Manon, for whom is named a crater of the moon; the exiled Emir Abdal Rahman, who brought to Cordoba, Spain, irrigation systems and unique architecture; and the Syrian - born Al Nafis, who revealed that the blood flows from the heart, through the lungs, to the body and back again. Finally, readers discover that Omar Khayyam, well - loved poet of the Rubaiyat, was a mathematical wizard who calculated the length of a year to be 365.242 days (later calculated by atomic clocks to within millionths of a second). Writes the author: 'By recovering lost history together, maybe we can really get at the issues of today that will never be solved by force. Because if there is no other lesson to be drawn from ''Lost History'', it is that force rarely ever positively resolves issues of the spirit and the soul - whether in individuals, or in civilizations.'