Ibn al-Haytham writes Book of Optics
The Book of Optics is a seven-volume treatise on optics and other fields of study.
Middle East
Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī publishes The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing
Translated into Latin by Robert of Chester in 1145, it was used until the sixteenth century as the principal mathematical text-book of European universities. It also introduced the term “algebra” to European languages.
Caliph Al-Mansur commissions the construction of Baghdad
After the fall of the Umayyads, the first Muslim dynasty, the victorious Abbasid rulers wanted their own capital from which they could rule. They chose a site north of the Sassanid capital of Ctesiphon and also just north of where ancient Babylon had once stood.
Ibadi Muslims establish an imamate in modern-day Oman
The Imamate is a 1,200 year old system of government pioneered by the Ibadi religious leaders of Oman, and was based upon the Islamic sharia.
The Abbasid Caliphate begins in the Islamic world
The Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled most of the Muslim world from Baghdad in what is now Iraq, lasted from 750 to 1258 C.E.
Muhammad begins Hijrah, marking the start of the Islamic era
Muhammad encouraged his followers to migrate to Medina, and in a span of two months, nearly all the Muslims of Mecca migrated to the city.
![Phoenician warship[8] with two rows of oars](https://b3818159.smushcdn.com/3818159/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Phoenician-warship8-with-two-rows-of-oars-relief-from-Nineveh-ca.-700-BC.jpg?lossy=0&strip=1&webp=1)
The Byzantine Lex Rhodia becomes perhaps the world’s first law governing the seas
The Rhodian Sea Law persisted across the Mediterranean region in influence, if not in actual practice, through the 12th century.
The panemone windmill is invented, perhaps in Persia
A panemone windmill is a type of vertical axis wind turbine. It has a rotating axis positioned vertically, while the wind-catching blades move parallel to the wind.
Muhammad is born in Mecca in modern-day Saudi Arabia
According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet, sent to present and confirm the monotheistic teachings preached previously by Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets.
The Sasanian Empire flourishes in modern-day Iran
The Sasanian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians, was the last kingdom of the Persian Empire before the rise of Islam.