Arab Scientists from Baghdad, Basra and Damascus
Special Radio Program
The Baghdad Cafe radio program aired between December 1997 and February 2000. The show was sponsored by the Institute of Near Eastern & African Studies (INEAS), produced and hosted by Wafaa' . The program aired on WZBC 90.3 FM in Newton, MA. (USA) every Sunday for two hours.
On Agust 2, 1998, Wafaa featured a 40-minute special on Arab Sciences and Scientists. INEAS made this special available on youtube in the links provided below.
If you do not wish to listen to the introductory song, please skip to the sixth minute of part 1 to begin listening to the information on Arab contributions, errors and misconceptions.
If you only want to listen to the information on Arab Scientists, then skip part 5 after the first two minutes. Later in this part, there are two songs from Mali and IRAQ.
Please always read the description on the right side of the video clip on youtube, which provides you with additional information and points out errors and corrections.
Finally, if you wish to order this two-hour radio program on CD, watch part 5 for details on how to do that while listening to the Mali and Iraqi songs. This two-hour radio program featured music/songs from Africa, Asia and Europe.
Here are the links:
At the sixth minute; the general information about Arabs and Persians begins including the mention of some errors and misconceptions.
A very informative overview about the inventions and discoveries by Arabs, Chinese, Greeks and Indians. Here you also learn about trigonometry, algorithm, geometry, astronomy and zoology. Algebra, which is an Arab invention, is not mentioned in this special. This part also highlights the works of scientists such as al-Khawarizmi, al-Hasan Ibnul Haytham, al-Jahith (aka al-Jahiz) and Kamal Ad-Dine Ad-Damiri. After the tenth minute, there is a title announcement. If you don't listen to it, you may not recognize the era or the location of the doctors presented in part 3. Persian Santour improvisation is the background music for this part.
Here, the host of the program introduces medical doctors in the Umayyad era when Damascus was the capital of the Islamic Empire. Brief information is provided about doctors; Prince Khalid bin Yazeed bin Mu'awiya, Abul Hakam al-Dimashqi, al-Hakam al-Dimashqi, Ibnul Hakam al-Dimashqi, Ibn Athal, Tiathooq, Furat bin Shahnata, Abdul Malik al-Kinani and Zaineb Bani Aud. It also includes information about three Abbasid era's doctors, when Baghdad was the capital of the Islamic world. These doctors are: Abu Hunain Is.haq al-Ibadi, Hunain bin Is.haq al-Ibadi and Is.haq bin Hunain.
Persian improvisation and Greek music (the famous piece, Zorba) are used as the musical background for this part.
This part continues providing information on Abbasid doctors:
Al-Kindi, Ibni-Tilmeeth al-Baghdadi and Muwaffaq Abdul Latif al-Baghdadi. It also points out three non-Arab doctors ; Ibn Sina, Ibn Rushd and Ibn Maimoun, plus two famous Arab doctors following the Abbasid era: Ibnu-Nafees and Ibn Zuhr. The poem (recited in both Arabic and English) at the 9th minute is very interesting. Piano playing by the Netherland composer and musician Silvard Kool is the musical background of this part.
In part V, only the first minute provides information about the musical background for the Special on Arab Contributions to Science. The rest is the conclusion of the radio program featuring two songs from Mali and IRAQ.