The most influential and famous Persian scholar in the medieval Islamic world, Abu Ali ibn Sina, is known to the world under a simpler and more sonorous name - Avicenna. Contemporaries in the East called him a spiritual mentor, a sage. And this is quite understandable. Avicenna brought up a whole galaxy of philosophers, was a vizier. Combining these two incarnations, he seemed to be the ideal of a scientist.
He believed that he would go into non-existence physically, with all his properties, including appearance, but the rational part of the soul would escape decay. The words turned out to be somewhat prophetic. His works from various fields of science are studied to this day, films are made about him and books are written. However, he was mistaken in one thing, scientists managed to recreate his appearance from the preserved skull. You can see the result in the photo.
Abu Ali ibn Sina: a brief biography of childhood and youth
Mankind learns about the life of Avicenna from reliable, but insufficiently complete sources - the works of medieval authors(al-Kyfti, al-Baykhaki, al-Kashi, etc.).
The future philosopher and public figure, doctor and scientist was born in a small village near the city of Bukhara (the territory of modern Uzbekistan). The early disclosure of the boy's intellectual abilities was facilitated by his father (an official with an interest in philosophy and science). By the age of ten, he knew the Qur'an so well that, according to primary sources, "he was amazed."
Then he mastered the basics of mathematics and Islamic law. The boy continued his further education under the supervision of the scientist Abu-Abdallahom al-Natili, who arrived in Bukhara and settled in their house. Abu Ali ibn Sina, whose biography can be gleaned from his books, soon surprised the teacher and explained some concepts to him himself. Soon he began to independently storm books on metaphysics and physics, and, in the words of the scientist himself, "a craving for medicine awakened in him." She did not seem complicated to him, and already at the age of 16 he consulted experienced doctors and helped patients himself, "discovering new methods of treatment that had not been described anywhere before." The fame of a talented doctor spread quickly, at the age of 18 Ibn Sina ended up in the emir's palace and got open access to a rich library.
Wanderings of a scientist
Years of active learning gave way to a time of wanderings, in which Abu Ali ibn Sina plunged. The biography of the scientist in the writings of historians is indicated in approximate dates. So, he left Bukhara after the death of his father between 1002 and 1005. He moved to the city of Gurganj, which was then experiencing away from politicalflourishing events. All scientific life was concentrated around one institution - the Mamun Academy, which brought together many scientists. It was to this society that Avicenna joined. It is known that he and his colleagues were absolutely well-to-do in worldly terms and lived together, enjoyed correspondence and scientific discussions.
In 1008, Ibn Sina was forced to leave the city. The reason lay in the doctor's refusal to come to the Sultan's court to stay. The act of the young scientist infuriated him. He gave the order to reproduce his portrait and send it to all regions with an order to search for and then deliver the rebel to his palace. The enterprise was not successful. As is known, Avicenna completed his wanderings in Jurjan (1012-1014). During this period, he created his treatises, began work on the "Canon of Medicine".
After time, the Sultan again made attempts to find him, and the scientist continued his wanderings on.
Life in Hamadan
Abu Ali ibn Sina, whose biography is connected with constant wanderings, in an attempt to hide from the encroachments of the Sultan ended up in the city of Hamadan (modern territory of Iran). Here the scientist spent almost ten years, from 1015 to 1024. These were very eventful years. He was actively involved not only in science, but also in political and state affairs. His acquaintance and successful treatment of the ruler of Shamsad-Dauli led him to the post of vizier. However, he soon came into conflict with the military elite and was overthrown. The emir saved him from execution by accepting a compromisethe decision to exile ibn Sina outside the domain. For 40 days the doctor was in hiding. However, another attack that happened to the emir forced him to reconsider his decision: to urgently find a scientist, apologize and reappoint him to the post of minister.
After the death of the ruler, his son came to power. He offered Avicenna to take the post of vizier again, but he refused and entered into a secret correspondence with the Emir of Isfahan, offering him his services.
Life in Isfahan
Located on the banks of the Zayande River and now the Iranian city of Isfahan was the last place where Avicenna (Abu Ali ibn Sina) settled. The biography of this period (1024-1037) is rich in scientific works. The years spent at the court of the emir are the most fruitful. This was largely facilitated by the fascination with science of the ruler himself. It was during this period that the philosopher and scientist wrote, perhaps, his most capacious work - The Book of Fair Trial, which consisted of twenty volumes. However, she disappeared during one of the enemy invasions.
Avicenna ended his life in Hamadan, where he was buried. He died at the age of 56, after a long illness, referred to in the sources as "colic".
Works on Medicine
Medicine is the main field of activity in which Abu Ali ibn Sina became famous during his lifetime. "The Canon of Medicine" (pictured below) - a series of books (five volumes in total), written by him in 1023, is one of the most famous. It is according to her that many doctors of the West and East in the 12-17th centuriesstudied the basics of medicine.
In the book, Avicenna suggested that many diseases can be caused by the smallest creatures, which, among other things, spoil water and food, are peddlers. He studied a number of diseases, distinguishing between plague and cholera, described leprosy and emphasized the contagiousness of smallpox, and also highlighted issues related to surgical operations, revealed the topic of "complex" medicines (more than half of them are of plant origin).
Ibn Sina is also known for such works as Treatise on the Pulse, On the Benefits and Harm of Wine, Medicines, Blood Vessels for Bloodletting, Poem on Medicine, and many others (in a total of 274 valuable manuscripts).
Chemistry and Astronomy
It is known that Avicenna discovered the process of distillation of essential oil, and also knew how to obtain sulfuric, nitric and hydrochloric acids, potassium and sodium hydroxides.
The scientist criticized the views of Aristotle in the field of astronomy, arguing in defiance of the fact that stars and planets shine with their own light, and do not reflect it from the sun. He wrote his own book, which contained, among other things, comments on the work of Ptolemy.
Images in books and movies
It's no surprise that many writers and directors choose Abu Ali ibn Sina as the central character in their books and films. The biography of the famous philosopher and doctor is rich in tragic events and truly significant discoveries. The most famous work is the book by Noah Gordon"The Disciple of Avicenna", published in 1998 and filmed in 2013 by Philip Stölzlam (frames from the film - in the photo below).
The Spanish writer E. Teodoro also turned to the theme of the life of a scientist. His novel is called The Avicenna Manuscript and tells about individual episodes in the life of Ibn Sina.
Could there be something more valuable and useful in the medieval world than what Abu Ali ibn Sina discovered in medicine? Biology, astronomy, mechanics, philosophy, literature, medicine, psychology are the sciences in which he was brilliantly aware and educated. In addition, he had a sharp mind, and, according to contemporaries, a phenomenal memory and powers of observation. All these qualities and numerous works have perpetuated the memory of the Persian scholar through the ages.
