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17.09.2015 - UNESCO Office in Doha

UNESCO and Al Faisal Without Borders Foundation open exhibition on Ibn al-Haytham in Paris

©UNESCO

As part of the International Year of Light, UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova and His Excellency Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, founder and chairman of Al Faisal Without Borders Foundation, open an exhibition on the legacy of the Islamic scholar Ibn al-Haytham on the sideline of the international conference "Islamic Golden Age of Science for actual knowledge-based society: The Ibn Al-Haytham example" on 14 September at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.

The exhibition is a joint initiative between Qatar National Library (QNL), Qatar National Commission to UNESCO and UNESCO Doha Office and is organized with the kind support of the AlFaisal Without Borders Foundation, a non-for-profit organisation founded and chaired by H.E. Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani that promotes sustainable development and provides humanitarian aid and relief.

Speaking during the opening of the exhibition, UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova said that “today, at this time of great change, when ignorance and violent extremism are rife, it is essential we do everything to teach the common history of humanity, to share the histories of women and men who did so much in the past to impact on the world as we know it today. Ibn Al-Haytham stands out in this pantheon” as a great scientist and humanist.

In his opening remarks, H.E Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani said that the exhibition emphasized the belief and support of the State of Qatar for the moral message of the international organization, which is to contribute to world peace and security through education, culture, science and arts, and to enhance cooperation and understanding among the peoples of the world.

"The commemoration of Arab scientists, through the celebration of the International Year of Light, is nothing new to us: Islamic scientists were pioneers in the field of science and many countries benefited from their inventions and teachings. The names of Muslim scientists and scholars in numerous disciplines of science have shined over the world, such as (Al-Khwārizmī) in mathematics, (Jābir ibn Hayyān) in chemistry, Avicenna (the Latinate form of Ibn-Sīnā) in medicine, and the focus of our exhibition today, Ibn al-Haytham, the founder of optics and moden science" H.E. Sheikh Faisal Al Thani added.

The exhibition included a short film on QNL’s efforts to preserve Islamic archives and manuscripts relating to the history of Qatar and the Arab and Islamic world. The exhibition also showcased selections of important texts authored by Ibn Al-Haytham displayed on interactive touch-screens such as ‘Discourse on Light’, ‘The Light of Planets’, and ‘The Light of the Moon’ as well as manuscripts highlighting the influence of Ibn Al-Haytham in Europe, including an Arabic treatise on a geometrical topic copied in Leiden and a printed book on Ibn Al-Haytham’s Optics Printed in Basle in 1572.

More photos of the exhibition opening can be found on this link.




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