Bulletin Fall 2021

Remembering ʿAbbas Ibn Firnas

How a Medieval Polymath's Career Suggests a More Diverse History of Science, Technology, and Visual Culture

Ibn Firnas’ statue outside Baghdad International Airport, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ibn_Firnas%27_statue.jpg

Ibn Firnas’ statue outside Baghdad International Airport, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ibn_Firnas%27_statue.jpg

For this edition of the SNAP Bulletin we have a wonderful StoryMap by Dr. Glaire Anderson, Senior Lecturer in Islamic Art, School of History of Art/ECA, University of Edinburgh. In her StoryMap Dr. Anderson juxtaposes the ways in which Ibn Firnas’ medieval ‘first in flight’ experience has been visualized and celebrated in recent history with his legacy as a polymath amongst medieval and early modern scholars. Dr. Anderson’s story takes us to Dubai, Cairo, Tlemcen, Cordoba, and Morocco, following the diverse engagement with Ibn Firnas in the past and present.

You can enjoy this fascinating tale and view the full StoryMap here.