PersonAD 780 – AD 850

al-Khwarizmi

Also called: Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, al-Khwārizmī

Mathematician and astronomer of the House of Wisdom in Baghdad; the word “algebra” comes from the title of his book, and “algorithm” from his name

Said to have come from Khwarazm in Central Asia, he worked at the House of Wisdom in Baghdad under Caliph al-Mamun. In his book on calculation by completion and balancing he set out systematic methods for solving linear and quadratic equations. His treatise on calculating with Indian numerals, translated into Latin, introduced zero and place-value notation to Europe. He also produced astronomical tables and a geography revising Ptolemy.

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1 related event

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AD 830The House of Wisdom and the Translation Movementauthor
In Abbasid Baghdad a great movement translated Greek, Persian and Indian learning into Arabic, and scholars such as al-Khwarizmi made major advances in mathematics and astronomy.

People who appear alongside

al-MamunAD 786 – AD 833
Seventh Abbasid caliph (813–833), son of Harun al-Rashid, who expanded the House of Wisdom in Baghdad and sponsored the translation of Greek learning
Harun al-RashidAD 809
Fifth Abbasid caliph (786–809), under whom Baghdad reached its height; he often appears in the Thousand and One Nights

Themes this person appears in

The Rise of the Islamic WorldAD 570 – 1055
From the revelation to Muhammad to the Seljuk entry into Baghdad — 450 years in which a new faith from Arabia built a civilisation stretching from Iberia to Central Asia and reached as far as Silla by sea