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The Genius of their Age: Ibn Sina, Biruni, and the Lost Enlightenment
A vibrant portrait of an age when Arabic enlightenment anticipated and inspired the European Renaissance, illuminated by its guiding figures and rivals, Ibn Sina and Biruni. In The Genius of their Age, S. Frederick Starr follows up his...

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Map of Ancient Egypt
Map of ancient Egypt, showing the major cities and archaeological sites along the Nile River, from Abu Simbel in the south to Alexandria in the north .

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Ibn Battuta’s Travels, 1325-1354
A map illustrating Ibn Battuta's (Abū Abd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Abd Allāh Al-Lawātī, 1304 – c.1368) series of extraordinary journeys across the Islamic world and beyond spanning close to 75,000 miles (120,000 kilometers). A 14th-century Maghrebi...

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Calligraphic Names of Rashidun Caliphs in Hagia Sophia
Four medals showing beautifully designed names of the first four Rashidun Caliphs Abu Bakr (r. 632 - 634 CE), Umar (634 - 644 CE), Uthman (644 - 656 CE) and Ali (656 - 661 CE). In the Dome of the New Mosque, in the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul...

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Sumerian Worshipers from Tell Asmar at the Iraq Museum
Amongst the most famous statues from Tell Asmar are these two standing male and female ones, which were made of veined gypsum. They have a wide-eyed gaze and hold a cup with their hands. The man is bare-chested and wears a flounced kilt while...

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Khalid ibn al-Walid's Campaign in Arabia
Map detailing the route of the conquest of central Arabia by Khalid ibn al-Walid (585 - 642 CE) during the Ridda Wars, culminating in the decisive battle of Yamama (633 CE). Battles are shown as crossed swords (or scimitars) and the Rashidun...

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Set and Horus Blessing Ramesses II
Scene from the Temple of Hathor (Abu Simbel, Egypt), built during the reign of Ramesses II, c. 1264-1224 BCE. Set and Horus blessing Ramesses II.

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Man & Dog Plaque, Sippar
This clay plaque depicts a striding man who leads a large dog (domestic scene?). From Sippar (modern-day Tell Abu Hubba, Babel Governorate, Iraq), Mesopotamia. Old-Babylonian period, 2000-1600 BCE. (The British Museum, London).

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Lake Nasser, Egypt
Lake Nasser (also known as Lake Nubia) is a vast reservoir on the Nile River in southern Egypt and northern Sudan. It was created by the impounding of the Nile’s waters by the Aswan High Dam, which was built in the 1960s. It is one of the...

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Athena, Protective Deity of Athens
A marble statue of Athena, the protective deity of Athens. Replica of a Greek original, most likely from Italy, either c. 100 BCE or 100-200 CE. (Musee du Louvre Abu Dhabi)