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Today, an airplane in Andalusia. The University of Houston's College of Engineering presents this series about the machines that make our civilization run, and the people whose ingenuity created them.
In the Summer of 2003, American troops found themselves fighting at the Ibn Firnas airport, just north of Baghdad. I don't suppose many westerners gave particular thought to that name, or why it was attached to an airport. So let's meet Ibn Firnas.
In the ninth century AD, all but a northern strip of present-day Spain and Portugal formed the Andalusian Caliphate of Cordova. This was the high tide of Islamic Art and Science. Cordova and Baghdad were twin cultural centers of the world.
In 822, a new Caliph took the throne and set about to create a renaissance. His ingathering of talent began with an Iraqi musician called Ziryab. That meant Blackbird -- a nickname that honored his fine singing, and dramatic appearance.
A jealous music teacher had driven Ziryab out of Baghdad. So the Caliph hired him at a fine salary. In Cordova, Ziryab developed new musical forms. He introduced the lute to Spain, and expanded its range by adding a fifth string. But he also became a patron of the sciences. He fostered the development of astronomy, medicine, and many technologies. One person who joined this exciting world, so bubbling with ideas, was a young Berber astronomer and poet named 'Abbas Ibn Firnas. And here things get interesting.
In 852, a new Caliph and a bizarre experiment: A daredevil named Armen Firman decided to fly off a tower in Cordova. He glided back to earth, using a huge winglike cloak to break his fall. He survived with minor injuries, and the young Ibn Firnas was there to see it.
Like Ziryab, Ibn Firnas worked at a huge variety of enterprises. He set up astronomical tables, he wrote poetry, he built a planetar-ium and designed a water clock. He developed a process for cutting rock crystal. Up to then, only the Egyptians knew how to facet crys-tal. Now Spain would no longer need to export quartz to Egypt, but could finish it at home.
Yet Firman's flight must've lain upon his mind. For, in 875, Ibn Firnas built his own glider. It was far more than a fancy cloak. He too launched himself from a tower. The flight was largely successful. However, the landing was bad. He injured his back, and left critics saying he hadn't taken proper account of the way birds pull up into a stall, and land on their tails. He'd provided neither a tail, nor means for such a maneuver.
His death, just twelve years later, may've been hastened by the injury. And, as we tell our schoolchildren about the Wright Brothers, the Islamic countries tell theirs about Ibn Firnas, a thousand years before the Wrights. The Libyans have a postage stamp honoring him. The Iraqis have their airport.
And I sit in awe of the nerve, the belief in self, behind such a stunt. I sit in awe of the magnitude of the driving urge to fly that was with us -- long before even the legend of Daedalus and Icarus.
I'm John Lienhard, at the University of Houston, where we're interested in the way inventive minds work.
J. Vernet, 'Abbas Ibn Firnas. Dictionary of Scientific Biography (C.C. Gilespie, ed.) Vol. I, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1970-1980. pg. 5.
The Caliph who hired Ziryab was 'Abd al-Rahman II. He was followed by Muhammad I. Ziryab's real name was Abu al-Hasan 'Ali ibn Nafi'.
On July 8, 2009, I received an email from a Wikipedia editor/contributor who raised the question as to whether Ibn Firnas and Armen Firman were two different people. The historical record is very thin and it contains no primary source material mentioning Firman. The contributor points to the possibility that Firnas' name along with the date and details of his flight, may have been confused in secondary writings.
A widely circulated artist's impression of Ibn Firnas' flight. Source unknown.
Kwa toleo la lugha ya Kihispania la kipindi hiki, bonyeza hapa. Ndege ya ndege ya Andalusia Chuo Kikuu cha Houston cha Uhandisi kinatoa mfululizo huu kuhusu mashine ambazo hufanya ustaarabu wetu uende, na watu ambao ubunifu wao uliwaumba. Mwaka 2003 jeshi la Marekani lilipigana katika uwanja wa ndege wa Ibn Firnas, kaskazini mwa Baghdad. Sidhani kama watu wengi wa Magharibi walifikiria sana jina hilo, au kwa nini lilihusianishwa na uwanja wa ndege. Kwa hiyo, hebu tukutane na Ibn Firnas. Katika karne ya tisa KK, sehemu zote za kaskazini za Hispania na Ureno zilikuwa na ufalme wa Cordova. Huo ulikuwa wakati wa upeo wa sanaa na sayansi ya Kiislamu. Cordova na Baghdad zilikuwa vituo viwili vya kitamaduni vya ulimwengu. Mwaka 822 B.K.K.M. Khalifa mpya alitawala na kuanzisha utawala wa kifalme. Mkusanyiko wake wa vipaji ulianza na mwanamuziki Miraiki aitwaye Ziryab. Hilo lilimaanisha Blackbird - jina la utani lililoheshimu kuimba kwake vizuri, na sura yake yenye kuvutia. Mwalimu mmoja wa muziki mwenye wivu alikuwa amemfukuza Ziryab kutoka Baghdad. Kwa hiyo Khalifa alimwajiri kwa mshahara mzuri. Huko Cordova, Ziryab alibuni aina mpya za muziki. Alianzisha ala ya muziki huko Hispania, na kupanua aina yake kwa kuongeza kamba ya tano. Lakini pia akawa mtegemezi wa sayansi. Aliendeleza elimu ya nyota, tiba, na teknolojia nyingi. Mtu mmoja aliyejiunga na ulimwengu huu wenye kusisimua, wenye mawazo mengi, alikuwa mwanaanga na mshairi mchanga wa Kiberi aitwaye 'Abbas Ibn Firnas. Na hapa mambo yanaanza kuwa yenye kupendeza. Mwaka 852 M.K.W.M. Alipoanza utawala wake, Armen Firman aliamua kuruka kutoka kwenye mnara wa Cordova. Aliruka chini duniani, akitumia vazi kubwa lililofanana na mabawa ili kuzuia kuanguka kwake. Aliokoka akiwa na majeraha madogo, na kijana Ibn Firnas alikuwapo ili kuiona. Kama Ziryab, Ibn Firnas alifanya kazi katika makampuni mbalimbali sana. Aliweka meza za nyota, aliandika mashairi, alijenga planetar-ium na kubuni saa ya maji. Alitengeneza mbinu ya kukata kioo cha mwamba. Kufikia wakati huo, Wamisri tu ndio walioujua jinsi ya kutengeneza chrys-tal. Sasa Hispania haingehitaji tena kusafirisha quartz kwenda Misri, bali ingeweza kuimaliza nyumbani. Hata hivyo kukimbia Firman lazima kuwa amelala juu ya akili yake. Mwaka 875 B.K., Ibn Firnas aliunda ndege yake mwenyewe. Ilikuwa zaidi ya kanzu ya kifahari. Yeye pia alijirusha kutoka kwenye mnara. Ndege hiyo ilifanikiwa sana. Hata hivyo, kutua kulikuwa vibaya. "Alipata jeraha la mgongo na kushindwa na wakosoaji ambao walisema kwamba hakufikiria kwa usahihi jinsi ndege wanavyoingia kwenye kibanda na kutua kwa mkia wao.""" Hakuwa ametoa mkia wala njia ya kufanya harakati kama hiyo. Huenda kifo chake, miaka kumi na miwili tu baadaye, kiliharakishwa na jeraha hilo. "Kama tunavyowaambia watoto wetu wa shule kuhusu ndugu Wright, nchi za Kiislamu zinawaambia kuhusu Ibn Firnas, miaka elfu moja kabla ya Wright.""" Walipiga stempu ya posta ya Libya ili kumheshimu. Wairaki wana uwanja wao wa ndege. Na mimi kukaa katika hofu ya ujasiri, imani katika nafsi, nyuma ya stunt kama hiyo. "Kama vile tunavyojua, ""mwisho wa maisha"" ni ""mwisho wa maisha"" na ""mwisho wa maisha"" ni ""mwisho wa maisha"" na ""mwisho wa maisha"" ni ""mwisho wa maisha"" na ""mwisho wa maisha"" ni ""mwisho wa maisha"" na ""mwisho wa maisha"" ni ""mwisho wa Daedalus na Icarus.""" John Lienhard, Mtaalamu wa Uvumbuzi wa Uvumbuzi wa Chuo Kikuu cha Houston, anasema: J. Vernet, 'Abbas Ibn Firnas. Kamusi ya Biografia ya Kisayansi (C.C. Gilespie, ed.) Kitabu cha Vol. "Kama ilivyoandikwa katika kitabu cha Charles Scribner's Sons, ""Mwanzo wa Utamaduni wa Utamaduni wa Utamaduni wa Utamaduni wa Utamaduni wa Utamaduni wa Utamaduni wa Utamaduni wa Utamaduni wa Utamaduni wa Utamaduni wa Utamaduni wa Utamaduni wa Utamaduni wa Utamaduni.""" 5. Uwe na mtazamo mzuri. Khalifa aliyemwajiri Ziryab alikuwa 'Abd al-Rahman wa Pili. Alifuatwa na Muhammad I. Jina halisi la Ziryab lilikuwa Abu al-Hasan 'Ali ibn Nafi'. "Mwezi Julai 8, 2009, nilipokea barua pepe kutoka kwa mhariri wa Wikipedia ambaye aliuliza swali kama Ibn Firnas na Armin Firman walikuwa watu wawili tofauti.""" Rekodi ya kihistoria ni nyembamba sana na haina chanzo cha msingi kinachotaja Firman. Mchangiaji anaonyesha uwezekano kwamba jina la Firnas pamoja na tarehe na maelezo ya ndege yake, inaweza kuwa kuchanganyikiwa katika maandishi ya sekondari. Mchoro wa msanii uliosambazwa sana wa ndege ya Ibn Firnas. Chanzo hakijulikani.