Discovered in BC China, the "magic square of three" was propagated to followers of Abū Mūsā Jābir ibn Ḥayyān at some point over the proceeding several hundred years.
dɪskˈʌvɚd ɪn bˌiːsˈiː tʃˈaɪnə, ðə "mˈædʒɪk skwˈɛɹ ʌv θɹˈiː" wʌz pɹˈɑːpɐɡˌeɪɾᵻd tə fˈɑːloʊɚz ʌv ɐbˈuː mjˈuːsə dʒˈæbɪɹ ˈɪbən lˌɛɾɚwˈʌnˈiːtˈuːfˈaɪv ɐ wˈaɪ wˈaɪ ˌeɪmˈækɹˌɑːn ˈɛn æt sˌʌm pˈɔɪnt ˌoʊvɚ ðə pɹəsˈiːdɪŋ sˈɛvɹəl hˈʌndɹɪd jˈɪɹz.