1. +
1001 Inventions
Museum Exhibit
By Sarah Macedo
DECEMBER 3, 2011

2. +
MUSEUM EXHIBIT
BASIC
INFORMATION:
 “1001 Inventions: Discover the Muslim Heritage in Our
World, traces the forgotten story of a thousand years of science
from the Muslim world, from the 7th century onwards. The free
exhibition looks at the social, scientific and technological
achievements that are credited to the Muslim world, whilst
celebrating the shared scientific heritage of other cultures.” --
http://www.1001inventions.com/
 Where: California Science Center (in LA)
 When: Until December 31, 2011

3. +
REVELANCE TO LATIN
AMERICAN HISTORY:
 When I saw this exhibit, I was constantly reminded of what I
had learned in the When the Moors Ruled in Spain video and
Empires of the Sea. They had exhibits on architecture,
medicine, science, astronomy, sailing, and mathematical
achievements in the Islamic world that undoubtedly would have
had effects on Spain even after they were no longer a part of
the Islamic Empire.
 It also explored the “global” trade networks
Many of the inventions, especially those in
architecture, I had heard about in the film.

4. +
Important Figures
 The exhibit introduced historical
figures in a variety of ways.
There were videos of actors
portraying the historical people,
written descriptions (like the one
to the left), and even a few live
actors!
 Some of the individuals
discussed frequently in the
exhibit were Zhen He, a
Chinese explorer, and Al-Jazari,
who was an early engineer and
inventor of the Elephant Clock.
 Several other key figures were
introduced during a 15 film at
the beginning of the exhibit.

5. +
Math and Medicine
It was interesting to see how
some of the medical innovations
from the Islamic Empire are still
influencing medicine today, like
the use of Catgut for stitches as
developed by Al-Zahrawi
 The picture to the right is of an exhibit
dedicated to Arabic Numerals. As
discussed in the When the Moors Ruled
in Spain video, these numbers were
greatly influential in Europe because they
enabled calculations that were unfeasible
using Roman Numerals.

6. +
Architecture and Astronomy
 One of the exhibits had a model of a typical
house and explained the social and functional
use of each element. When I saw the interior
courtyard, I was reminded of how they used to
secretly practice their religion in Spain during the
Spanish Inquisition by using a creative design
that enabled them to celebrate religious
ceremonies in the courtyard that would not have
been visible at the front door.
 Al-Astrulabi (pictured to the right) helped invent
an effective astrolabe that greater enabled travel
and exploration.

7. + Using Technology to Share History
Much of the modern technology discussed in this
class pertains to using it to make historical
breakthroughs and aid with excavations. This
exhibit demonstrates the use of the technology
to share historical information. Through
interactive maps, games, puzzles, and
demonstrations technology is used to give the
viewer a better understanding of the lasting
achievements and influence of the Islamic
Empire.