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The Iranian Golden Age was an era in medieval history where ethnic Iranians all over the Middle East and Central Asia dominated scholarly fields such as medicine, philosophy, poetry, astronomy, etc. The following will be a thread showcasing the many scholars this era produced:
Avicenna (980-1037) is a Persian polymath regarded as one of the most influential scholars of the era. He is best known for being the father of modern medicine, a peripatetic philosopher, poet, scientist, etc.
Razi (854-925) is a Persian polymath, physician, alchemist, philosopher, astronomer, etc. One of his most notable inventions is sulfuric acid (H2SO4), and he also made strides in ophthalmology, pediatrics, organic and inorganic chemistry, as well as many others.
Al-Farisi (1265-1318) was a scientist who was the most prominent Persian author of optics, and who also wrote on number theory. He was a pupil of Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi, who in turn was a pupil of Nasir al-Din Tusi. https://twitter.com/narangestan/status/1203086632573919232
Qutb al-Din (1236-1311) is a Persian polymath and poet who made contributions to astronomy, mathematics, medicine, physics, music theory, philosophy and Sufism. He was also a master chess player and played the rabab, one of Rumi’s favorite instruments.
Tusi (1201-1274) was a Persian polymath, architect, philosopher, physician, scientist, and theologian. He is considered the founder of trigonometry as its own mathematical discipline. In his work Akhlaq-i-Nasri, he even proposes a theory of evolution 600 years before Darwin.
Suhrawardi (1154-1191) was a Persian philosopher and founder of the Iranian school of Illuminationism. The school draws upon teachings of Zoroastrian and Platonic ideals, and synthesizes them with Islam. He thought of himself as the one who revived ancient Persian wisdom. https://twitter.com/narangestan/status/1237752805970120704
Mulla Sadra (1571/2-1640) was an Iranian Twelver Shia and Sufi. According to Oliver Leaman, he is the most important Islamic philosopher in the last 400 years. He is considered the master of the Illuminationist school founded by Suhrawardi.
http://english.khamenei.ir/news/4855/Mulla-Sadra-s-philosophy-exceeds-borders-of-nationality-geography
http://english.khamenei.ir/news/4855/Mulla-Sadra-s-philosophy-exceeds-borders-of-nationality-geography
Omar Khayyam (1048-1311) was a Persian polymath known as the “Astronomer-Poet of Persia.” Today he is best known for his Rubaiyat (quatrain). Fun fact: Khayyam, Assassin Hassan-i Sabbah, and Seljuq Sultan Nizam al-Mulk were all childhood friends.
Hafez (1315-1390) was a Persian poet and Sufi who "lauded the joys of love and wine but also targeted religious hypocrisy.” He is considered the pinnacle of Persian poetry, and remains the most influential Persian poet to this day. https://twitter.com/narangestan/status/1237870944003051521
Rumi (1207-1273) was a Persian poet, Sufi, and scholar, who is today the best-selling poet of the United States. Rumi was already an accomplished teacher and jurist, and it wasn’t until his acquaintanceship with Shams-i Tabriz that he was transformed into an ascetic. https://twitter.com/narangestan/status/1229136365746577408
Shams-i Tabriz (1185-1248) was a Persian Sufi, poet, and friend and mentor of Rumi. As noted in the previous tweet, he was the man who created the figure of Rumi we all cherish today, and both of their works frequently reference each other as each other’s best friends.
Biruni (973-1050) was a Persian scholar and polymath that studied everything from geology, physics, astronomy, theology, chemistry, medicine, and many more. He is known as the father of comparative religion, geodesy, as well as the first anthropologist.
Ghazali (1058-1111) was a Persian who was one of the most influential Muslim philosophers, theologians, jurists, and mystics of Sunni Islam. He greatly contributed to the development of integrating Sufism into mainstream interpretations of Islam.
Abolqasem Ferdowsi (c. 940-1020) was a Persian poet who wrote the magnum opus of all Persian literature, the Shahnameh. The Shahnameh is the national epic of all Iranian civilization. It contains 62 stories and 990 chapters, making it three times the length of Homer’s Iliad. https://twitter.com/narangestan/status/1245461900521091076
Saadi Shirazi (1210-1292) was a Persian poet and writer of prose. He is especially known for the quality of moral and ethical thoughts reflected in his poetry. His two most influential works are Bustan (The Orchard) and Golestan (The Rose Garden).
Al-Farabi (c. 872-951) was the Persian father of formal logic in the Islamic world. His nickname is “the Second Teacher” (the first being Aristotle), and he is also responsible for translating and preserving many Ancient Greek texts.
Al-Khwarizmi (750-850) was a Persian polymath, scientist, and astronomer. The very words “algorithm” (from his name) and “algebra” (al-jabr) are derived from him—he is known as the father of algebra. His translated works were used as textbooks in Europe up until the 16th century.
