Origins & Early Life

Badīʿ az-Zaman Abu l-ʿIzz ibn Ismāʿīl ibn ar-Razāz al-Jazarī (1136–1206, Arabic: بَدِيعُ الزَّمانِ أَبُو العِزِّ بْنُ إسْماعِيلَ بْنِ الرَّزَّازِ الجَزَرِيّ, [ældʒæzæriː]) was a polymath, scholar, inventor, mechanical engineer, artisan and artist from the Jazira in Mesopotamia of the Artuqid period. He is best known for writing The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices (Arabic: كتاب في معرفة الحيل الهندسية, romanized: Kitab fi ma'rifat al-hiyal al-handasiya, lit. 'Book in knowledge of engineering tricks', also known as Automata) in 1206, where he described 50 mechanical devices, along with instructions on how to construct them. One of his more famous inventions is the elephant clock.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He has been described as the "father of robotics" and modern day engineering. Al-Jazari was born in the area of Upper Mesopotamia in 1136. Sources state his exact location is unknown, but they speculate he could have been born in Jazirat ibn Umar, where he got the name Jazari from or Al-Jazira which was used to denote Upper Mesopotamia. The only biographical information known about him is contained in his Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices. Like his father before...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• Pope Innocent III — Contemporary figure (Born in 1160) (1160): A powerful medieval Pope who reformed canon law and directed major Crusades.
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• 1164 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1164
• 1206 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1206