Dubai: A new exhibition conceptualised in the UAE and aimed at reawakening Muslim awareness regarding scientific breakthroughs of early Islamic academics has been a huge hit during its latest global stopover in Thailand.
According to organisers, as many as 1.2 million visitors took in the soft opening of the exhibit Sultans of Science held at the Science and Technology Fair 2012 in Bangkok following other stints around the world including North America.
The exhibit officially opens on September 11 and runs through to November 2012.
Ludo Verheyen, CEO of MTE Studios, the agency that created the exhibit, told Gulf News in an earlier interview that the major strides made by brilliant early Arab minds are being embraced the world over.
“It is great to see that an exhibition that was first conceptualised by MTE Studios in the UAE is now being appreciated by multicultural audiences abroad as well,” Verheyen said. “We find that even in this region, most educated people are not aware of the importance their forefathers placed in innovations and their contributions to the foundation of modern-day science. Which is why the exhibition is presented for a global audience.”
According to MTE Studios, the 50 displays of the exhibit touch upon the the Golden Age of Islam (7th-17th centuries) and harken back to a civilisation that sought knowledge in all disciplines.
The curiosity of Islamic academics and innovators led to all forms of new discoveries ranging from algebra and algorithms that enabled the development of computers. Muslim doctors of the age recorded pulmonary heart circulation, performed operations and founded public hospitals. Islamic astronomers observed the night skies and invented astronomical tools to mark the movement of the heavens with great accuracy.
Dr Pichai Sonchaeng, president of Thailand’s National Science Museum, said in a statement on Monday that the museum is clearly “delighted with the response, visitors were enthralled and amazed to learn about the achievements and enduring innovations. Sultans of Science exhibition reveals to the youths and visitors who are interested in learning about sciences and technologies how the innovations and technologies invented in the Golden Age of Islam play an important role in everyday life”.
“The exhibition was a great success at Bitec and we look forward to the grand opening of ‘Sultans of Science’ at National Science Museum soon,” Sonchaeng said.
