Who is Haytham?

Ibn al-Haytham

Born around a thousand years ago in present day Iraq, Al-Hasan Ibn al-Haytham (known in the West by the Latinised form of his first name, initially “Alhacen” and later “Alhazen”) was a pioneering scientific thinker who made important contributions to the understanding of vision, optics and light. His methodology of investigation, in particular using experiment to verify theory, shows certain similarities to what later became known as the modern scientific method. Through his Book of Optics (Kitab al-Manazir) and its Latin translation (De Aspectibus), his ideas influenced European scholars including those of the European Renaissance. Today, many consider him a pivotal figure in the history of optics and the “Father of modern Optics”.

2015 marked the 1000-year anniversary of Ibn al Hatham’s Book of Optics and as such a global campaign called “1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham” was launched with the mission to raise awareness of the contributions to science, technology and culture from the Islamic Golden Age. The global campaign interlinked themes of science, arts, culture, education and technology using experiential learning to stimulate inquisitiveness and curiosity and encouraged young people around the world to study Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

More information can be found at ibnalhaytham.com.