--- product_id: 91698976 title: "The House of Wisdom: How Arabic Science Saved Ancient Knowledge and Gave Us the Renaissance" price: "AR$72205" currency: ARS in_stock: true reviews_count: 6 url: https://www.desertcart.com.ar/products/91698976-the-house-of-wisdom-how-arabic-science-saved-ancient-knowledge store_origin: AR region: Argentina --- # Historical insights from 762 CE #863 Middle Eastern History rank 214 reviews, 4.5⭐ avg The House of Wisdom: How Arabic Science Saved Ancient Knowledge and Gave Us the Renaissance **Price:** AR$72205 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 🌟 Rediscover the Renaissance’s true spark — before everyone else does! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The House of Wisdom: How Arabic Science Saved Ancient Knowledge and Gave Us the Renaissance - **How much does it cost?** AR$72205 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.ar](https://www.desertcart.com.ar/products/91698976-the-house-of-wisdom-how-arabic-science-saved-ancient-knowledge) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Bridging Cultures & Eras:** Explore the rich fusion of Persian, Jewish, Christian, and Arab intellects united by the Arabic language. - • **Expertly Crafted Narrative:** Jim al-Khalili’s unique blend of history, science, and personal insight makes complex ideas accessible. - • **Timely & Thought-Provoking:** A must-read in today’s East-West dialogue, revealing the roots of scientific progress beyond borders. - • **Unlock the Forgotten Origins:** Discover how Arabic science ignited the Renaissance and shaped modern knowledge. - • **From Ancient Instruments to Modern Ideas:** Dive into detailed accounts of innovations like the syringe and early scientific philosophy. ## Overview ‘The House of Wisdom’ by Jim al-Khalili is a meticulously researched exploration of how medieval Arabic science preserved and advanced ancient knowledge, directly influencing the European Renaissance. Combining history, philosophy, and personal narrative, this Penguin Books title reveals the multicultural roots of modern science and challenges conventional Western-centric views, making it essential reading for anyone interested in the true origins of scientific progress. ## Description A myth-shattering view of the Islamic world's myriad scientific innovations and the role they played in sparking the European Renaissance. Many of the innovations that we think of as hallmarks of Western science had their roots in the Arab world of the middle ages, a period when much of Western Christendom lay in intellectual darkness. Jim al- Khalili, a leading British-Iraqi physicist, resurrects this lost chapter of history, and given current East-West tensions, his book could not be timelier. With transporting detail, al-Khalili places readers in the hothouses of the Arabic Enlightenment, shows how they led to Europe's cultural awakening, and poses the question: Why did the Islamic world enter its own dark age after such a dazzling flowering? Review: Intresting - Lot's of knowledge about the great Arabic science.. Review: The roots of the modern age are fascinating. - “The House of Wisdom - How Arabic Science Saved Ancient Knowledge and Gave is the Renaissance”, Jim Al-Khalili. 2010, Penquin Books, ISBN: 978-0-14-312056-8, paperback 25th September 2025 - I have been a “student”: of, reader and follower of Jim Alkhalili for many years, heard many lectures (next on particle physics in a couple of weeks); he has the great gift of being able to take complex issues, pare them down their essentials in order to explain them to a wider audience - scientists and non-scientist. This book is different. It is history, science, philosophy and, in some places, autobiographical. Born in Iraq, he left at the end of his teenage years in 1979, a turbulent period for the country. He has not been back since but this book takes readers back to the Bar al-Shari district of Baghdad, 762 CE when he begins to show the depths of Arabic civilisation and Arabic science. He explains “Arabic science” to mean science written in Arabic, the language of the area but spoken and written by people of the time. It was the Arabic language which united the work he considers, the work of Persians, Jews, Christians and Arabs. “Many of the great scientists of the golden age were, not Arabs but Persians, even though they wrote all their work in Arabic, the official language of the empire.” (P 49) At this point, he takes readers on a fascinating, personal journey, his family origins and the complexity of understanding the country. In detailed, well-written research, he examines discoveries and discovers, illustrates the depths, range and complexities of Arabic science through the ages in a convincing way which many readers will find illuminating. Chapter Twelve, “The Prince and Pauper” is a fascinating examination of some very complex geometry and the uses to which it was put, together which some more philosophical questions: 1. What was the justification for insisting that the heavenly bodies had neither levity nor gravity and that their orbits were perfectly circular around the earth? In other words, why do they no fall towards the earth or float away from it. 3. Do the sun’s rays have material substances? If, not, how do they transmit warmth to us?” (P 174) The chapter on Andalusia and the growth of Cordoba will fascinate readers who have been to modern Andalusia. Plate ten shows an easily illustration of surgical instruments (similar to those I saw in Karnak, Egypt). One of these instruments is the syringe: “When there occurs an ulcer in the bladder or there is a clot of blood or a deposit of puss on it, you may wish to insert into it lotions and medication; this is done with the help of an instrument called a syringe. It is made of silver or ivory, hollow, with a long fine tube, fine as a probe … The hollow part containing the plunger is exactly the size to be closed by it, so that any liquid is drawn up with it you pull it up; and when you press it down, it is driven in a jet.” (P 199) In the final chapters ”Declines amd Renaissance” and “Science and Islam Today”, he explores some of the complexities of change as Arabic science meets the “modern” world. There is the fascinating insight into the meeting of calligraphy and the burgeoning printing press, two cultures, one ancient, established, retaining old skills, the other, young, breaking new ground, establishing new skills. Calligraphy had been an art form as well as a means of writing limited editions but the printing press had abandoned the art form in favour of standardised, mass production. Al-Khalili (or, as he points out in chapter four, adding the definite article “Al” makes it “the Kalhilis”) have a long history in Iraq. The Professor does not dwell too long on this but in this text his roots are clear, a scientist and a man. The chapters - Translation, Alchemist, Big Science, Numbers, Algebra, The Philosopher, Medic, Physicist and others - examine the rich and, for many, unknown history of Arabic science and show how modern science emerged and benefitted from it in so may different ways. Recommended. ## Features - Penguin Books ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #420,536 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #863 in Middle Eastern History (Books) #3,064 in European History (Books) #7,793 in World History (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 214 Reviews | ## Images ![The House of Wisdom: How Arabic Science Saved Ancient Knowledge and Gave Us the Renaissance - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/712XI92nbKL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Intresting *by W***D on 17 June 2020* Lot's of knowledge about the great Arabic science.. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The roots of the modern age are fascinating. *by R***R on 25 September 2025* “The House of Wisdom - How Arabic Science Saved Ancient Knowledge and Gave is the Renaissance”, Jim Al-Khalili. 2010, Penquin Books, ISBN: 978-0-14-312056-8, paperback 25th September 2025 - I have been a “student”: of, reader and follower of Jim Alkhalili for many years, heard many lectures (next on particle physics in a couple of weeks); he has the great gift of being able to take complex issues, pare them down their essentials in order to explain them to a wider audience - scientists and non-scientist. This book is different. It is history, science, philosophy and, in some places, autobiographical. Born in Iraq, he left at the end of his teenage years in 1979, a turbulent period for the country. He has not been back since but this book takes readers back to the Bar al-Shari district of Baghdad, 762 CE when he begins to show the depths of Arabic civilisation and Arabic science. He explains “Arabic science” to mean science written in Arabic, the language of the area but spoken and written by people of the time. It was the Arabic language which united the work he considers, the work of Persians, Jews, Christians and Arabs. “Many of the great scientists of the golden age were, not Arabs but Persians, even though they wrote all their work in Arabic, the official language of the empire.” (P 49) At this point, he takes readers on a fascinating, personal journey, his family origins and the complexity of understanding the country. In detailed, well-written research, he examines discoveries and discovers, illustrates the depths, range and complexities of Arabic science through the ages in a convincing way which many readers will find illuminating. Chapter Twelve, “The Prince and Pauper” is a fascinating examination of some very complex geometry and the uses to which it was put, together which some more philosophical questions: 1. What was the justification for insisting that the heavenly bodies had neither levity nor gravity and that their orbits were perfectly circular around the earth? In other words, why do they no fall towards the earth or float away from it. 3. Do the sun’s rays have material substances? If, not, how do they transmit warmth to us?” (P 174) The chapter on Andalusia and the growth of Cordoba will fascinate readers who have been to modern Andalusia. Plate ten shows an easily illustration of surgical instruments (similar to those I saw in Karnak, Egypt). One of these instruments is the syringe: “When there occurs an ulcer in the bladder or there is a clot of blood or a deposit of puss on it, you may wish to insert into it lotions and medication; this is done with the help of an instrument called a syringe. It is made of silver or ivory, hollow, with a long fine tube, fine as a probe … The hollow part containing the plunger is exactly the size to be closed by it, so that any liquid is drawn up with it you pull it up; and when you press it down, it is driven in a jet.” (P 199) In the final chapters ”Declines amd Renaissance” and “Science and Islam Today”, he explores some of the complexities of change as Arabic science meets the “modern” world. There is the fascinating insight into the meeting of calligraphy and the burgeoning printing press, two cultures, one ancient, established, retaining old skills, the other, young, breaking new ground, establishing new skills. Calligraphy had been an art form as well as a means of writing limited editions but the printing press had abandoned the art form in favour of standardised, mass production. Al-Khalili (or, as he points out in chapter four, adding the definite article “Al” makes it “the Kalhilis”) have a long history in Iraq. The Professor does not dwell too long on this but in this text his roots are clear, a scientist and a man. The chapters - Translation, Alchemist, Big Science, Numbers, Algebra, The Philosopher, Medic, Physicist and others - examine the rich and, for many, unknown history of Arabic science and show how modern science emerged and benefitted from it in so may different ways. Recommended. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Muito bom! *by J***E on 17 October 2024* Livro muito bom e chegou em perfeito estafo e antes do prazo. ## Frequently Bought Together - The House of Wisdom: How Arabic Science Saved Ancient Knowledge and Gave Us the Renaissance - House of Wisdom - The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler of the Fourteenth Century, With a New Preface --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.ar/products/91698976-the-house-of-wisdom-how-arabic-science-saved-ancient-knowledge](https://www.desertcart.com.ar/products/91698976-the-house-of-wisdom-how-arabic-science-saved-ancient-knowledge) --- *Product available on Desertcart Argentina* *Store origin: AR* *Last updated: 2026-08-21*