The Creation of Genius: Early Origins of Ismail al-Jazari
Every man ought to be known by his true name. But, following the age-old Muslim custom, al-Jazari’s full name could be a bit of a challenge to grasp. He was born in 1136 AD, as Badīʿ az-Zaman Abu l-ʿIzz ibn Ismāʿīl ibn ar-Razāz al-Jazarī. The last part of his name, al-Jazari, denotes his place of origin. While history does not remember the exact location of its birth, it is widely agreed that it was in the historic region of Upper Mesopotamia. Some scholars argue that he was born in the town of