"Did you know?

The word 'Coffee' comes from the Arabic 'Qahwa' & the word 'Sugar' comes from the Arabic 'Sukkar'. Guess it all adds up to the best drink of the day!"

"Did you know?

The word 'Aorta' (the major artery through which blood is carried from the left side of the heart) comes from the Arabic 'Avarta' & the word 'Cornea' (the tough covering of the eyeball) comes from the Arabic 'Cornea!' Wherever you go, whatever you see… home is where the heart is!"

"Did you know?

The word 'Orange' comes from the Arabic 'Narang' & the word 'Lemon' comes from the Arabic 'Limun'. Bitter or sweet, it all sounds tasty in Arabic!"

"Did you know?

The word 'Spinach' comes from the Arabic 'Isabanak' & the word 'Artichoke' comes from the Arabic 'Al Kharshuf'. Makes your 'meat & two veg' sound exotic!"

"Did you know?

The word 'Syrup' comes from the Arabic 'Sarab' (meaning fruit drink) & the word 'Sherbet' comes from the Arabic 'Sarba' (meaning drink). The thirst for Arabic words can never be quenched!"

"Did you know?

The word 'Safron' comes from the Arabic 'Zafaran' & the word 'Jasmin' comes from the Arabic 'Yasamin'. The Arabic language is full of fragrance!"

"Did you know?

 In the early 16^th Century CE, the Muslims Khair-ud-Din, known in the West as the pirate Barbarosa, rose to importance amongst the Muslims. He successfully counteracted the piratical activity of Christian pirates in the Mediterranean. He was so successful that in 1516 CE, he accepted service under the Ottomans and with the Turkish fleet, captured Algiers from the Spanish. In 1536 CE, he was appointed Admiral-in-Chief of the Turkish naval forces!"

"Did you know?

In the 13^th Century CE, the Muslims surgeons Az-Zahrawi and Ibn Zuhr performed hundreds of surgeries using inhalation anesthesia with the use of narcotic soaked sponges placed over the face.

600 hundred years later, inhalation anesthesia was used by the American C. Long who is credited with its discovery!"

"Did you know?

In June 1757, the forces of Siraj-ud-Daula, the courageous 'Nawab' of Bengal, outnumbered the British forces led by Clive. Clive schemed behind the scenes and made a pact with Mir Jafar, the Commander of the Bengal forces, to betray his leader. During the battle, Mir Jafar switched sides at a crucial point in the battle. The British forces won the battle and Mir Jafar was installed as a puppet ruler. The British had gained an irreversible foothold in the India sub-continent which subsequently led to the conquest of all India. Clive was made a Baron, some people said he was the 'wealthiest man in England!' He committed suicide in November 1774."

"Did you know?

In the 11^th Century CE, Abu Ali Hasan Ibn Al-Haitham, known in the West as Alhazem, discovered that white light consists of various rays of coloured light!

Isaac Newton discovered this 600 hundred years later!"

"Did you know?

The Chechen tribes reverted to Islam from the 17^th Century onwards. Since then, they have been fiercely independent & have been fighting Russian domination since 1785."

"Did you know?

In 651 CE, the Byzantine Emperor attacked the Muslim held city of Alexandria by sea with 600 vessels!

The ensuing naval battle that took place was called the 'Battle of the Masts'.

The Muslim's, under the command of Abdullah bin Sa'ad, defeated the large Byzantine fleet.

The Byzantine Emperor fled to Syracuse in Sicily where he was assassinated by the infuriated people!"

"Did you know?

In the 9^th Century CE, the Muslim scientist Ibn Faras not only invented, but constructed and tested a flying machine! This was 700 years before Leonardo Da Vinci even thought of one!"

"Did you know?

Askiya Muhammad, the ruler of Songhay (which covered the whole of the Niger Valley and included Timbukto) went to Hajj in 146 CE! Under his rule Timbukto became a great centre of Islamic learning."

"Did you know?

Al-Biruni produced a book on Geology in the 11^th Century CE. In it, just one of the things he noted was that fossils found on mountains indicated a watery origin of the Earth. Leonardo Da Vinci, who is credited as being the 'Father of Geology', observed this 500 years later!"

"Did you know?

In 1787 in North America, the 'Peace & Friendship Treaty' was signed between the European settlers and Abdel-Khak and Muhammad Ibn Abdullah who represented the Cherokee Indians!"

"Did you know?

In the 13^th Century CE, the Muslim scientists Ibn an-Nafis and Ibn al-Quf correctly described that blood flows throughout the body and described the functions of the heart and its valves.