Some other names to check out…

• Ismail al-Jazari (1136–1206): A 12th-century Muslim inventor and engineer, al-Jazari is renowned for his groundbreaking work in mechanics, hydraulics, and robotics. His illustrated designs of ingenious devices, such as water-raising machines and mechanical clocks, parallel da Vinci’s notebooks. Al-Jazari’s work influenced engineering and scientific thought in the Islamic world and may have indirectly inspired European Renaissance figures like da Vinci.

• Abbas Ibn Firnas (810–887): A polymath from Al-Andalus (modern Spain), Ibn Firnas is credited with early attempts at human flight, predating da Vinci by centuries. He also contributed to astronomy, engineering, and poetry.

• Banu Musa Brothers (9th century): These three Persian scholars excelled in mathematics and mechanics. They authored The Book of Ingenious Devices, which contained detailed descriptions of automated machines, akin to da Vinci’s mechanical inventions.