Between the 8th and 15th centuries, scholars and researchers working from Samarkand in modern-day Uzbekistan to Cordoba in Spain advanced our knowledge of astronomy, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, medicine and philosophy to new heights. This book takes the reader through the Islamic empires of the middle ages. 'Refreshingly different ....Masood's [book] emphasis on context, combined with his easy prose, measured self-confident tone, and an effort to inject compelling human drama into the narrative, makes the present book - for the most part - wonderfully captivating.'