This tied in with their studies of this topic in Great Civilisations as well as being a fascinating insight into historical scientific advances.

The boys learned about the history of the museum building, on Broad Street, before diving into a fascinating exploration of key individuals and discoveries of the early Islamic world. These included Al-Razi who discovered the difference between smallpox and measles as well as being an early advocate for paediatric medicine as something separate from adult medicine, and Al-Zahrawi, who developed a variety of surgical tools and techniques, some of which are still in use today.

After this came an historical exploration and a study of the museum’s exhibits, which included some beautiful objects such as early astrolabes. The boys put their knowledge to practical use and learned how to use a quadrant and angles to measure the height of something (in this case a room of the museum) as well as making their own Qibla indicators. These were originally used so that Muslims could locate the direction of Mecca from any location, but can also be used to locate other key places.

The visit was a fascinating experience and certainly enhanced Year 4’s practical understanding of both the Golden Age of Islam and important scientific discoveries!