Ahmad Y. Al Hassan

The papers in this volume, the first in a new series on cultural heritage management, are written by specialists in their fields whose expertise cover many areas of cultural heritage management, from the theoretical to the practical, tangible to intangible heritage, from cutting edge technology to simple conservation measures. The periods covered range from the Predynastic to the Coptic and Islamic periods.

Although the contributions of Islamic civilisations to science have long been recognised, the application of this scientific expertise to technology had been neglected until the publication of this then pioneering 1986 text. The book begins to remedy that neglect, first by celebrating the richness and ingenuity of the world of Islamic technology and then by pointing the way forward to its more detailed exploration. Lavishly illustrated, this book explores the major technological achievements of Islamic civilisations, namely the public works of civil engineering, the machines and mechanical devices which served to control water, provide power, serve as instruments or to amuse.