Ismail al-Jazari, The Father of Robotics

Ismail al-Jazari (1136–1206) was an Arab Muslim scholar, inventor, artist, and mechanical engineer whose innovations laid the foundations for modern robotics.

His masterwork, The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices, is one of the most remarkable manuscripts ever written. Illustrated by al-Jazari himself, the book describes more than fifty mechanical devices, including elaborate water clocks, programmable musical robots, water-raising machines, fountains, and sophisticated mechanisms powered by water and gears.

This book introduces children to a visionary thinker whose work demonstrates that innovation has deep global roots, and that the history of technology is far richer and more interconnected than often assumed.