It is thought that glass mirrors were first produced in Venice in 1291. Glass mirrors were actually in use in Islamic Spain in the 11th century. The Venetians learned the art of fine glass production from Syrian artisans during the 9th and 10th centuries.
Ibn Firnas of Islamic Spain invented eyeglasses during the 9th century, and they were manufactured and sold throughout Spain for over two centuries.
Gunpowder was developed in the Western world as a result of Roger Bacon's work in 1242. Research by Reinuad and Fave has shown that gunpowder was formulated by Muslim chemists and not the Chinese. These historians claim that the Muslims developed the first firearms.
Giralda or "The Tower of Seville", was the first observatory in Europe. It was built in 1190 CE, in the Spanish town of Seville under the supervision of the celebrated Mathematician, Jabir Ibn Afiah.
The credit for manufacturing soap goes to Arab chemists, who introduced it to the world.
The Mariners Compass, which revolutionized sea commerce and enabled the Arabs to roam in quest of new lands, is a contribution of Muslims. Knowledge about the properties of the magnetic needle can be traced to Chinese sources, but putting it into working shape was the achievement of Muslim scientists. The compass was probably invented for finding out the Qibla for Prayers.
The first watch was made by Kutbi, a renowned watch-maker of his time.
These are some of the Muslims’ contributions to the world.
