Arabic encyclopedia
Encyclopedia
An Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge....

 in Arabic is called Mawsooa (ar: موسوعة), coming from the Arabic word wase'e or Wide, several Historical Encyclopedias were created in the Golden Age
Islamic Golden Age
During the Islamic Golden Age philosophers, scientists and engineers of the Islamic world contributed enormously to technology and culture, both by preserving earlier traditions and by adding their own inventions and innovations...

 of islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

, concerning Science, History and religion.

History

The early Arabic compilations of knowledge
Knowledge
Knowledge is a familiarity with someone or something unknown, which can include information, facts, descriptions, or skills acquired through experience or education. It can refer to the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject...

 in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

 included many comprehensive works, and much development of what we now call scientific method, historical method, and citation. About year 960
960
Year 960 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Edgar the Peaceable is crowned King of England. Dunstan becomes Archbishop of Canterbury and Edgar's chief adviser. He reforms monasteries and enforces the rule of Saint Benedict: Poverty, Chastity and Obedience for...

, the Brethren of Purity of Basra
Brethren of Purity
The Brethren of Purity were a secret society of Muslim philosophers in Basra, Iraq, in the 10th century CE....

 were engaged in their Encyclopedia of the Brethren of Purity. Notable works include Abu Bakr al-Razi's encyclopedia of science, the Mutazilite al-Kindi
Al-Kindi
' , known as "the Philosopher of the Arabs", was a Muslim Arab philosopher, mathematician, physician, and musician. Al-Kindi was the first of the Muslim peripatetic philosophers, and is unanimously hailed as the "father of Islamic or Arabic philosophy" for his synthesis, adaptation and promotion...

's prolific output of 270 books, and Ibn Sina's medical encyclopedia
Medical encyclopedia
A medical encyclopedia is a comprehensive written compendium that holds information about diseases, medical conditions, tests, symptoms, injuries, and surgeries...

, which was a standard reference work for centuries. Also notable are works of universal history (or sociology) from Asharites
Ash'ari
The Ashʿari theology is a school of early Muslim speculative theology founded by the theologian Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari...

, al-Tabri, al-Masudi
Al-Masudi
Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Ali al-Mas'udi , was an Arab historian and geographer, known as the "Herodotus of the Arabs." Al-Masudi was one of the first to combine history and scientific geography in a large-scale work, Muruj adh-dhahab...

, al-Tabari
Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari
Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari was a prominent and influential Sunni scholar and exegete of the Qur'an from Persia...

's History of the Prophets and Kings, Ibn Rustah, Ali ibn al-Athir
Ali ibn al-Athir
Abu al-Hassan Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad, better known as Ali 'Izz al-Din Ibn al-Athir al-Jazari was a Kurdish Muslim historian from the Ibn Athir family...

, and Ibn Khaldun
Ibn Khaldun
Ibn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun was an Arab Tunisian historiographer and historian who is often viewed as one of the forerunners of modern historiography, sociology and economics...

, whose Muqadimmah contains cautions regarding trust in written records that remain wholly applicable today. These scholars had an incalculable influence on methods of research and editing, due in part to the Islamic practice of isnad which emphasized fidelity to written record, checking sources, and skeptical inquiry.

By preserving Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

 texts which would otherwise have been lost, they helped to rekindle the search for knowledge and methods of natural philosophy which would blaze again during the Renaissance.

Following the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

, the Arabic Encyclopedias started to dwindle, along with scientific research, the "renaissance" of the Arab world
Arab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...

 was over, following the 1950's and the liberation of the Arab states from colonial powers, new encyclopedias started to be published, like the marafa, and with the Internet and an Arab League
Arab League
The Arab League , officially called the League of Arab States , is a regional organisation of Arab states in North and Northeast Africa, and Southwest Asia . It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan , Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a...

 proposal of creating an online encyclopedia in Arabic, it started to flourish again.

Printed Arabic Encyclopedia

  • Arab Encyclopedia (2008–...) http://www.arab-ency.com/
  • Arabic Legislations Encyclopedia
    Arabic Legislations Encyclopedia
    The Arabic Legislations Encyclopedia is the largest printed encyclopedia in use. Written by Mohamed Abou Baker Ben Younis, its 200 volumes have a total of 164,000 pages and weigh 420 kg...

    http://www.akramir.com/
  • Khalf Aswar el Elm (Behind Scientific Barriers)
  • Marefa
    Marefa
    Marefa is an not-for-profit online encyclopedia project that uses the wiki system to provide a free Arabic encyclopedia similar to Wikipedia. It was set up by Nayel Shafei on February 16, 2007...

  • Al-Arabi
  • Mawsooat Al mawsooa Al tarikheya lel-alam al Arabi (الموسوعة التاريخية للعالم العربي)
  • Anabaa
    Anabaa
    Anabaa was an American-bred champion Thoroughbred racehorse who was trained in France during a racing career which lasted from September 1995 to October 1996. Anabaa failed to win until the age of four, but in 1996 he won his first six starts including two Group One races; the July Cup in England...

  • Marefah

General


Scientific


Literature


Religion

  • Nabulsi
    Nabulsi
    Nabulsi may refer to:* Items or people from Nablus, a Palestinian city in the West Bank* Nabulsi soap* Nabulsi cheese* Kanafeh, also known as Knafe Nabulsiyye, a pastry made with Nabulsi cheese-Surname:* Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi, Muslim scholar...

    http://www.nabulsi.com/
  • Muslimedia http://www.muslimedia.net/ Free Wiki-based Islamic Encyclopedia in Arabic
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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