Flying Machine:
Abbas Ibn Firnas' flying machine is undoubtedly his most famous invention. This device had two wings and was made up of silk, wood, and some feathers; nobody today knows what the device actually looked like, but the image above is the closest prediction we have. When Ibn Firnas took flight, witnesses say that he managed to stay in the air for about ten minutes before having a very rough landing. He had not realized that he needed a tail, and thus had little control over how he landed. |
Planetarium:
Abbas Ibn Firnas was, among other things, fascinated by planets, stars, and the way space works. He decided to build a working mechanical model made up of rings to represent how stars and planets move in relation to one another. This model influenced many astronomers in his era and later, and was one of the most accurate representations of space around at the time. |
Water Clock:
Another famous invention of Firnas was his water clock known as Al-Maqata. Instead of being solely mechanical, this clock used the flow of water to turn its gears and to keep time ever more accurately than some of the traditional mechanical clocks of the time. |
Metronome:
Abbas Ibn Firnas' metronome is one of his lesser-known inventions, as it is only briefly alluded to in the writings of a later Arab writer. He probably created the metronome to help students and himself in practicing music, as he was the first teacher at the renowned Cordoban school of music of Ziryab. His metronome was likely some form of mechanical water clock, as one of his passions was the study of clocks and various mechanical things. |