Abu Raihan Mohammad Ibn Ahmad al-Biruni (973 - 1048 AD) was one of the famous persons associated with the court of King Mahmood Ghaznawi, a Muslim king of the 11th century AD. Al Biruni, born in the city of Khiva in Khwarizm (in present day Uzbekistan), was a contemporary of the well-known physician Ibn Sina. He was a versatile scholar and scientist, well-versed in physics, metaphysics, mathematics, geography and history. He traveled all over India for a period of 20 years and learned Hindu philosophy, mathematics, geography and religion.
Kitab al-Hindood, Qanun-i Masoodi, al-Athar al-Baqia (dealing with ancient history and geography), Kitab-al-Saidana, and Kitab al-Jawahir are his famous books. He translated two Sanskrit books, Sakaya and Patanjal, into Arabic. Al-Tafhim-li-Awail Sina'at al-Tanjim is a book which summarises mathematics and astronomy. Basically a mathematician, Biruni treaded the fields of chemistry, astronomy, history, geography, and pharmacology as well. Ancient civilizations and their culture were accessible to him because he had mastered the languages of Arabic, Sanskrit, Greek and Syriac. Al-Biruni was the first to conduct elaborate experiments related to astronomical phenomena. At a very early period, Al-Biruni claimed in his book Al-Athar Al-Baqia that the earth rotated on its axis and made accurate calculations of latitude and longitude.
