300-year-old Al-Azhar sheikh’s anatomy and chemistry books republished

The Center for Arab Heritage at Egypt University of Science and Technology has published a second edition of Sheikh Ahmad al-Damanhuri’s works on anatomy and chemistry.

• Sheikh Ahmad al-Damanhuri, a former Grand Imam of Al-Azhar who lived more than 300 years ago, authored “Al-Qawl al-Sarih fi Ilm al-Tashrih” on anatomy and “Al-Durra al-Yatima fi al-Sina’a al-Karima” on chemistry.
• Dr. Walid al-Mubarak earned his doctorate by editing the text of the anatomy book, which later won the award for best edited heritage text at the Cairo International Book Fair.
• Dr. Mahmoud Mahdi, deputy director of the center, said the sheikh was not a doctor and did not teach medicine but compiled existing anatomical knowledge in an accessible style.
• Dr. Anas Atiyya al-Fiqi, director of the center, stated that the publication corrects a common misconception that Al-Azhar education neglected the natural sciences.