Scientists of Ancient Central Asia Still Relevant in the Modern World; The Idea of the Averaged Turkic Language
There is a debate on social media between Uzbek and Tajik communities about the medieval scholar Ibn Sina. The discussion revolves around the question of nationality — was Ibn Sina Tajik, Uzbek, or something else? Similar debates have emerged about other medieval scholars, including Al-Farabi. Ibn Sina (commonly known in the West as Avicenna) and Al-Farabi were two of the most influential scholars of the Islamic Golden Age. Ibn Sina, known for his contributions to medicine, philosophy, and science, wrote The Canon of Medicine, a foundational text in medical education for centuries. First published in 1025, his work stood as the standard medical textbook in Europe from its translation into Latin in the twelfth century through to the 1650s. Al-Farabi, often called the Second Greatest Teacher after Aristotle, made significant contributions to philosophy, logic, and political theory, shaping intellectual thought in the Islamic world and beyond. To explore this further, TCA spoke with two scholars — Fakhriddin Ibragimov, PhD, and Dr. Bakhtiyor Karimov — who have studied the lives and works of Ibn Sina and Al-Farabi extensively. [caption id="attachment_30258" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Fakhriddin Ibragimov; image courtesy of the subject.[/caption] Fakhriddin Ibragimov, a researcher at the Abu Rayhan Biruni Institute of Oriental Studies, has spent nearly 15 years studying Ibn Sina. According to Ibragimov, historical sources provide no direct evidence of Ibn Sina’s nationality. “Ibn Sina (980 – 1037) was born in the village of Afshona, near Bukhara. Nowhere in his works or those written by his contemporaries is his nationality mentioned,” Ibragimov told TCA. “However, he is identified as a Muslim, like most people in Central Asia at the time. Also, many manuscript sources indicate that he was from Bukhara.” Ibragimov explains. Ibragimov also highlights that Ibn Sina himself wrote about his upbringing, describing how he was raised in an intellectual environment where philosophical and religious discussions were common: “We had a lot of scientific discussions, debates, and gatherings at home. Issues of faith were also raised there. My father and brother adhered to the Ismaili faith [one of the religious movements in Islam that was widespread in the Near and Middle East in the 10th and 11th centuries], but I did not join them,” Ibn Sina wrote. However, he did not mention any ethnic identity in his works or in those written by his contemporaries. [caption id="attachment_30260" align="aligncenter" width="575"] Avicenna at the sickbed, miniature by Walenty z Pilzna, Kraków (ca 1479–1480); image: jbc.bj.uj.edu.pl[/caption] The claim over Ibn Sina’s legacy is widespread. While Uzbeks and Tajiks both regard him as one of their own, Iranians also consider him Persian due to the language of his writings. In 2018, a bust of Abu Ali Ibn Sina was installed in front of the campus of the Autonomous University of Madrid as a gift from the Iranian embassy. The inscription on the bust reads, “Persian physician and philosopher.” Even Jewish scholars have cited him as part of their intellectual heritage. However, Ibragimov argues that Ibn Sina should be seen as a global figure rather...
