You probably already knew that the Arabs invented the zero, and that Turkish cartography was mapping the coast of Antartica, 300 years before its discovery. But did you know that the Andalusian physician, Al-Zahrawi was responsible for hundreds of surgical instruments and procedures that we still use today? Or that Ibn Al-Haytham’s discoveries not only explained how our eyes work, but also laid the foundations for modern photography and filmmaking? We didn’t (and we think we’re pretty smart) and we’ll wager that you didn’t either. Which is why we’re shouting out about the Abu Dhabi Science Festival (Adsf) a whole week in advance, so that nobody has any lame excuses for missing it. So get a move on.
Kicking off on November 18 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre, the festival is going to be 9 days of fun-filled and fascinating workshops. Imagine; you could be playing with robots all day! And how about conducting a chemistry experiment? Or if the periodic table is a pain in your posterior, you might care to dig up a dinosaur. Yes? And what say you to learning about climate change and how we can better sustain our world’s natural resources? The list of activities on offer seems inexhaustible! With so much going on, the fair promises to inspire and engage children from as young as five, to as unruly as 15.
Adsf has teamed up with the likes of Abu Dhabi University and Emirates College to make this a shining success. So running the workshops and demonstrations will be students, selected from across the UAE’s best universities and colleges, to be your ‘Science Communicators’. And though it’s mostly a family affair, you don’t have to be a little-person or a nerd to take something away.
On the 19th, the Corniche will also throw open its proverbial doors to host even more workshops and exhibitions. Its crowning feature will be the 1001 Inventions, an award-winning blockbuster, which appeals to adults and kiddies alike. Following its launch at the London Science Museum last year, to much acclaim, the exhibition has been on a world tour. To date, it’s exhibited in Istanbul’s historical Sultan Ahmet Square, and the California Science Centre, attracting 1.5 million visitors worldwide. Now it’s gracing UAE shores for the first time ever.
1001 Inventions celebrates a millennium of science and innovation during a period known to much of the world, as the ‘dark ages.’ And here’s the irony, because this segment in history was in fact hosting an Islamic Golden Age that would eventually pave the way for all those Westerners who cried ‘Eureka!’ Exhausting an array of fields from Astronomy, to Medicine, the show brings to light a multicultural Muslim heritage, and the great things it has contributed to human history. It also features and educational film starring the great Sir Ben Kingsley, who will tell it to you like it is.
In the off-chance that you might be tied down by a string of engagements on that week (dogs eating your homework, and the like) rest assured, the exhibition will continue long after the festival is over. It will be accommodating school visits on weekday mornings and the general public from 5pm, giving you a chance to visit (again and again if you like) late into December.
Now here’s a bit of trivia that might whet your appetite: Al-Zahrawi was also responsible for the use of catgut in internal stitching. Legend has it he discovered that catgut dissolves away naturally after his monkey ate his lute strings. Now isn’t that something?
The Abu Dhabi Science Festival runs from November 18-26, from 4pm-9pm on weekdays and 2pm-9pm on weekends. The Corniche West Plaza will be open to the general public on Saturday, November 19, from 2pm-10pm. Weekday timings are 5pm-10pm. ‘The 1001 Inventions’ exhibition will be running on the Corniche from November 19 to December 24. Weekdays from 9am-3pm (open to schools only), and from 5pm-10pm for the general public. Weekend opening times are 2pm-10pm.
