Irish Translation of Ibn Sina’s Canon Discovered

Date: 19 April 2025 - 23:14

News ID: ۱۳۸۶۶۷

DUBLIN (Dispatches) -- A recently discovered ancient Irish manuscript reveals an unexpected connection between Irish Gaelic culture and the Islamic world.
According to a report by Al Jazeera, the small piece of skin, part of a medieval Irish manuscript and a section of a book used between 1534 and 1536 as a Latin guide for the local government of London, has recently been discovered.
This book was in the possession of an English family in Cornwall, who strangely has preserved it as a family heirloom to this day.
The manuscript is a small portion of “The Canon of Medicine” by Iranian scientist Ibn Sina (Avicenna), translated into Irish.
Avicenna’s book was an important medical reference in medieval Europe and was translated into various languages, including Latin and English.
A century after the book was printed, part of the original manuscript, which had been used for binding and decorating its cover and edges, was discovered by Professor Pádraig Ó Macháin from the Irish Studies department at University College Cork, a leading expert in his field, who became fascinated by the manuscript.
Macháin believes that Irish physicians in the 5th century AD benefited from medical knowledge that had come from the Middle East and Iran.
His discovery also proved that the famous book “The Canon of Medicine” by Avicenna was used in medieval Ireland to train new doctors.
Machain says that in European customs, it is not unusual to use original fragments of ancient manuscripts as bookmarks but this is the first time a piece of a manuscript has been found accompanying a book in the style of the Irish Gaelic language.
Gaelic is the national and historic language of the Irish people and is spoken as one of the country’s two official languages alongside English.
Irish Gaelic refers to the political, social, and cultural system that prevailed in Ireland until the early seventeenth century. This social system in Ireland was typically organized as a confederation of tribes, governed by numerous kings and clan chiefs.
Machain adds that one-quarter of the surviving Irish manuscripts from the late Middle Ages contain medical content, demonstrating the practical purpose these books served in Ireland at that time.
Avicenna’s book in medicine is considered the main medical textbook worldwide and consists of five volumes. It was written by Avicenna in 1025 AD. The book reflects medical knowledge in the Islamic world but is also influenced by Iranian, Greco-Roman, and Indian medicine.
The newly discovered manuscript contains sections from the early chapters on the physiology of the jaw, nose, and throat.
Given the significance of this discovery in the history of medical education in Ireland, the enthusiasts of The Canon of Medicine have agreed to publish this manuscript and make it digitally accessible to the public.
Abu Ali Hussein ibn Abdullah ibn Hasan ibn Ali ibn Sina, famously known as Abu Ali Sina, Ibn Sina, Poursina, and Sheikh al-Raeis (980–1037 AD), was an Iranian physician, mathematician, astronomer, physicist, chemist, geographer, geologist, poet, logician, philosopher, musician, and statesman.
He is one of the most renowned and influential philosophers and scholars of Iran and the world, particularly noted for his works in philosophy and medicine. His major contributions include two comprehensive scientific and philosophical encyclopedias called “Shifa (The Book of Healing)” and “The Alai Encyclopedia”, as well as Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb (The Canon of Medicine), one of the most famous works in the history of medicine, which has served as a primary reference in major medical universities worldwide.
He was born in Bukhara and died in Hamadan. He authored 450 books on various subjects, many of which focused on medicine and philosophy.
The Iranian scholar possessed remarkable intelligence. By the age of ten, he had learned the Holy Quran and literature. He then went on to study various sciences, including medicine.
He showed exceptional talent in childhood and, as a young man, was one of the distinguished scholars and physicians at the court of Amir Nuh Samani in Bukhara. After the decline of the Samanids and the advancing threat of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni’s army, he fled Bukhara for Gurganj in Khwarezm, and from there sought refuge with the rulers of the Ziyarid dynasty in Gorgan. Later, he entered the service of Majd al-Dawla Rustam, an Amir of the Buyid dynasty in Rey. Afterwards, he served as minister to Shams al-Dawla Daylami in Hamadan. Following the amir’s death, he was imprisoned but managed to escape and sought the protection of Ala al-Dawla, the ruler of Isfahan from the Kakuyid dynasty, serving under him until he ultimately died in office during a journey to Hamadan.
Numerous portraits and statues of Ibn Sina exist in museums and universities worldwide, immortalizing his name.