Database: The Banu Musa Brothers
Sons of an astronomy expert (and highwayman!) from Eastern Iran, the Banu Musa brothers grew up at the caliphal court. Skilled political operators, generous scientific patrons, and prolific inventors, they are a perfect example of the elite scholars living in ninth century Baghdad.
The brothers' father, Musa ibn Shakir, befriended then-prince al-Mamun (r. 813-833) while he was governor of Khurasan (Eastern Iran and Uzbekistan). Through this connection, the "sons of Musa", Muhammad, Ahmad, and al-Hasan, were able to receive an elite education after the death of their father. Studying with the mathematicians and astronomers of the House of Wisdom, they acquired multiple scientific, technical and linguistic skills. They participated in al-Khwarizmi's calculation of the circumference of the Earth, paid for manuscript-buying trips to the Byzantine empire, and published 20 books on various subjects. The most important was the Kitab al-Hiyal (Book of Ingenious Devices) that presented detailed and illustrated descriptions of one hundred mechanical devices such as automatic fountains and musical instruments, which applied simple concepts of pressure and waterpower to wonderful effect. Others were "trick vessels", like this jar that separates wine from water.
Their personal connection to the caliphs helped them secure important and wealthy positions as architects and city planners responsible for canal construction. Muhammad even participated in the complex negotiations to choose a new caliph after the deaths of al-Mutawakkil (r. 847-861) and his son al-Muntasir (r. 861-862).