Western historians consider the era between the sixth and the 12th centuries A.D. as one of the earth's darkest periods of history. Although Europe had lapsed into an epoch of ignorance, some parts of the world continued to grow and flourish during this period. Specifically, in the Islamic world (Afghanistan, Arabian countries, Iran and Turkey), a golden age had dawned, and achievements in the arts and sciences of the time can be seen clearly in the development of the medical sciences. Babylonia, Phoenicia, and Judaeh were the most ancient centers of learning and culture from which the Greeks derived their inspirations.
Greek wisdom flowed to the East through the Syrian Christian translators who passed Hellenism to the Islamic world. Among the Muslim scholars and philosophers who diverted their legacy to the West and awakened Europe to the dawn of Renaissance, Ibn Sina occupies a prominent place.
The life of Ibn Sina is known to us through a narration dictated to his pupil, Jujani. The Persian philosopher, Abu Ali al-Husain ibn Abd-Allah ibn Hasan ibn Ali ibn Sina, was born in Kharmaithan, a village near Bukhara, in August, 980 C.E. He was the elder of two boys, born to a man of uncertain heritage, but most likely Iranian.
His father came from Balkh, a metropolis that was a political and religious center, bringing together Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Manichaeism, Nestorian Christianity, and Islam.
