Ibn al-Akfani
{{Short description|Arab encyclopedist and physician}}
Muhammad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn al-Akfani ({{Langx|ar|ابن الأكفاني}}, 1286-ca. 1348–49) was a Kurdish Cairene encyclopedist and physician.{{Cite book |last=al-Ḥamawī |first=Ibn Wāṣil |url= |title=Commentary on the Jumal on Logic by Khūnajī |date=2022 |journal= |publisher=Brill |editor-last=El-Rouayheb |editor-first=Khaled |pages=8 |doi=}}
Life
Ibn al-Akfani was born in Sinjar, Iraq and lived in Cairo, Egypt. He worked at Al-Mansuri Hospital. He died in either 1348 or 1349 of the bubonic plague.{{cite web |url = http://www.wdl.org/en/item/4274/ |title = The Selection of Treasures Regarding Precious Stones |website = World Digital Library |date = 1700–1800 |access-date = 2013-07-14 }}
Work
He wrote at least 22 books.{{cite book|author=William Charles Brice|title=An Historical Atlas of Islam [cartographic Material]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6DYVAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA381|access-date=13 July 2013|year=1981|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-06116-3|page=381}} Most of his books were science related, including logic, gemology, mathematics, medicine and astronomy. Specific subjects include bloodletting, slavery and ophthalmology.{{cite web|title=Bio-Bibliographies|url=https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/arabic/bioI.html#akfani|work=Islamic Medical Manuscripts|publisher=National Library of Medicine|access-date=14 July 2013}}
His most famous work was a science encyclopedia called Iršād al-qāsid ilā asnā' al-maqāsid. The encyclopedia examines 60 subjects with bibliographies and a glossary of terms. His book, Kitāb nuhab al-dahā'ir fī ahwāl al-jawāhir, is about gemstones, with a focus about jacinth.