Ali ibn Ridwan

Timeline

1. 988–1020Cairo · CairoHe received medical and astronomical training in Cairo, studied the works of Galen, Ibn Sina and other predecessors, and gradually built a scholarly reputation through commentaries and independent treatises.
2. 1020–1054Cairo · CairoAs chief physician of the Fatimid court he took part in medical education and practice, writing numerous medical commentaries; he also made astronomical observations, recording in 1054 an unusually bright star in the sky, later linked to the Crab Nebula supernova.
3. 1054–1067Cairo · CairoIn his later years he continued commenting on Galen's On the Elements and other works, and explored astrological and cosmological questions; his writings reached Europe in Latin translations, influencing medieval medical and astronomical traditions.