Avicenna: Prince of Physicians Timeline

Avicenna: Prince of Physicians 20

980 Avicenna is born near Bukhara Born at Afshana in the Samanid realm Avicenna was born in 980 in the village of Afshana, near Bukhara in Central Asia, then ruled by the Samanids. His father was a provincial official and the family was Persian.
990 Avicenna memorizes the Quran as a child A prodigy in Bukhara By about the age of ten, Avicenna had memorized the Quran and much Arabic literature. He then began studying with private tutors in Bukhara.
996 Avicenna masters medicine as a teenager Self-taught physician by about age 16 By his own account, Avicenna took up medicine and mastered it within a short time, reportedly by about the age of sixteen. Physicians soon began studying under him.
997 Avicenna cures the Samanid emir Nuh ibn Mansur Reward: access to the royal library Avicenna treated the ailing Samanid ruler Nuh ibn Mansur and became a court physician. In return he gained access to the royal library of Bukhara, where he read widely.
999 Samanid dynasty collapses, ending Avicenna's Bukhara career Bukhara falls to the Qarakhanids The Samanid state fell in 999 when the Qarakhanids took Bukhara. The loss of his patrons pushed Avicenna into years of travel in search of court employment.
1001 Avicenna writes his first book at about age 21 The Compendium, an early encyclopedic work Around 1001 Avicenna wrote his first book, commonly called al-Majmu (the Compendium), which covered many of the sciences known to him. It began a very prolific writing career.
1002 Avicenna's father dies Avicenna starts his years of wandering After his father died around 1002, Avicenna left Bukhara and began travelling between the courts of the region. He was often earning his living as a physician and administrator.
1005 Avicenna serves at the court of Khwarazm Gurganj under the Ma'munid rulers Around 1005 Avicenna settled in Gurganj in Khwarazm, where the Ma'munid rulers supported scholars. He worked there as a jurist and physician alongside other scholars.
1012 Avicenna flees Khwarazm and reaches Gurgan He escapes the pressure of Mahmud of Ghazna Around 1012 Avicenna left Khwarazm, reportedly to avoid being summoned to the court of Mahmud of Ghazna. He travelled through Khorasan to Gurgan, where his student al-Juzjani joined him and he began work on the Canon.
1014 Avicenna enters the service of Majd al-Dawla at Rayy Physician at a Buyid court Avicenna moved to Rayy, where he served the Buyid ruler Majd al-Dawla and wrote several works. Political unrest in the city soon led him to move on.
1015 Avicenna becomes physician and vizier at Hamadan He treats Shams al-Dawla and rises at court Around 1015 Avicenna reached Hamadan, where he treated the Buyid emir Shams al-Dawla. He rose to become the emir's vizier and wrote much of his major work there.
1020 – 1027 Avicenna composes the Book of Healing Kitab al-Shifa, a vast philosophical encyclopedia Avicenna wrote the Book of Healing over several years, dictating much of it while in government service. It covers logic, natural sciences, mathematics and metaphysics.
1021 Shams al-Dawla dies, leaving Avicenna without a patron Political turmoil in Hamadan The death of Shams al-Dawla in 1021 ended Avicenna's period of stability in Hamadan. He soon faced hostility from the army and from rival officials.
1022 Avicenna escapes to Isfahan and joins Ala al-Dawla A last, productive patronage Around 1022 Avicenna left Hamadan and reached Isfahan, where the Kakuyid ruler Ala al-Dawla became his patron. He lived there for the rest of his life, mostly in relative security.
1025 Avicenna completes the Canon of Medicine Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb, a five-book medical encyclopedia Avicenna finished the Canon of Medicine, a systematic medical encyclopedia. It was later translated into Latin and used as a standard text in European universities for centuries.
1027 Avicenna writes the Book of Salvation An abridged philosophical summary Around 1027 Avicenna produced the Kitab al-Najat, a shorter summary of the philosophical teaching in the Book of Healing. It was widely read as a more accessible introduction.
1029 Avicenna writes the Persian Danishnama-yi Ala'i The Book of Knowledge for Ala al-Dawla Avicenna wrote this philosophical summary in Persian for his patron Ala al-Dawla in Isfahan. It is one of the earliest major philosophical works in Persian.
1030 – 1037 Avicenna writes his late philosophical work Pointers and Reminders Al-Isharat wa al-Tanbihat In his final years Avicenna wrote the Isharat, a concise work on logic, physics, metaphysics and mysticism. Many later Islamic philosophers wrote commentaries on it.
1030 Ghaznavid forces sack Isfahan and plunder Avicenna's library Masud of Ghazna takes the city In 1030 Ghaznavid troops took Isfahan and looted Ala al-Dawla's court. Avicenna's library and some of his writings were reportedly lost.
1037 Avicenna dies in Hamadan Died on a campaign journey, buried in Hamadan Avicenna died in June 1037 in Hamadan, after an illness that struck during a journey with Ala al-Dawla. He was buried there, and his tomb remains a monument in the city.