Abu Ali al-Hasan ibn al-Haytham was born around 965 CE in Basra. He became one of the prominent scholars associated with the intellectual traditions of the medieval Islamic world.
His interests included mathematics, astronomy, physics and philosophy. Much of his scientific reputation comes from his extensive investigation of light, vision and optical phenomena.
Ibn al-Haytham spent an important part of his scholarly life in Cairo. His investigations were characterized by a close relationship between mathematical reasoning, observation and experiment.
His writings were later translated into Latin and became known to scholars in medieval Europe, where they contributed to the continuing development of optical science.