Feature: What Is The Mystery Behind Damascus Steel?

Library > Community Presentations

Presenter: Mark Warman

Delivered: Bahrain on December 15, 2018

In my afikra feature, I will tell a story of beauty, craftsmanship, and ancient trade routes. Discover how a steel forging technique developed in Damascus became synonymous with quality and opulence, how blades made from this steel were feared by European Crusaders and revered by cultures as distant as the Vikings of Scandinavia, and how this lost art was rediscovered by modern science in 1996.

Sources & Future References

• Islamic Arms and Armor | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

• Epic World History: Science and Technology in the Golden Age of Muslim World

• Science in the medieval Islamic world - Wikipedia

• List of inventions in the medieval Islamic world - Wikipedia

• Damascus Steel: Ancient Sword Making Techniques

• Medieval and Modern Texts Concerning Crucible Steel

• The Secrets of Wootz Damascus Steel - YouTube

Contact Info

• Instagram: @markjwarman

• Email: mark@eastinnovations.com

Note: All community presentations are prepared & presented by non-experts on the subject. They are sharing information in the hopes of spurring interest in that subject.

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About Afikra Community Presentations

Delivered and prepared by afikra Community members, the presentation’s goal is to showcase the presenter’s curiosity and research and share some knowledge on a ‎topic related to the Arab world’s histories and cultures. The presentation is the ‎culmination of the afikra coaching process to help identify a topic, find research, and develop the ‎presentation. afikra presentations come in two forms, a long question-driven afikra Feature, and a short afikra FWD with the purpose of sharing something interesting.