Abstract
 

Muslim scholars tried to decipher hieroglyphics to unlock the secrets of the Pharaohs. Dhū Al-Nūn Al-Miṣrī, Ibn Waḥshiyya and Abu Al-Qā’im Al-Irāqī and many others used their knowledge of several ancient writings including Greek and Coptic to access the secrets and symbols of the scientific  knowledge of ancient Egypt. Champollion is said to have made use of their scholarship through the study of Arabic manuscripts brought back from Egypt. Though some rulers tried to reuse ruined monuments as a source of ready-made stones,  Muslim jurists and historians such as Al-Idrīsī, Ibn Iyās and al-Maqrīzī argued for the preservation of Pharaonic buildings and structures for various reasons based on Quranic teachings. Those who took an interest in deciphering Egyptian scripts included historians, alchemists, diplomats, astrologers and magicians. Egyptian writings as well as art motifs, became very popular among medieval scholars and artists.
 

Bio
 

Dr. Okasha El Daly studied Egyptology at Cairo University and gained his PhD from the University College London.  He taught in Egypt, the UK, and Qatar. He has directed several international projects, including the Foundation for Science, Technology, and Civilisation in the UK; and the recent Qatar-Sudan Archaeological Project. He was the Head of Acquisitions at Qatar University Press.  He authored, edited and translated several books and many articles on ancient Egypt and the history of science among them the seminal book “Egyptology: The Missing Millennium. Ancient Egypt in Medieval Arabic Writings.”