The Islamic roots of Science Fiction

Top image: Cover detail of Hayy ibn Yaqdhan by Ibn Tufail

You probably already knew that Islam was having a scientific golden age during Europe’s middle ages, and making tons of scientific and medical discoveries. (Which is why we use words like “algebra.”) But you might not know that some of the earliest proto-science fiction came from the Islamic world.

Of course, Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein is widely recognized as the first real work of science fiction, because it’s a novel of speculation based on the scientific discoveries of her day. But there were a number of works before Frankenstein that feature a lot of what we’d consider the defining characteristics of SF.

The first of these is widely considered to be A True History by Lucian of Samosata, a Syrian author. This 2nd century novel follows a traveler who is transported via water spout to the Moon, where he encounters strange societies and bizarre life forms. But there are also a number of early claimants to the “proto science fiction” label coming out of the Islamic world. Notably: