A preeminent Muslim philosopher born in the region known as Turkestan. In Medieval Latin texts, al-Fārābī was referred to as Alfarabius or Avennasar. Being an outstanding philosopher, he became known as al-muʿallim al-thānī (the second master), placed alongside Aristotle, (the first master). Early in his life, al-Fārābī moved from Central Asia to Baghdad, where most of his works were written. More than one hundred works are attributed by the Arab bibliographers to al-Fārābī among which are al-Madīna al-Fāḍila (The Virtuous City), al-Siyāsa al-Madaniyya (Civil Policy), and Iḥṣāʾ al-ʿUlūm (Survey of the Sciences). Al-Fārābī aimed at developing a capacity within Islamic culture for the integration of philosophy as a method of analysis and as an intellectual discipline. Al-Fārābī was also a musician who invented a musical instrument called al-qānūn/al-qithāra (zither). He also wrote a notable book on music, Kitāb al-Mūsīqā al-Kabīr (The Great Book of Music). In 942 CE, al-Fārābī was invited by Sayf al-Dawla al-Ḥamadānī to live in his entourage mainly in Aleppo. Later he died in Damascus in 950 CE.
