Farabi Day · Ruz-e Farabi

Culture of origin: Iranian · Cultural

Holiday sources: Iran

Abu Nasr al-Farabi (c. 870 – 950/51) was a philosopher and music theorist who spent most of his scholarly life in Baghdad among Syriac Christian scholars, and died in Damascus. Later writers called him the Second Master, after Aristotle, and he influenced Avicenna, Averroes and Maimonides. Little is known of his origins; his name points to one of several places called Farab in Central Asia. Iran marks the day as its Day of Philosophy.