Life of a polymath: his autobiography and biography

Born in Khwarazm in 973, Biruni displayed an early interest in the pursuit of knowledge, which remained with him for several decades, during extensive travels and residence in Central Asia, Iran, and India. Biruni’s upbringing and education stimulated his youthful appetite for science and truth. After the political upheaval in his homeland, he spent some years in Iran seeking his livelihood with uncertain patronage before the opportunity arose to return to Khwarazm, where he joined the new government. Upon the overthrow of his patron and the subsequent Ghaznavid invasion, Biruni was drawn into the orbit of Sultan Mahmud’s court. He passed his mature years primarily in Ghazna, which occasioned extensive travels in northwest India. The death of Sultan Mahmud enabled Biruni’s brief return to Central Asia, although he continued to reside in the Ghaznavid capital. The polymath passed away in Ghazna in 1048.