Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi (Albucasis) was the court physician of Caliph Al-Hakam II of the Umayyad Caliphate in Cordoba, Spain. He lived from 936-1013 CE and is known as the 'father of modern surgery.' His 30-volume medical encyclopedia 'Al-Tasrif' contained detailed descriptions of surgical instruments and procedures that influenced European medicine for centuries.