The statue is identified as Abbbas Ibn Firnas, the father of aviation.
But who was Abbbas Ibn Firnas?
The statue of Abbas ibn Firnas near Baghdad International Airport.
Young Abbas studied medicine and astrology but was more interested in engineering and making his own inventions.
He also liked poetry and music.
Firmans intention, like in the Greek story of Icarus and his father, was to fly.
Instead, he plummeted straight down.
Fortunately, the wing-like rig broke his fall and Armen got away with only minor injuries.
Abbas Firnas was impressed by Firmans jump.
Wearing the pair of wings, Firnas climbed the hills of Jabal Al-‘Arus and jumped off a cliff.
According to witnesses, Firnas glided down gracefully and was reportedly airborne for as many as ten minutes.
Firnas hit the ground hard and seriously injured himself.
He lived another twelve years after his harrowing experience.
Surprisingly, no other contemporary sources refer to the event.
Some believe that Abbas Firnas and Armen Firman were not two different persons but the same.
Given the flimsy evidence, its hard to tell whether or not Abbas Firnas flew successfully.
Muslim scholars certainly seem to believe he did.
There is even a crater on the moon named after Abbas ibn Firnas.
