Lubana was an Andulusian (of muslim descent from Spain) copyist, librarian, and mathematician. Lubana was born into slavery under the rule of Caliph Abd al-Rahman III, after which she became a copyist in the palace library. Lubana was then freed from slavery by Caliph Al-Hakan II, who subsequently appointed her as his personal secretary and palace scholar. Lubana was noted for her ascent from a slave girl to an influential figure in 10th century Cordoba, where she ultimately became personal secretary to the Caliph Al-Hakam II.
Lubana received a good education from her upbringing in the palace, which prepared her to become a scholar in the caliph's court.
Lubana was also in charge of the library, where she transcribed, translated, and annotated many texts, including the manuscripts of Archimedes and Euclid. Lubana worked with Jewish scholar and patron Hasdai Shaprut to found the influential Madinat al-Zahra library in Cordoba, which has over 400,000 books, and specializes in books on Astronomy and Mathematics.
Lubana also worked as a math tutor outside the palace, teaching mathematics to the public. Dr. Joyce E. Salisbury, an American historian from the University of Wisconsin, notes that Lubana tutored children in math and as she returned to the palace, the children would follow, reciting multiplication tables. Ibn Bashkuwāl, an influential 12th century Andulusian biographer in Cordoba, notes Lubana's influence: "[Lubana was] an intelligent writer, grammarian, poetess, knowledgeable in arithmetic, comprehensive in her learning; none in the palace was as noble as she."
