The exact origins of archeology as a discipline are uncertain. Excavations of ancient monuments and the collection of antiquities have been taking place for thousands of years. Tentative steps towards archaeology as a science took place during the age of enlightenment, also known as the age of reason, in Europe in the 17 and 18 centuries. Archaeology in the Middle East began with the study of the ancient near east by Muslim historians in the medieval Islamic world who developed an interest in learning about pre-Islamic cultures. In particular, they most often concentrated on the archaeology and history o pre-Islamic Arabia, Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. In Egyptology, the first known attempts at deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs were made in Islamic Egypt by Dhul Nun al Misri and Ibn Wahshiyya in the 9 century.