Construction of magic squares using the knight's move in Islamic mathematics (Q1421052)

From the ninth to eleventh centuries, several Islamic mathematicians described systematic techniques of constructing magic squares. The reasons for their interest are not known, and little of their work reached the West before the present. Some of these constructions involved chess moves to get from one number to the next. The author describes several methods with some comments on why they work. Examples of squares of various sizes are given.