What Are Astrolabes Affect The World Of Islam?

The world of Islam is that of a rich and prosperous culture, contributing a vast array of advances in fields such as the arts and sciences, including one of many – astronomy. A major astronomical development was the use of the astrolabe, which helped to shape the ever growing way of Islamic life. Astrolabes are an astronomical instrument used by astronomers, navigators, and astrologers alike. They were originally invented by the Greeks to chart the stars, however, during the Abbasid Dynasty, the Abbasids were the first to use and develop them for various other purposes to improve their lives as Arabs. The earliest surviving Islamic astrolabes date back to the ninth century. They became more abundant by the eleventh and twelfth centuries,

The front part of an astrolabe that rotates to imitate the movement of the stars in the sky, called an astrolabe rete, is often used in modern books on Islamic art, either on the cover or simply as a showcase of the arts.7 Some astrolabes were purely for aesthetics and considered works of art in themselves, as seen by the way they beautifully made, with such elaborately engraved designs. Considering the decorator who designed the astrolabes was sometimes a different person from the astrolabist who calculated the scales to be inputted, the purpose of the instrument was clearly held to a high visual standard.8 This solidifies the idea that astrolabes were seen as prized possessions for both their functionality as well as their artistry. Thus, the astrolabe rapidly came to be not only a symbol for Islamic art, but also for astronomers and observatories alike. Some Islamic observatories consisted of a small group of scholars at a mosque surrounding a muwaqqit, who was a professional astronomer for religious teaching purposes. Other Islamic observatories had more funding and were much larger, with numerous scholars.10 These large observatories could be seen as a status symbol for the patron commissioning them, which could have been represented by any text or image based evidences of that

Made of brass, it is signed by its artist, Husain b. Ali and dated back to around 1310 AD. 17 The front of the astrolabe consists of four plates which serve as the projection of the celestial bodies in the sky. Also on the front of the instrument is lines used for calculations and marked for each line of latitude. The astrolabe rete displays 21 stars with pointers. The back shows a shadow square which is utilized to measure heights for other intangible calculations needed. Although this astrolabe possesses a shadow square that is fairly common for Islamic astrolabes, not all do. On the back is also the scale essential for calculating the months and days of the calendar as well as for the orientation of the Qiblah.18 Compared to the oldest surviving Islamic astrolabe known to exist, the one by Ali appears in much better condition. This astrolabe, probably the earliest example known that is in possession, dates back to sometime in the ninth century of Iraq. While the only other example of an astrolabe that may have been older than this one does exist, its whereabouts remain unknown since it was lost in 2003 during the robbery of the Baghdad Museum. Although traced back to Iraq, this astrolabe was found near the waters of the Malaysian coast, suggesting that it could have been in use for trading excursions to China from Iraq.19 In current times, even as an