Abstract
Perhaps the most fruitful and valuable outcome of the advancements in astronomy that occurred in
the Muslim world is the extraordinary development of instrumentation. With the application of trigonometry on
a higher level and more accurate than ever before, Muslim astronomers developed new devices and techniques.
One of these first-of-its-kind devices is the astrolabe quadrant, which is a simpler and easier-to-use version of the
astrolabe. This instrument, albeit less accurate than the large-scale ones, is quite practical since it has all the mark-
ings of an astrolabe’s front and rete, only inside a quarter of a circle. This small and portable device can be used by
anyone who has a basic knowledge of astronomy and a simple user manual. It became popular specifically among
those astronomers who worked on timekeeping. Although it is a very popular instrument, manuals for making it
are quite rare. Muhammad ibn Kātib Sīnān al-Qunawī al-Muwaqqit (d. c. 1524), one of the most important Otto-
man astronomers in this regard, wrote two treatises on how to make an astrolabe quadrant: Hadiyyat al-Mulūk and
Risala fī ma‘rifat wad‘ al-rub‘ al-dāirat al-mawdu‘ ‘ala al-muqantarāt. Both of these treatises are the earliest manuals
in Turkish for making this instrument. This article aims to introduce manuals for instrument-making via the ex-
ample of Qunawī’s detailed explanatory remarks in his Hadiyyat al-Mulūk. It follows his instructions step by step
and uses his tables. At the end of the article is an astrolabe quadrant drawn according to his instructions. For more
comprehensive studies, the transliteration of the treatise is attached in the appendix.
Keywords
Muhammad ibn Kātib Sīnān al-Qunawī al-Muwaqqit rub‘ al-muqantarāt astrolabe quadrant Otto- man astronomy astronomical instruments ‘ilm al-mīqātShare
Details
- Authors: Taha Yasin Arslan, Assist. Prof., Istanbul Medeniyet University
- DOI: dx.doi.org/10.12658/Nazariyat.2.4.M0026
- Year: 2016 (May) / Volume: 2 / Issue: 4
- Page: 97-120
- Full Text
- Other Languages:
-
Türkçe
- 45 Views
- Back to Issue