Lot 722 Dα

The first text in Arabic devoted to the planispheric astrolabe is traditionally attributed to al-Fazārī (d. 161 AH/AD 777), however the first preserved work devoted to this specific type of astrolabe is by ʿAlī b. ʿĪsà (d. 215 AH/AD 830) and it is entitled: Kitāb al-ʿamal fī-l-asṭurlab (“On the making of the astrolabe”). With the spread of the Arabic-Islamic civilization from Spain to India, this instrument became widely known and a number of treatises were devoted to it. In Europe the astrolabe was known as early as the 11th century in Spain but only later on, that is between the 13th and the 15th centuries, it was widely employed, especially for seafaring. The astrolabe is the instrument most in use and in the Western world it was supplanted only after the invention of the telescope.
In this exemplar the inscriptions are in naskh – an Oriental cursive script
On the mater (i.e. the body of the planispheric astrolabe) are inscribed the names of the major Islamic cities: Mecca, Medina, Ṣanʿāʾ, Cairo (Miṣr), Aleppo (Ḥalab), Baghdād etc.
There are also a set of three other tympani – so the instrument was used by traveller observers.
The throne is raised: the suspensory apparatus consists in a simple shackle attached to a hole.
On the rete the zodiacal signs are inscribed with the standard names (e.g. Pisces: al-ḥūt; Taurus: al-thawr; Virgo: al-sunbula).

We would like to thank Prof. Dr. Arianna D'Ottone Rambach, Istituto Italiano di Studi Orientali, Sapienza - Università di Roma for providing this catalogue text.