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An eighth/fourteenth-century quadrant of the astrolabist al-Mizzī

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 December 2009

Géza Fehérvári
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Extract

A few years ago the author's attention was drawn to a signed and dated quadrant which is in a private collection in California. Since the writer cannot claim to know much (let alone to understand the working) of astronomical instruments, it seemed logical to look around and offer its publication to an expert. Unfortunately, no one has so far expressed any enthusiasm or interest. But the quadrant bears the signature of a well-known astrolabist and is dated; its publication, therefore, seems desirable.

Type
Notes and Communications
Information
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies , Volume 36 , Issue 1 , February 1973 , pp. 115 - 117
Copyright
Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies 1973

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References

1 The author wishes to express his sincere gratitude to Miss Ruth Paulding for sending the photographs of this quadrant and for allowing its publication.

2 Information given to the writer by Mr. Francis Maddison, Curator of the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, in a letter dated 21 January 1970.

3 Schmalzl, P., Zur Geschichte des Quadranten bei den Arabern, München, 1929Google Scholar. Details on this type of quadrant may also be found in Michel, H., Traité de 11'astrolabe, Paris, 1947, 22–4 and 123–8Google Scholar. My attention was called to this reference by Mr. Maddison in the above-mentioned letter.

4 Schmalzl, , op. cit., 34Google Scholar.

5 Brockelmann, , GAL, II, 126Google Scholar.

6 Suter, H., ‘Die Mathemathiker und Astronomen der Araber’, Abhandlungen zur Geschichte der mathematischen Wissenschaft, XLV, 10, 1900, 165Google Scholar.

7 Renaud, H. P. J., ‘Additions et corrections à Suter “Die Mathemathiker und Astronomen der Araber”’, Isis, XVIII, 1, 1932, 173Google Scholar.

8 Mayer, L. A., Islamic astrolabists and their works, Geneva, 1956, 61Google Scholar.

9 Sarton, G., Introduction to the history of science, III, Pt. I, Baltimore, 1947, 696–7Google Scholar.

10 His full name was Muṣṭafā b. ‘Abdallāh Kātib Chelebi, known simply as Ḥājjī Khalīfa (1017–67/1608–57). The original text was written in Arabic under the title Kashf al-ẓunūn 'an asāmi Ἰl-kutub wa Ἰl-funῡn. It was translated into Latin and published in Arabic and Latin under the title Lexicon bibliographicum et encyclopaedicum, Leipzig, 1835Google Scholar; cf. I, p. 323, 11. 807 ff.

11 Sédillot, L. A., Mémoire sur les instruments astronomique des Arabes, Paris, 1841, 93Google Scholar.

12 Mayer, , op. cit., 61–2Google Scholar.

13 Mayer, , op. cit., 61–2Google Scholar.

14 Mayer, , op. cit., 17Google Scholar.