Islamic Astrolabe

Timeline

1. 1371–1373Fez · FezThe North African Maghreb region continued the Andalusian astrolabe-making tradition; instruments were engraved with latitude scales, a zodiac rete, and prayer-time curves. Scholars used the astrolabe to measure the sun's altitude to determine prayer times and the Ramadan calendar; the astrolabe was both a scientific instrument and a practical tool in religious life.
2. 1374–1377Damascus · DamascusCraftsmen in Damascus and Cairo precision-cast astrolabes in brass, the backs engraved with sets of projection scales and geographic latitude conversion tables. Astrolabe decoration became increasingly refined in this period, inscriptions often bearing the maker's name, date, and patron information, making them representative objects of Islamic scientific craft.
3. 1378–1380Samarkand · SamarkandIn the late 1370s Samarkand, as an emerging political center, attracted Persian-speaking astronomers and craftsmen. Astrolabes were used there for calendar revision, architectural orientation, and astronomical teaching, accumulating instruments and talent for the later observational activities of Ulugh Beg's observatory era.