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Islamic Astrolabe
The Islamic astrolabe was a portable astronomical computing instrument highly developed in the Islamic world from the 8th to the 13th century, integr…
Timeline
- c. 1190–1200Seville and Marrakesh · al-AndalusIn the 1190s, Islamic astrolabes in al-Andalus and the Maghreb reached a peak of craftsmanship and scale precision; brass plates, interchangeable latitude plates, and finely engraved reticles became standard features, serving prayer-time determination, stellar observation, and geographic positioning.
- c. 1150–1300Toledo and Paris · Western EuropeThrough the Toledo translation school and crusade–trade channels, the design of the Islamic astrolabe and Arabic astronomical literature entered Latin Europe, becoming a core teaching instrument at universities such as Paris and Oxford.
Sources
- The Astrolabe: What It Is and What It Is Not — Emilie Savage-Smith (1993)
- Islamic Science and Engineering — Donald R. Hill (1993)