Islamic Astrolabe

Timeline

1. c. 800–1100Baghdad · BaghdadAstronomers such as al-Fazari and Ibrahim al-Fazari improved astrolabe projections and scales in Abbasid Baghdad, combining the Greek Ptolemaic tradition with Persian-Indian calculation, making the astrolabe a standard tool of Islamic observatories and scholars.
2. c. 1200–1240Maragheh · MaraghehIn the thirteenth century, centers such as the Maragheh Observatory promoted the combined use of astrolabes and armillary spheres; craftsmen in Syria and Mesopotamia made portable astrolabes engraved with Arabic longitude and latitude scales and star tables, reaching a peak in both precision and decorative craft.
3. c. 1241–1250Aleppo · AleppoIn the 1240s, Islamic astrolabes were still widely used in Syria, Iraq, and Egypt to measure the sun's altitude for calculating prayer times and calendars, and to help merchants and seafarers determine latitude, making them a core instrument of Middle Eastern astronomical navigation practice.