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Islamic Water Clocks
In the early 11th century the Islamic world inherited and developed the water-clock tradition, using floats, valves, and gears for even dripping and …
Timeline
- 1031–1035Baghdad · MesopotamiaBaghdad continued the Abbasid-era water clock tradition, using floats rising and falling with water levels to drive pointers or trigger cam mechanisms, with graduated dials indicating hours of day and night, for astronomical observation and court ceremonial timing.
- 1036–1040Cairo · EgyptScholars in Fatimid Cairo and throughout Persia improved uniform-flow clepsydra designs and dial calibration methods; water clocks were used alongside astrolabes and sundials, supporting Friday congregational prayer times and astronomical calendrical calculations.
Sources
- Arabic Water-clocks — Donald R. Hill (1981)
- A History of Engineering in Classical and Medieval Times — Donald R. Hill (1996)