Islamic Water Clock Automata

Timeline

1. 1161–1164Umayyad Mosque, Damascus · DamascusCommissioned by Nur ad-Din, Ridwan ibn Muhammad al-Sa'ati repaired and rebuilt the mosque's water clock, which had been stopped for over a century. The new device used a float to regulate a constant water level and cams to drive copper figures that struck cymbals each hour, along with linked mechanisms indicating the Sun's position on the ecliptic via a celestial globe model.
2. 1165–1170Damascus · SyriaAfter restoration the water clock continued to operate, becoming a symbol of science and technology in Zengid Damascus. In 1164–1165 Ibn Jubayr personally witnessed and described in detail its float chamber, figure striking cymbals, and celestial indicator mechanisms, providing a valuable eyewitness record for later study of 12th-century Islamic automata.