This volume of 12 studies, mainly published during the past 15 years,
begins with an overview of the Islamic astronomy covering not only
sophisticated mathematical astronomy and instrumentation but also
simple folk astronomy, and the ways in which astronomy was used in the
service of religion. It continues with discussions of the importance
of Islamic instruments and scientific manuscript illustrations. Three
studies deal with the regional schools that developed in Islamic
astronomy, in this case, Egypt and the Maghrib. Another focuses on a
curious astrological table for calculating the length of life of any
individual. The notion of the world centred on the sacred Kaaba in
Mecca inspired both astronomers and proponents of folk astronomy to
propose methods for finding the qibla, or sacred direction towards the
Kaaba; their activities are surveyed here. The interaction between the
mathematical and folk traditions in astronomy is then illustrated by
an 11th-century text on the qibla in Transoxania. The last three
studies deal with an account of the geodetic measurements sponsored by
the Caliph al-Ma'mûn in the 9th century; a world-map in the
tradition of the 11th-century polymath al-Bîrûnî, alas
corrupted by careless copying; and a table of geographical coordinates
from 15th-century Egypt.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781000585155
Publisert
2022
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Vendor
Routledge
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter