Existing comment:
Planispheric Astrolabe
dated A.H. 1065/ A.D. 1654–55
Muhammad Zaman al-Munajjim al-Asturlabi
This astrolabe is composed of five stacked circular plates engraved with terrestrial latitudes, rotating around the axis of a central pin. The uppermost pierced brass plate (rete in Latin) -- decorated in the form of the bismallah, the opening phrase of many chapters in the Qur'an -- points toward a number of fixed stars to indicate their celestial positions. European instrument makers used Islamic scientific instruments as models, and collectors appreciated them as objects of curiosity. |