al-Kāmil fī ṣan‘at al-asṭurlāb al-shimālī wa-al-junūbī wa-‘ilalihumā bi-l-handasah wa-al-ḥisab الكامل في صنعة الأسطرلاب الشمالي والجنوبي وعللهما بالهندسة والحساب Farghānī, Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Kathīr فرغاني، أحمد بن محمد بن كثير

Content

Earliest known Arabic treatise on the construction of the astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. , by Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Farghānī (أحمد بن محمد الفرغاني; fl. ca 820-860). This manuscript was erroneously dated to the 12th/19th century by Lorch ( Al-Farghānī On the Astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. [Munich: Franz Steiner, 2005], p. 17) perhaps on the basis of the first two leaves of the text (ff. 37 and 38), which are nineteenth-century replacements of lost leaves.

The text contains sixty-two diagrams and tables:

Geometric diagrams (ff. 39r, 40r, 41r, 42r, 42v, 44r, 45r, 45v, 47r, 47v, 49r, 50v, 52v, 53r and 55r);

Twenty-five tables for the construction of an astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (ff. 56r-68r);

Rule (مسطرة) of astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 71v);

Rete (شبكة) of astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 71v, 77r);

Plate (صفيحة) of astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 73r, 74r and 74v);

Location of diagram missing from exemplar noted (f. 80v);

Mater (أم) of astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 76r and 76v, 79r and 81v, 83r and 84r).

Begins (f. 37v, lines 2-4):

قال أحمد بن محمد الفرغاني إن المتقدمّين من العلماء الحساب والنجوم

إنّما أدركوا علم حركات الفلك وما يعرض فيه بالمواظبة على النظر والقياس

وكان أكثر ما استدلوا به من آلات المقاييس الآلة التي تسمّى ذات الحلق

Ends (ff. 84v, line 20-85r, line 2):

... وذلك ما لا يحتاج إلى أكثر منه وإن أحدًا إذا أراد

أن يعمل الأسطرلاب لموضع من الأرض مما يجوز عرضه خمسين جزءًا إلى تسعين جزءًا

ففيما وصفنا لاسخراج ذلك من الجدول المفرد بهذا الباب

ما يستدل به على كل ذلك بإذن الله تعالى

Colophon Section at the end of a manuscript text. (f. 85r, lines 3-6):

تم الكتاب بحمد الله وحسن التوفيق وصلاته على

جميع أنبيائه الكرام والحمد لله

وحده عل نعمائه

Extent and format

Ff. 37v-85r

It is part of

Four treatises on astrolabes and a bibliography of the works of Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Zakarīyā al-Rāzī (أبو بكر محمد بن زكريا الرازي)

246 images

Ref: Or 5479

Written in

Arabic in Arabic script

Type

Manuscript item

Access & Reference

Original held at

British Library: Oriental Manuscripts

Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference

Or 5479, ff 37v-85r

History of this record

Date(s)

13th century (CE, Gregorian)

Related material

Select Bibliography

Edition/translation:

• Al-Farghānī On the Astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. , Richard Lorch ed. and trans. (Munich: Franz Steiner, 2005)

Study:

• DeYoung, Gregg, 'Farghānī: Abū al-‘Abbās Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Kathīr al-Farghānī' in The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers , Thomas Hockey et al., eds., (New York: Springer, 2007) p. 357

Subjects

Astrolabes--Early works to 1800Astronomy--Early works to 1800

People & organisations

Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Kathīr Farghānī

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al-Kāmil fī ṣan‘at al-asṭurlāb al-shimālī wa-al-junūbī wa-‘ilalihumā bi-l-handasah wa-al-ḥisab الكامل في صنعة الأسطرلاب الشمالي والجنوبي وعللهما بالهندسة والحساب Farghānī, Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Kathīr فرغاني، أحمد بن محمد بن كثير, British Library: Oriental Manuscripts, Or 5479, ff 37v-85r, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100030447153.0x000004> [accessed 9 November 2024]

Link to this record

https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100030447153.0x000004

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