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

Content

The oldest known copy of the earliest Arabic text 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).

The text contains seventy-two diagrams and tables:

• Geometric diagram (f. 22v);
• Geometric diagram (f. 24r);
• Geometric diagram (f. 24v);
• Geometric diagram of the zodiac (f. 26r);
• Geometric diagram (f. 26v);
• Geometric diagram of the azimuth circles (f. 28r);
• Forty-five tables for the construction of an astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (ff. 29v-51v);
• Ruler (misṭarah) used to measure and mark rete of astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 52v);
• Rete of astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 53v);
• Rete of astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 54v);
• Rete of astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 55v);
• Plate of astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 57r);
• Plate of astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 58r);
• Plate of astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 58v);
• Plate of astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 59v);
• Plate of astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 60r);
• Shadow (ẓill) of astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 61r);
• Shadow of the gnomon (ẓill al-‘ūd) (f. 62r);
• Alidade, ring, horse etc. of astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 62v);
• Rete of southern astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 64v);
• Plate of southern astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 66r);
• Plate of southern astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 67r);
• Plate of southern astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 68v);
• Hypothetical, but impossible almucantar plate of astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 70v);
• Mater (umm) of melon-like astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. ( al-asṭurlāb al-baṭīkhī) (f. 72r);
• Rete (shabakah) of melon-like astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. ( al-asṭurlāb al-baṭīkhī) (f. 72v);
• Plate (ṣafā’iḥ) of melon-like astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. ( al-asṭurlāb al-baṭīkhī) (f. 73r);
• Rete of astrolabe Ancient instrument for astronomical observations. (f. 73v).

Begins (f. 21v, lines 2-6):

كتاب أحمد بن كثير الفرغاني المعروف بالكامل

في صنعة الأسطرلاب الشمالي والجنوبي وعللهما بالهندسة والحساب

قال أحمد إنّ المتقد[مين] من العلماء بحساب النجوم إنّما أدركوا

علم حركات الفلك وما يعرض فيه بالمواظبة على النظر والقياس وكان

أكثر ما استدلّوا به من آلات المقاييس التي تسمّى ذات الخلق ...

Ends (f. 70v, line 3-f. 71r, line 1):

... وذلك مما لا يحتاج إلى أكثر منه و

بأن أحدًا أراد أن يعمل الأسطرلاب لموضع من

الأرض مما يجوز عرضه 45 إلى 95 جزءًا

مما وصفناه لاسخراج ذلك من الجدول المفرد

للمدارات لهذا ما يستدل به على كل شيء (f. 71r)

Colophon Section at the end of a manuscript text. (f. 71r, lines 2-10):

تم الكتاب والله أعلم بالصواب

بحمد الله وأونه ولطفه ومنه

بتأريخ الثامن وعشرين من شهر شوال سنة واحد (؟) وتسعين وستمائة

للهجرة الطاهرة النبوية على صاحبها الفصل الصلي

بالسلم

سمح (؟) الفقير إلى الله تعالى

عمر بن محمد بن طلحة

عفا له (؟) عنه تعالى

بالحمد لله وحد[ه] وصلى الله على سيدنا محمد وآله وصحبه وسلم

Extent and format

ff. 21v-71r

It is part of

Two technological treatises

170 images

Ref: Or 14270

Written in

Arabic in Arabic script

Type

Manuscript item

Access & Reference

Original held at

British Library: Oriental Manuscripts

Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference

Or 14270, ff 21v-73r

History of this record

Date(s)

28 Shawwāl 691 (CE, Gregorian)

Related material

Related primary sources

British Library Or 5479

Select Bibliography

Edition/translation:

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

Subjects

Astrolabes--Early works to 1800

People & organisations

Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Kathīr Farghānī

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الكامل في صنعة الأسطرلاب الشمالي والجنوبي وعللهما بالهندسة والحساب al-Kāmil fī ṣan‘at al-asṭurlāb al-shimālī wa-al-junūbī wa-‘ilalihuma bi-l-handasah wa-al-ḥisab فرغاني، أحمد بن محمد Farghānī, Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad, British Library: Oriental Manuscripts, Or 14270, ff 21v-73r, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023698323.0x000002> [accessed 7 December 2023]

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