Name of Object:

Astrolabe

Location:

Madrid, Spain

Holding Museum:

National Archaeological Museum

About National Archaeological Museum, Madrid

Date of Object:

Hegira 459 / AD 1067

Artist(s) / Craftsperson(s):

Ibrahim ibn Said al-Sahali.

Museum Inventory Number:

50762

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Cast and engraved brass

Dimensions:

Diameter 24.2 cm, maximum depth 1.9 cm

Period / Dynasty:

Taifa kingdom of Banu Dhi'l-Nun (Dhu'l-Nunids)

Provenance:

Toledo, Spain.

Description:

Planispheric astrolabe made of brass and comprising four main pieces: a box or 'mother' made up of five sheets that represent different latitudes, a network or 'spider' with indicators for 24 stars and an alidade. On the obverse or 'back' there is a zodiacal calendar and an altimetric scale called the 'shadow square'.
Astrolabes are versatile instruments that allow the position of the sun and stars to be calculated. They serve as a calendar and as a clock, and can be used to measure heights and distances. They were used in navigation until they were replaced by the quadrant. They were very useful for working out the time during the day and the night, and for establishing prayer times.
This instrument was made in Toledo by the astrolabe maker Ibrahim ibn Said al-Sahali, whose name appears with the year of manufacture (AH 459 / AD 1067) in an inscription in Arabic on the back. Another two astrolabes and a celestial globe signed by him also exist. The astrolabe in the National Archaeological Museum has all of the characteristics of the Andalusian astrolabes, which were famous from the time of the Caliphate and continued to be made in the different Taifas, as in this example from Toledo.

View Short Description

Made in Toledo (according to the inscription), this is one of the oldest astrolabes to have survived, and it demonstrates the scientific excellence attained in al-Andalus during the Taifa era. It was used to find one’s position using the stars in the night sky shown on one of its faces.

How date and origin were established:

On the back, on the upper part, there is an inscription with the date: 'In the month of Sha'ban of the year 459' (AD 1067).

How Object was obtained:

The astrolabe came to the National Archaeological Museum in 1867 from the National Library.

How provenance was established:

The name of the city where it was made, Toledo, is written on the back.

Selected bibliography:

García Franco, S., Catálogo Crítico de Astrolabios Existentes en España, Madrid, 1945, pp.229–35.
King, D. A. “Andalusi Astronomical Instruments”, in Al Andalus: The Art of Islamic Spain (ed. J. D. Dodds), New York, 1992, pp.376–83.
Samsó, J., Islamic Astronomy and Medieval Spain, Aldershot, Hampshire, 1994.
Vernet, J. and Samsó, J., Instrumentos Astronómicos en la España Medieval: Su Influencia en Europa, Santa Cruz de la Palma, 1985, pp.80–1.
Viladrich, M., “Astrolabios Andalusíes”, in El Legado Científico Andalusí, Madrid, 1992, pp.53–65.

Citation of this web page:

M.ª del Carmen Alonso Rodríguez "Astrolabe" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;es;Mus01;17;en

Prepared by: M.ª Del Carmen Alonso RodríguezM.ª del Carmen Alonso Rodríguez

María del Carmen Alonso Rodríguez es arqueóloga. En la actualidad está vinculada, como colaboradora, al Departamento de Ciencias y Técnicas Historiográficas de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Ha participado en numerosos proyectos de investigación, entre los que figura el estudio de las alfarerías romanas en la bahía de Cádiz. También ha sido miembro de proyectos europeos en los que ha tomado parte el Museo Arqueológico Nacional, como los denominados RAMA (Remote Access to Museum Archives), RACE y Champollion. Entre sus trabajos recientes, ha publicado estudios de las antigüedades ingresadas en las colecciones reales españolas en el siglo XVIII y de las excavaciones patrocinadas por Carlos III en las ciudades de Pompeya, Herculano y Estabias.

Copyedited by: Rosalía AllerRosalía Aller

Rosalía Aller Maisonnave, licenciada en Letras (Universidad Católica del Uruguay), y en Filología Hispánica y magíster en Gestión Cultural de Música, Teatro y Danza (Universidad Complutense de Madrid), ha obtenido becas de la Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional y la Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia de Madrid, así como el Diplôme de Langue Française (Alliance Française), el Certificate of Proficiency in English (University of Cambridge) y el Certificado Superior en inglés y francés (Escuela Oficial de Idiomas de Madrid). Profesora de Estética de la Poesía y Teoría Literaria en la Universidad Católica del Uruguay, actualmente es docente de Lengua Castellana y Literatura en institutos de Enseñanza Secundaria y formación del profesorado en Madrid. Desde 1983, ha realizado traducción y edición de textos en Automated Training Systems, Applied Learning International, Videobanco Formación y El Derecho Editores. Integra el equipo de Museo Sin Fronteras desde 1999 y ha colaborado en la revisión de los catálogos de “El Arte Islámico en el Mediterráneo”. Así mismo, ha realizado publicaciones sobre temas literarios y didácticos, ha dictado conferencias y ha participado en recitales poéticos.

Translation by: Laurence Nunny
Translation copyedited by: Monica Allen

MWNF Working Number: SP 29

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