World-maps for Finding the Direction and Distance to Mecca: Innovation and Tradition in Islamic Science
Two remarkable Iranian world-maps were discovered in 1989 and 1995. Both are made of brass and date from 17th-century Iran. Mecca is at the centre and a highly sophisticated longitude and latitude grid enables the user to determine the direction and distance to Mecca for anywhere in the world between Andalusia and China. Prior to the discovery of these maps it was thought that such cartographic grids were conceived in Europe ca. 1910. This richly-illustrated book presents an overview of the ways in which Muslims over the centuries have determined the sacred direction towards Mecca (qibla) and then describes the two world-maps in detail. The author shows that the geographical data derives from a 15th-century Central Asian source and that the mathematics underlying the grid was developed in 9th-century Baghdad.
|
Contents
New discoveriesTwo Meccacentred worldmaps from Safavid Iran
|
195 |
Bibliography and bibliographical abbreviations
|
373 |
List of abbreviations used for museums and libraries
|
411 |
List of abbreviations used for geographical sources
|
413 |
List of instruments cited
|
417 |
List of manuscripts cited
|
426 |
Indexes
|
429 |
431 | |
450 | |
Appendixes
|
453 |
A Partial reconstruction of the Timurid table presented by ʿAbd alRaḥīm ibn Muḥammad
|
456 |
B The geographical information on various Safavid astrolabes and other instruments
|
478 |
C Localities and coordinates featured on the Safavid worldmaps A and B
|
552 |
D The geographical table of alKhāzinī KHZN
|
564 |
E Miscellaneous Iranian sources
|
586 |
F Miscellaneous Egyptian Syrian and Ottoman Turkish sources
|
600 |
G Indexes of placenames
|
623 |
Other editions - View all
World Maps for Finding the Direction and Distance of Mecca: Examples of ... David A. King Limited preview - 1999 |
World-maps for Finding the Direction and Distance to Mecca: Innovation and ... David A. King No preview available - 2014 |
Common terms and phrases
Abd al-A'imma al-Andalus al-Birūni al-Din analemma Arabic ASH/SHA astrolabe ATW+ Baghdad BIR&F BIRF Cairo Cairo ENL Survey Cartography century confirmed by HLB confirmed by SNH coordinates copy copyist's error Damascus engraved entries European Exhibition Catalogue fols gazetteer Geographical Coordinates geographical table grid Ḥabash instrument-makers Iran Iranian Isfahan Islamic Geography Islamic mathematical Islamic science Istanbul K&K have incorrectly Kennedy King Kitāb Kufa latitude listed by K&K localities London longitude manuscript Maragha mathematical Mecca meridian Muḥammad Muḥammad Husayn Muḥammad ibn Museum Nishapur numerous Ottoman Oxford Paris Persian plate qibla qibla-indicator qibla-values quadrant reprinted in idem Sabzawar Safavid Safavid world-maps Samarqand Section Shah SNB/ASH/SHA SNB/SHA sources listed Studies sundial Tehran tradition treatise TUS/ULG Ulugh Beg values vols World Yazd Zīj الله به تو عرض على کا که کو کے لا له ما