Exhibition: The Astrolabe, East and West


Astrolabes were used in cultures rooted in religious faith and they reflect the sacred character of the cosmos. Examples from Christendom may have calendars with saints' days, and times of prayer were important for Christians and Muslims, but it was in Islam that the astrolabe was particularly adapted to religious observance. It could be used to find the five times of daily prayer and the sacred direction or 'Qibla', so that the faithful could face towards Mecca in prayer. The astrolabe's traditional role in religious observance may explain why it continued to be made and used much later in Islam than in the West.
Astrolabe, by Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Battuti, North African, 1733/4  (Inv. 51459)
Astrolabe of Philis de Din, French?, 1595 (Inv. 45975)
Astrolabe plate, by Ibrahim ibn Sa'id al-Sahli, Toledo, 1068 (Inv. 55331)
Astrolabe, by Muhammad Muqim, Lahore, c.1650 (Inv. 37530)
Table of thumbnail images with links to individual astrolabes
Astrolabe, by Muhammad Mahdi al-khadim al-Yazdi, Persian, c.1650  (Inv. 41763)
Astrolabe, Hispano-Moorish, c.1300  (Inv. 45307)
Astrolabe, by Erasmus Habermel, Prague?, c.1590 (Inv. 38097)
The Christian calendar
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