Persian Brass Astrolabe by Najm al-Din Muhammad
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
16th century
This brass astrolabe is catalogued as a 16th-century Persian instrument attributed to maker Najm al-Dīn Muḥammad Munajjim Ibn Imām ‘Alī ibn Bayazid ibn Sayyid Hasan ‘Ajam Seyyid Muhammad al-‘Abbāsī.
The auction house reports a total length of 24.5 cm and a diameter of 18.8 cm. According to the description, the mater is engraved with a gazetteer composed of two sets of five concentric circle bands detailing localities, coordinates, hours of daylight, and direction to Mecca. Degree scales calibrated in 1-degree and 5-degree increments run along the rim with abjad numerals.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Technical characteristics
- Date
- 16th century
- Type
- Astrolabe
- Maker
- Najm al-Dīn Muḥammad Munajjim Ibn Imām ‘Alī ibn Bayazid ibn Sayyid Hasan ‘Ajam Seyyid Muhammad al-‘Abbāsī
- Length
- 24.5 cm
- Diameter
- 18.8 cm
- Material
- Brass
- Place recorded
- Iran
- Maker / attribution
- Najm al-Dīn Muḥammad Munajjim Ibn Imām ‘Alī ibn Bayazid ibn Sayyid Hasan ‘Ajam Seyyid Muhammad al-‘Abbāsī
Design
- Visible features
- • Cast brass mater with suspension throne, ring, and scalloped edges. • Openwork rete with star pointers and zodiac ring set over the engraved plate. • Straight horizontal bar secured with central pin across the diameter. • Dual degree scales inscribed on the raised outer rim featuring abjad characters.
- Gazetteer Details
- The face of the mater is engraved with a gazetteer organized into two sets of five concentric circle bands. The layout provides for categories including Buldān (locality), Tūl (longitude), ‘Arḍ (latitude), Saat (maximum hours of daylight), and Inhiraf (direction to Mecca). The segments dedicated to 'hours' and 'inhiraf' are recorded as empty in both sets of circles.
- Scale and Notation
- The rim features dual degree scales running from 0° to 360° in increments of 1 and 5 degrees. The values are expressed using abjad numerals. Only 100-degree increments are fully written in abjad. The 10-degree increments repeat from 0° to 90°, and for 5-degree increments, only the abjad letter 'ha' is used as a shorthand label.
- Physical Description
- The instrument is a brass astrolabe featuring a cast mater, suspension throne, and a ring for suspension. It includes an openwork rete with star pointers and a zodiac ring, positioned over an engraved plate, with a horizontal rule secured by a central pin. The raised outer rim of the mater contains dual degree scales inscribed with abjad characters.
Identification
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: Maker attribution and 16th-century date are stated by the auction catalogue and cannot be verified from the photograph alone.
- Research required: The reverse of the mater and underlying plates are not shown in the single image.