An examination of early Islamic astrolabes from the perspective of the Islamic arts

In the 8th century the on going translation movement in the Abbasid period has brought the astrolabe to the Islamic world and so it has become one of the actively used astronomical instruments until the 19th century. The astrolabe is a Greek invention yet it was developed to reach its peak in the time of Islamic civilization. This development was not only technical, but also artistic. The astrolabes of the early Islamic period were mostly designed in a plain style; but in the 10th century Al-Khujandi's astrolabes marked a turning point in the feild of astrolabe manufacture because they were valuable in terms of art. Ever since astrolabes started to be manufactured after his astrolabe, which was manufactured in the 16th century. This work aims at calling attention to artistic significance of astrolobe along with its technical significance and analyze artistic style that we encounter in early period İslamic astrolobes. The analysis takes astronomical discussions and conception of art of the time and geography that astrolobes are made into consideration. This study consists of three main chapters. In the first chapter, the astrolabe is discussed within the history of science, and then examples of the use of astrolabe in Islamic arts such as Islamic literature and miniature are given. In the second chapter, catalog information and visuals of 90 astrolabes manufactured in the early Islamic civilization are given. The third chapter consists of two sub-titles. In the first sub-title, the examined astrolabes in this study were generally evaluated in terms of Islamic arts within the period they were manufactured in. Drawings of the motifs and shapes on the rete are also provided. Afterwards, some valuable astrolabes in terms of art were examined and drawn. In the second sub-title, the biographies of the masters whose astrolabes were examined in this study are discussed.