Mapping Time Rather Than Mapping Space 61

Chapter 2 Mapping Time Rather than Mapping Space The Moon in Persian Astronomy during the Naseri Period (1848-1896)

Carmen Pérez González

For Laura Morala Forte ⸪ Iran has a long history of astronomy with renowned astronomers such as Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, Al-Biruni, Nasir al-Din al-Tusi.* Three lunar craters are named after these three great figures.1 Persia also had well-known observato- ries, such as the Maragha Observatory, established in 1259 with Naser al-Din al- Tusi as its first director, and the Samarqand Observatory.2 According to George Saliba, the first astronomical trend in Persia seems to have begun in pre-Islam- ic times with the production of the Zij-ash-shahranyar written in Pahlavi, later translated into Arabic, sometime during the 8th century; the second trend was concerned directly with astrology, the third with Ptolomy’s Almagest and its

* Special thanks are due to Tofigh Heidarzadeh, for sharing with me literature, contacts to leading historians of astronomy in Iran, and for his support, and also special thanks to Fariba Payerband Sabet. Thanks are due as well to Volker Remmert; Erhard Scholz; Evan Siegel; Pouria Nazemi; Fahrhad Atai; Maryam Ehktiar; Negar Navabi; Ghazaal Bozorghmehr; Debora Velleuer, Rana Javadi; Mohammad Reza Tahmasbpour; Keihan Darvishi, Houman Sarshar; Elmar Seibel; Kazem Kokakam; Guillaume Blanchard, Henk Zoomers, Peter Louwman, Huib J. Zuidervaart, Kamram Arjomand, and Francis Richard. 1 Al-Sufi: Azophi (22.1 S; 12.7 E; D: 47.05; 1935); Al-Biruni: Al-Biruni (17.9 N; 92.5 E; D: 77.05; 1970); Naser al-Din Tusi: Nasireddin (41 S; 0.2 E; D: 52.05; 1935). In all, 24 craters of the moon have names of Arabic and Islamic origin, bearing witness to famous Arabian or Persian scholars. For a detailed list of these craters with full names of the scholars they refer to and their coordinates see: “Illustrious Names in the Heavens: Arabic and Islamic Names of the Moon Craters”, in Muslim Heritage. Discover the Golden Age of Muslim Civilization (. Accessed March 9, 2016). 2 For an insightful overview of the history of Iranian astronomy from the Maragha to the Samarqand School, see: George Saliba, “Persian scientists in the Islamic world: astronomy from Maragha to Samarqand,” in The Persian Presence in the Islamic World, ed. Richard G. Hovannisian et all (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), 126-146.

© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2018 | doi 10.1163/9789004298873_004 62 Pérez González derivatives, and the fourth with criticism critique of the theoretical founda- tions of Greek astronomy.3 In his knowledge of the fixed stars, Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi was one of the leading astronomers of his time. He left a number of works, the most important one being his ketab sowar al-kawakeb al-tabeta (Book on the Constellations of the Fixed Stars).4 In this treatise he gives a full description of the classical sys- tem of constellations, both according to the “scientific” Greek classification, as laid down in Ptolomy’s Almagest, and to the popular Arabian tradition, adding his own observations and providing corrections to both traditions. Drawings of all the constellations and tables of the individual stars of each constellation with coordinates (for the epoch 10 October 964) are included. This book be- came a classic, with many copies being made through the centuries.5 Al-Sufi’s book is arranged according to the 48 constellations, in the order defined in the Almagest. For each constellation he adds two drawings, one showing the constellation as seen in the sky and the other as seen on the globe. As noted by Paul Kunitzsch,

this representation of the globe view drawings, however, is not correct; instead of here showing the constellations in the true convex, outer, view, he simply repeats the sky view pictured reversed, as seen in a mirror.6

Al-Sufi’s drawings of the constellations were continually adapted by the copy- ists to their contemporary local contexts. Nevertheless, it is important to note

3 Saliba, “Persian scientists in the Islamic world,” 139-140. 4 Ishan Hafez, “Abdul-Rahman al-Sufi and his Book of the Fixed Stars: A Journey of Rediscovery” (PhD Thesis. Centre of Astronomy, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia, 2010). Paul Kunitzsch, “Abd-al-Rahman B. ‘Omar Sufi,” Encyclopedia Iranica, I/2 (1982): 148-149; Paul Kunitzsch, “The Astronomer Abu ‘l Husayn al-Sufi and his Book on the Constellations,” Zeitschrift für Geschichte der arabische islamischen Wissenschaften: ZGAW 3 (1986): 56-81; Paul Kunitzsch, “Sufi Latinus,” Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenlandischen Gesellschaft: ZDMG 115 (1965): 66-74. 5 Some of these copies are: 13th century: one copy at the National Library, Paris, MS the Arabe 2489; another copy at Aya Sofya Library, Istanbul, MS 2595 (in Persian); 14th century: British Library, Or. 5323; 15th century: one copy at MET, 13.160.10; another copy at National Library, Paris, MS Arabe 5036; and one whose date is not sure, but probably 15th century, Institute of Oriental Studies, St. Petersburg, MS C724; late 16th century: Malik Library, Tehran, MS 6037; 17th century: one copy at Majlis Library, Tehran; another copy kept at the National Library of Russia, St. Petersburg, MS Ar. n.s. 191. 6 Paul Kunitzsch, “The Constellations”, in Images of Islamic Science. Illustrated manuscripts from the Iranian world, 1, ed. Ziva Vesel et al. (Paris: Institut Français de Recherches en Iran, 2009), 104-105.