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Astronomical Handbooks and Tables from the Islamic World (750-1900): an Interim Report

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Astronomical Handbooks and Tables from the Islamic World (750-1900): an Interim Report Astronomical Handbooks and Tables from the Islamic World (750-1900): an Interim Report David A. King and Julio Samsó, wilh a contribution by Bemard R. Goldstein To Tcd Kenncdy, in appreciation Cootents 1 lntroduction 12 1.1 The scope oC lhe zij literature ...•.. 14 1.2 The purpose oC a zIj ........... 15 1.3 Regional schools of astronomy . 15 1.4 The historiography of modem research on üjes 18 2 The contents of vJes 19 2.1 Sexagesimal alphanumerical nalatian 19 2.2 Chronology and calendar conversion . 19 2.3 Trigonometry . 20 2.4 Spherical astronomical funclions . 21 2.5 Planerary mean motioos, equations and latitudes . 24 2.6 Planelary stations and visibility ... 25 2.7 Solar and lunar parallax and eclipses . 25 2.8 Lunar visibility ..... 26 2.9 Geographicaltables . 27 2.10 Slar catalogues . 27 2.11 Tables for mathematical astrology 28 2.12 Analysis oC lables and parameters .•. .. 30 10 D. A. King & J. SaffiSÓ 3 Overview of the v]literature 31 3.1 The Indian-Iranian tradition . 31 3.1.1 The Zrj al-5hiih ... 31 3.1.2 The Sindhind .... 32 3.1.3 The ZIj of al-Khwfuizm'j" 33 3.2 al·Ma'mün and the earliest Ptolemaic zijes . 35 3.2.1 The Arabic A/magesl . 35 3.2.2 1ñe MumlaJ.¡an Zij and the Zijes of I:fabash 36 3.3 The majar Eastem lslamic zJjes ._ ....•. 40 3.3.1 Sorne important zijes lost for posterity 40 3.3.2 The tradition of al·Baltani . 41 3.3.3 The tables of a lJj engraved on an astronomical in· strumcnt ... _ .._....... 42 3.3.4 The tradition of Abu 'I·Waffi' ... 43 3.3.5 Sundry ziJes from al-'Irnq and lran . 44 3.3.6 al-SirGoi . 44 3.3.7 A lij from Marw (12th cenlury) .. 45 3.3.8 1ñe tradilion of al-Fahhad: from Adharbayjan to Constantinople and the Yemen . 45 3.3.9 The Maragha productions ... 46 3.3.10 Syrian zJjes and (he majar production of lhe chief muwaqqil of lhe Umayyad Masque in Damascus 48 3.3.11 The tradition of Ibn Yünus in Egypl aOO beyond 49 3.3.12 Sorne Yemeni zijes (10th-19th century) .... 51 3.3.13 The productions ofthe Samarqand school (151h cen~ lUry). ....................... .. 53 3.3.14 The productions associated Wilh lhe Istanbul Obser­ vatory and laler Turkish zijes displaying European influence . 54 3.3.15 Zljes from India . 55 3.4 Andalusi and Maghribi lijes . 56 3.4.1 The earliest Andalusi lijes 56 3.4.2 Ibn al-Zarqalluh, $a'id al-Andalusi, and the Toledllll TlIbles .. .... 58 3.4.3 The works of Ibn al-Kammad and Ibn al-Ha'im 59 s.IIayl 2 (2lJlll) Astrunom;ea/ HllIlÓbooIcr (lnd TClblt's II 3.4.4 The ZTj of Ibn Is~aq and ils derivalives . 60 3.4.5 Two zijes fram Fez . 62 3.4.6 Later Maghribi zijes 63 3.4.7 ThetablesofZacut. 64 3.5 Z,)es in Hebrew {by B. R. Goldstein] 65 3.6 The hay'a lradition and Ihe 'New vr of Ibn al-Sha!ir 69 3.6.1 Haya in lhe early Islamic Easl . 70 3.6.2 Hay'a in al-Andalus 72 3.6.3 The Maragha School ......... 73 3.6.4 The planelary models of lbn al-Shü!ir 75 3.6.5 OlherdevelopmenlS in hay'a afler Maragha 76 3.7 On the nolion of trepidalion . 77 3.8 Other innovations ........... 79 4 Categories of tables not contained in 1ijes 82 4.1 Sexagesimal multiplication tables 82 4.2 Trigonomelric lables 82 4.3 Ephemerides 83 4.4 Auxiliary tables for compiling ephemerides 84 4.5 Tables for detennining lunar crescent visibility 84 4.6 Double-argument planetary equation tables .. 85 4.7 Auxiliary tables for solving spherical astronomical prob- lems Cor a111atirudes. ...._.......... 85 4.8 Tables for time-keeping by me Sun and stars ... 86 4.9 Tables for regulating the times of Muslim prayer . 89 4.10 Tables for finding the qibla ............ 90 4.11 Tables forconstructing astrolabes and astrolabic quadranlS 91 4.12 Tables ror constructing sundials 92 4.13 Astrological tables . 94 4.14 MiscelJaneous tables 95 5 Concluding remarks 97 Bibliographical abbreviations 98 12 D.A. King&J. SaffiSÓ 1 Introduction The purpose of this paperl is to present an overview of the current state of research on the medievallslamic astronomical handbooks known as lijes in panicular,2 and aSlronomical tables in general. It is intended as a supple­ ment lO E. S. Kennedy's groundbreaking survey of Islamic lijes published in 1956,3 incorporating lhe numerous categories of tables nol contained in lljes,4 and an atlempt has been made to mention most of lhe research !hat has been done since lhat lime.~ It is also ¡ntended as an inlerim overview 1lle maio authors (D.A.K. aOO J.S.) are gralefullo Fra~is Charelle. Renno van Dalen. Remard Goldstein aOO David Pingree foc lheir eommenlS on earlier versions of Ihis p3per, lmd are alone responsible for any remaining errors aOO misinlerprelations. We are panicularly pleased thal 8emard Goldstein was wil1ing lO conlribute an important chapter on Hebrew tijes. 8ibliographical abbrcviations for lhe basic reference works for lhe hislOry of Islamic aslronomy aOO malhemalics aOO other frequenliy-ciled works are lislcd allhc cm! of this papero 2 11IC tcrm zij is Iraditionally dcrived from Pahlevi zik, origillally meaning 'thread' or 'cord' and already uscd in Pahlevi wilh the meaning 'astronomicaltables'.I'resumably by exlension oflhe notion ofa thread lO lhe warp of a fabrie and henee lO the orthogonal framework of an aslronomieal table (Kennedy, "al Survey". p. 123b, ciling C. A. Nallino). However. recent research suggests lhallhe lerm was originally used in Arabie lO denote an asln)llOmical lext in verse. as in Sanskril tanlm, without any tables: see funher R. Mercier. "From Tantra lO Zir, in Kunirzsch Festschrift, pp. 451-460. , Kennedy, "al survey". See also SaffiSÓ. "Tablas astronómicas". • A preliminary survey was presented in King. "Islamic Aslronomical Tables". , 1lle firsl version of this paper was prepared in answer lO a requesl for an article ''Zidj'' for lhe E/2. It tumed out to be far longer Ihan Ihe Edilors could accept, so we de­ cided to prepare this version, reformatting the firsl for lhis joumal, suppressing all of the quirky features of the E/2 (nolably, lhe lranslileralion). but retaining mosl of the eross·refercnees to other anicles on specific topies in Ihat monumental work (hcre cap· italized, as, for example: zt.Ql). We have, on Ihe olher hand, suppressed referenees lO anides on individual astronomers in E¡2 aOO DSB. We assume on the pan of lhe reader a certain familiarilY with lhese works, as well as with lhe standard bio-bibliographical sources. namely (in chronological order): SUler, MAA; Renaud, "Addilions l Suter": Krause, "Stambuler Handschriften"; Storey, PL; $ezgio. GAS; Matvievsuya &. Rosen­ feld, MAMS: Cairo ENL Survey, aOO ihsanotlu, ed., Olloman Astrort\Om)' aOO OItOltlO11 Malh~mlll;cs. Several ofthe sludies listed in this article are reprinled in various volumes 13 anticipating vürious significan! advanccs in ¡he field in Ihe nOI-too-distant fUlure.6 Mosl of lhe relevan! aslronomical and astrological concepls memioned below are cJearly explained in al-Biriini's Tajhfm.7 Kcnnedy's numbering 1-109 for zijes and X200·X220 for related works (see below) is use<! in (his article, wilh each number preceded by a K and lhe Xs suppressed. An as­ Icrisk is used for lhose zijes singled out by Kennedy for trentmeol in greater detail than lhe res!. The notarion K0 meaos lhe work was nol listed by Kennedy. such :15: GoldSlein. SII/dies; Hanncr, S/lIdies, A-B; Kennedy el al., SI/Id/es; Kennedy. St,u1i~j: King, Sllldiu. A-C; Kuni!zsch. Studit'S: Langennann. Sludies: Lorch, S/lIdiu: Millás Vallicrosa, Es/lulioJ, A-B: Nallino, Serilli, V; Sabra. S/udiu; Saliba, Sludiu: SaITlSÓ. S"uliu, Schoy, Beifriige; SUler. Bf!ilriige: Vemcl, Esllulios, A-B; Vemel, ed... ES/lidios, A-B; Wiedemann. AllfsGIlf! aOO idem, Schri/lell. AIso imponant for Ihe sludy of lransmission of Islamic tables lO Byuntium and Europe are Tihon, S/lIdies. aOO Poulle, Sludies. Other smdies are published in collecled works, such as EHAS; Kennedy Feslscllrijl; KUJlilw:h FeslSchrift; North FUIsc:hrift; 50)'11/ Melnon'al Volumes: and Ver­ /le/ FUlscJ/rij/. Cenain conferences have produced useful publications, in panicular: Aleppo 1976; IslnnbuI1977: Istnnbul1981: New Delhi 1985; Islanbul 1986; Istanbul 1987; l$lanbul 1991 aOO 1994; Norman (Oklahoma) 1995; Slrasbourg 1995; KyOlo 1997; Paris 1998 (Fatimids); aOO Cambridge, Ma. (Dibner Instilute) 1998. The ~numental reprint series lslamic Malhemolics and Aslronomy recently pub­ lished by Ihe indefaligable F. S..:zgin in Frankfurt in over 100 volumes contains numer­ ous anicles aOO books (texts aOO studies) relevant lo Ihis study aOO generally difficult to aeeess. Suffice it 10 mention bere [hat malerials relating lO al-Khwirizmi reature in vols. 1-7; al-Farghini 9-10, 68; al-Battini 11-13: Th.ibit iOO Qurra 21-22: loo Yünus 25: al-SüfT 26; Ibrihim ibn Sinan 27, 101; AbO Nasr 28, 37; al-Biruni 29-36, 74; Ibn al-Zanj¡ilIuh 39·40; al·Marr3kushi 41-42: Ibn al-Bn~n3" 43·44; 'Umar al-Khayyiim 45­ 46; a1-Túsi el 01. 47·51; Ulugh Beg 52-SS: al-Klishi 56, 84; Ibn al.llaytham 57-SS, 75; Abu 'I-Wafl' 60-61; al-Sijzi 66; Maimonides 67; Alfonso X 98-99; calendrics 64­ 65; astronomical instniments 85-96: Sa)'lh's Obserl'Q/ory in Islam 97; Nallino's To'n"lh 'ilm ol-Jalak 100.
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