Astronomy And Astrology In The Islamic World

By (author) Blake Stephen P.
Short description/annotation:
This textbook surveys the major advances in the heavenly sciences from Isfahan, Maragha and Samarqand. It looks at the development of astronomy and astrology in the Islamic world from the 9th to the 17th century, and their influence on the beliefs and practices of individuals and institutions in the Islamic world and Europe.
Description:
It was the astronomers and mathematicians of the Islamic world who provided the theories and concepts that paved the way from the geocentric theories of Claudius Ptolemy in the second century AD to the heliocentric breakthroughs of Nicholas Copernicus and Johannes Kepler in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Algebra, the Arabic numeral system, and trigonometry: all these and more originated in the Muslim East and undergirded an increasingly accurate and sophisticated understanding of the movements of the Sun, Moon, and planets. This nontechnical overview of the Islamic advances in the heavenly sciences allows the general reader to appreciate (for the first time) the absolutely crucial role that Muslim scientists played in the overall development of astronomy and astrology in the Eurasian world.
Table of contents:
List of Colour PLates; Preface; Chapter One: From Egypt to Islam; Chapter Two: Muhammad to the Seljuqs; Chapter Three: Observatory at Isfahan; Chapter Four: Astronomy and Astrology in Al-Andalus; Chapter Five: Observatory at Maragha; Chapter Six: Observatory at Samarqand; Chapter Seven: Observatory at Istanbul; Chapter Eight: Observatory at Shahjahanabad; Chapter Nine: Conclusion; Glossary; Select Bibliography; Index.
Review quote:
‘a detailed yet readable account of personalities and locations linked to the use and development of algebra, the Arabic numeral system, trigonometry, and the astronomical charts known as the zij… which provides access to this specialized field without burdening the reader with extensive technical information.’
Biographical note:
Stephen Blake is Associate Professor Emeritus at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota. His books include Shahjahanabad: The Sovereign City in Mughal India, 1639-1739 (Cambridge University Press, 2002); Half the World: The Social Architecture of Safavid Isfahan, 1590-1722 (Mazda, 1999); and Time in Early Modern Islam: Calendar, Ceremony, and Chronology in the Safavid, Mughal, and Ottoman Empires (Cambridge University Press, 2013).
Feature:
The first accessible, non-technical history of Islamic astronomy and astrology
Feature:
Surveys the major advances in the heavenly sciences from Isfahan, Maragha and Samarqand from the ninth to the sixteenth centuries
Feature:
Shows the impact of astronomy and astrology on individuals and institutions
Feature:
Looks at the influence of almanacs and horoscopes in the Mughal, Ottoman and Safavid Empires
Feature:
Considers the ways Islamic astronomy and astrology shaped beliefs and practices in the medieval and early modern Islamic and European worlds