Universal astrolabe

The astrolabe was made by Ahmad ibn al-Sarraj for Muhammad al-Tanukhi in the year of the Hijra 729. The border of the disc is inscribed with the names of four owners, two of them are named muwaqqit i.e. astronomers employed for religious purposes. It is the only known specimen of an Islamic universal astrolabe. Ahmad ibn al-Sarraj probably lived in Aleppo in the early 14th century and he is the author of treatises on mathematics and astronomy. Syria 1328/29 (AH 729) D 22 cm (ΓΕ 13178)