- Subject
- Astrolabes
- Item type
- Object
- Makers
- Muhammad Muqim al-Yazdi
- Provenance
- Presented to the Museum by Lewis Evans in 1924. Evans purchased it from Mr. P. Webster of Great Portland St., who bought it in 1921. Formerly, it was the property of the family of the Amir of Kabul (until 1879, when Colonel Cramer-Roberts purchased it).
- Primary inscriptions
- 'With the knowledge of [or, In the presence of] the least of the servants of the exalted, noble and imperial court, Muhammad Shafi`, the astronomer of Janabad, and the craftsmanship of Muhammad Muqim al-Yazdi, in the year 1057 of the Hijra', on the back.
- Object type
- Astrolabe
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 307mm Weight: 8.3kg
- Inventory No
- 45747
- Accession Number
- 1924-0/part
Description
Shah Abbas II astrolabe. Mater; rete; 5 plates; alidade; horse, pin, leather ilaqa. At the bottom of the back there is an inscription which reads: "Written by Fadl Allah as-Sabzawari". On the kursi there is the dedication to the sultan: "The supreme prince, the sultan, the most just, the greatest, lord of the centres of command, remover of the causes of tyranny and rebellion, king of the kings of the age, Abu-l-Muzaffar Sultan Shah `Abbas the Second, the Safawi, the Musawi, the Husaini, Bahadur Khan. May God Almighty perpetuate his Kingdom and his Empire and cause his justice and his benefits to spread over the worlds while the spheres revolve and the planets continue courses". The plates are engraved with almucantars for each degree of altitude, one is marked on one side as a tablet of horizons, on the other, the almuncantars are drawn in an ogival pattern. This seems to indicate that this plate was originally shown.
