ARAG
4 OT HN ECSO, FR FU EI VE I V A R
• astronomer •
Ibn al-Shatir
F Ea tEi o n
(1304-1375: Damascus, Syria)
• Ala Al-Din Abu'l-Hasan Ali Ibn
b a s4i cT Hi nC fOo Fr m
Ibrahim Ibn al-Shatir
• Islamic astronomer, instrument
maker, and head muwaqqit at the
Umayyad mosque in Damascus
• One of the most distinguished
Muslim astronomers of the 14th
century.
b uFtFi oE nE s
• responsible for the regulation of the
astronomically defined times of prayer.
• fixed the precise times for the five
c 4o TnHt rCi O
daily prayers, based on the
observations of the movements of the
sun, moon and stars
• adjusted the Muslim calendar, which
was lunar rather than solar.
• helped improve the astrolabe
• constructed a magnificent sundial in 1371
b uFtFi oE nE s
that remained in use until the 19th century
• made calculated tables
called a zij, which enabled
c 4o TnHt rCi O
one to determine what
time it was
• His most significant contribution to
astronomy was his planetary theory.
b uFtFi oE nE s
• His calculations improved upon the
ancient Ptolemaic system. He removed
the eccentric deferent and equant of
c 4o TnHt rCi O
the Ptolemaic models, with secondary
epicycles used instead.
• His models presumed a geocentric
cosmos
• "Scientific Revolution before the
Renaissance".
Ibn al-
Shatir’s
Planetary
Theory
b uFtFi oE nE s
c 4o TnHt rCi O
Ibn al-Shatir's geometrical
model was the first that
was actually superior to the
Ptolemaic model in terms of
its better agreement with
both contemporary theory
and empirical observations.
WHO DID HE INFLUENCE?
• Many historians think it’s not a
4 iT nH f Cl uOeFn Fc Ee E
coincidence that his models of planetary
theory are mathematically identical to
those prepared by Ibn al-Shatir over a
century before him.
• Identical lunar models
• It is likely that al-Shatir's work was
transmitted to Europe and used by
Copernicus.
• How though?
Thank You!
r eFnFcEe Es
Bell & Zada. (10 February 2011). A Manuscript of Ibn al-Shatir.
Retrieved from http://albabblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/manuscript-of-ibn-
4 Tr He fCe O
al-shatir.html
King. (n.d.) Ibn al‐Shāṭir: ʿAlāʾ al‐Dīn ʿAlī ibn Ibrāhīm. Retrieved from
https://islamsci.mcgill.ca/RASI/BEA/Ibn_al-Shatir_BEA.htm
Jenkins. (11 February 2015). Ibn al-Shatir, The "Father" of Copernicus'
Theory. Retrieved from
http://jenkinsmuslimscientistsandinventors.blogspot.com/2015/02/ibn -al-
shatir-astronomer-mathematician.html
