Astrolabe Catalogue

Astrolabes made in Turkey are comparatively rare: there are only four in the Museum's collection. This is the older of the pair and reflects the simplicity of design and execution of Turkish astrolabes, particularly when compared with contemporary Persian and Indo-Persian instruments. The rete's distinctive strap-work within the ecliptic along with the simple star pointers and clear calligraphic style are characteristic of astrolabes made in Turkey.

The throne and the back of this instrument are of illustrative. The shape of the throne with its clean, unadorned style and almost complete absence of decorative engraving set this astrolabe apart. The inscription, too, echoes this minimalist approach. Set into the centre of the back of the throne, the maker dispensed with formalities, saying simply: ‘Abdī designed this (رسمه علي). The remainder of the back of the instrument has only a small portion of the scales found on contemporary Persian astrolabes and none of the foliate decoration. Notably, there are no astrological tables that crowd the backs of so many Persian astrolabes. The gulf between ‘Abdī's astrolabe and those of contemporary makers is most easily seen by comparing it to some of the instruments made by ‘Abd al-A’imma (see the Related Astrolabes link).

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