Mariam al- ' Ijliya al-Asturlabi: influential Muslim scientist behind the astrolabe.

Mariam al- ' Ijliya al-Asturlabi: influential Muslim scientist behind the astrolabe.

In today's technology has developed very rapidly, so to determine the direction or navigation has been found its name Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. So, how did the people who lived hundreds of years ago determine the direction?.

The woman behind the astrolab.

Salim Al-Hasani in his paper Women's Contribution to Classical Islamic Civilization: Science, Medicine and Politics, explained that in astronomy and related fields, historical records only keep one name, Mariam al-‘Ijliya al-Astrulabi, which seems to be the name of the astrolabe maker. There is not much information about al-‘Ijliya. However, one source that mentions al-‘Ijliya is in Ibn Al-Nadim's famous bio-bibliography Al-Fihrist.

Ibn al-Nadim presents 16 names of engineers ,craftsmen of astronomical instruments and other machines. Al- ' Ijliya where her first name is not mentioned by Ibn Al-Nadim is the only female on the list.

Some of the members contained in the list are from Harran, in Northern Mesopotamia, Sabian. Others may be Christian. This can be inferred from their names. At the end of the list is mentioned Al-‘Ijli al-Usturlabi, a disciple of Bitolus, along with his daughter al-‘ijliya who worked at the Court of Sayf al-Dawla [Al-‘ijli Al-Usturlabi ghulam Bitolus; Al-‘ijliya ibnatuhu Ma'a Sayf al-Dawla tilmidhat Bitolus].

Bayard Dodge (1970) in “the Fihrist of Al-Nadim: A Tentt-century Survey of Muslim Culture” and the IAU (the International Astronomical Union) mentions that Mariam Al-‘Ijliya Al-Asturlabi was an astrolabe maker who worked at Sayf al-Dawla's Palace in Aleppo in what is now northern Syria (reigned from 944 to 967) where she was also a disciple of Bitolus.

It was his father who gave him this skill. Mariam al - ' Ijliya Al-Asturlabi and her father were members of a rich tradition of engineers and makers of astronomical instruments that flourished in the 9th to 10th centuries.

Ibn Al-Nadim mentions Mariam al- ' Ijliya al-Asturlabi working in the machinery section which focused on astronomical instruments. His father and some of the scholars mentioned by Ibn Al-Nadim as disciples of Bitolus were famous makers of astrolabes.

In the Journal of Humanistic Mathematics Volume 10, January 2020, the Mathematics of the Astrolabe and its History by Graziona Gentili, et al, it is stated that Muhammad Al-Fazari (8 ad) was the first muslim to build an astrolabe in the Islamic world.

Then came Mariam al - ' Ijliya al-Astrolabi (who lived around 950 AD) who designed, developed instruments, and produced astrolabes very actively. As far as classical sources are concerned, Mariam al- ' Ijliya Al-Asturlabi is the only woman mentioned in historical sources in connection with instrument and engineering work focused on astronomy (astrolabe).

What is the astrolabe?
The astrolabe simply consists of a disc or wood with its surroundings marked with degrees. There's a rotating pointer in the middle of the disk called an alidade. Astrolabes are used to determine the positions of the sun, moon, stars, and planets. In the Golden Age of Islam astrolabes were widely used to determine the direction of the Qibla, the direction of prayer towards Makkkah, to determine the time of prayer with the movement of the sun, and determine the beginning of Ramadan and Eid.

The astrolabe was eventually introduced to Europe as an astronomical study. The invention of the astrolabe helped the Islamic world to perfect the globe, helping to map the stars and constellations. It has expanded the scientific exploration and world of astronomy, developing new ways of navigation and timekeeping. Fishermen rely on astrolabes for navigation. Astrolabes were important in the era before GPS. The invention of the astrolabe also played a role in the innovation of astronomy from time to time.

Mariam al- ' Ijliya Al-Asturlabi has set an example to Muslim women in the world, that her nature as a woman does not prevent her from learning knowledge. Many argue that Islam “oppresses " women or even restricts them or even that Islam is contrary to science. That stereotype has been broken by Mariam. Her influence as a Muslim woman in the making of the astrolabe illustrates that knowledge (scientific and general) is aligned and supported by Islam.