Abstract
Ismail Al-Jazari, Arab inventor who is remembered for his design of water-raising machines and many unusual clocks and automata. His book entitled: “Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices” presents a whole range of devices and machines, with a multiplicity of purposes.
From all the presented machines, two are most remarkable: his famous elephant clock, which was by far the most sophisticated clock at that time and his invention of a water pump using a crank-slider-like system, which was the first known machine to use a crank.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Al-986 AY (1976) Taqi Eddin and Arabic Mechanical Engineering. Institute for the History of Arabic Science, Aleppo University, Aleppo
Al-Hassan AY, Hill DR (1986) Islamic technology – an illustrated guide. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Al-Jazari, The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices: Kitáb fí ma'rifat al-hiyal al-handasiyya, translated by P. Hill (1973), Springer Science.
Akurgal E, Hilber L (1980) The art and architecture of turkey. Rizzoli, New York
Baer E (1984) Metalwork in medieval islamic art. State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
Bertrand G (1969) A history of technology and invention, progress through the ages, ed. Maurice Daumas, vol I. Crown, New York
Bunch BH, Hellemans A (1993) The timetables of technology: a chronology of the most important people. Simon & Schuster, New York
Ceccarelli M (2004) Fundamentals of mechanics of robotic manipulation (intelligent systems, control and automation: science and engineering). Springer, New York
Chapius A, Droz E (1958) Automota: a historical and technological study. Neuchatel: Editions du Griffon, France
Cigola M (2006) Greek and Muslim automata: influence of Greek knowledge in medieval Islamic science. In: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Ancient Greek Technology, Athens, 2006
Cigola M, Gallozzi A (2000) Drawings of automata in middle age. In: Ceccarelli M (ed) Proceedings International Symposium on History of Machines and Mechanisms, Cassino, Italy, 11–13 May 2000
Dimargonas AD (2001) Machine design: a CAD approach. Wiley-IEEE, New York, p 14
Franchi S, Güzeldere G (2005) Mechanical bodies, computational minds. MIT Press, Boston, MA
Hill DR (1998) Studies in medieval Islamic technology [Texte imprimé]: from Philo to Al-Jazari – from Alexandria to Diyar Bakr. David A. King, Aldershot (GB)
Losano Mario G (2003) Automi d’Oriente. “Ingegnosi meccanismi” arabi del XIII secolo. Medusa Edizioni, Italy
Margaret A (2006) Mind as machine: a history of cognitive science. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Mayer O (1970) The origins of feedback control. MIT Press, Cambridge
Nadarajan G (2007) Islamic automation: a reading of Al-Jazari’s the book of knowledge of ingenious mechanical devices (1206). MediaArtHistories/MIT Press, Cambridge, MA), pp 163–178
Needham J (1965) Science and civilization in china, Vol IV-2. Cambridge University Press, London, pp 435–481
Nocks L (2007) The Robot: the life story of a technology. Greenwood, West Port, CT
Ören (2001) Advances in computer and information sciences: from Abacus to Holonic agents. Special Issue on Artificial Intelligence of Elektrik (Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences – Published by TUBITAK – Turkish Science and Technical Council), 9:1, 63–70, T.I. 2001
Raby AJ (ed) (1985) The art of Syria and the Jazira. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Rosheim ME (1994) Robot evolution: the development of anthrobotics. Wiley-IEEE, New York
Rosheim ME (2006) Leonardo’s Lost Robots. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, p 117
Saliba G (2007) Islamic science and the making of the European. MIT Press, Boston, MA
Sarton G (1975) Introduction to the history of science, vol II. Krieger, New York
Seo MH, HaHn Y, Lee J, Nam M (2000) Clock-work mechanisms of the automatic striking cepsydra Jagyungnu. In: Ceccarelli M (ed) Proceedings International Symposium on History of Machines and Mechanisms, Cassino, Italy, 11–13 May 2000
Smith CS (1968) The early history of casting moulds and the science of solidification. In: Mullins WW, Shaw MC (eds) Metal transformations. Gordon & Breach, New York
Teach GM, Ferguson ES (1994) The various and ingenious machines of Agostino Ramelli. Dover, New York
Turner HR (1997) Science in medieval Islam: an illustrated introduction. University of Texas Press, Austin
Turner J (1996) The Grove Dictionary of art. Oxford University Press, New York, p 322
Ungerer A (1930) Horloges monumentales. Edition des archives alsaciennes d’histoire de l’art, Strasbourg
http://communication.ucsd.edu/aaytes/transliteracies/cezeri2.htm
http://www.history-science-technology.com/Notes/Notes%203.htm
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article350594.ece
http://www.muslimheritage.com/day_life/default.cfm?ArticleID=188&Oldpage=1
http://www.muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=466
Acknowledgement
The authors wish to thank Samir Lahouar for his help in drawing some of the presented models.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Romdhane, L., Zeghloul, S. (2009). AL-JAZARI (1136–1206). In: Ceccarelli, M. (eds) Distinguished Figures in Mechanism and Machine Science. History of Mechanism and Machine Science, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2346-9_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2346-9_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-2345-2
Online ISBN: 978-90-481-2346-9
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)