qibla indicator
Date: 1650-1700
Inventory Number: 7255
Classification: Qibla Indicator
Subject:
Maker: Persian
Maker: Ṣafavid dynasty (1501 - 1722)
Dimensions:
1.9 x 4.5 x 4.5 cm (3/4 x 1 3/4 x 1 3/4 in.)
DescriptionThis qibla indicator is formed from a circular, brass compass box with a screw-on lid.
The wind rose is formed of 8 petals inked on white paper. The Arabic names of the compass points are done in what one scholar has called "strange caligraphy" and "do not make sense." There is an inked arrow for magnetic declination. The compass needle is blued and shaped as a feathered arrow.
There is a bezel surrounding and holding down the glass of the compass box. Its central opening is straddled in the north by a delicate scrollwork to which a rotating pointer should be attached. The pointer is present but currently missing its attaching screw. One arm of the scrollwork has been broken off. On the southeastern edge of the bezel, there is a hinged pin gnomon. Around the inner edge of the bezel is an azimuth circle marked in Arabic and divided every 5°. Next to various points along the circle are the names of Iranian cities (e.g., Isfahan and Shiraz), some major Arabic cities (e.g., Kandahar and Lahore), and two Indian cities (Dawlatabad and Pahlawara?), and Constantinople. The underside of the compass box is plain except for some ornamental circles.
The cover of the compass box has a gazetteer of 36 cities of Safavid Iran, including Kufa, Baghdad, and Basra (which were part of Iran in the early 17th century). Two cities--Kazarun and Shirvan--appear twice. The second Kazarun is misspelled and has been corrected by a later user. The information is arranged in concentric circles and includes qibla values of each place.
The underside of the cover is plain.
The wind rose is formed of 8 petals inked on white paper. The Arabic names of the compass points are done in what one scholar has called "strange caligraphy" and "do not make sense." There is an inked arrow for magnetic declination. The compass needle is blued and shaped as a feathered arrow.
There is a bezel surrounding and holding down the glass of the compass box. Its central opening is straddled in the north by a delicate scrollwork to which a rotating pointer should be attached. The pointer is present but currently missing its attaching screw. One arm of the scrollwork has been broken off. On the southeastern edge of the bezel, there is a hinged pin gnomon. Around the inner edge of the bezel is an azimuth circle marked in Arabic and divided every 5°. Next to various points along the circle are the names of Iranian cities (e.g., Isfahan and Shiraz), some major Arabic cities (e.g., Kandahar and Lahore), and two Indian cities (Dawlatabad and Pahlawara?), and Constantinople. The underside of the compass box is plain except for some ornamental circles.
The cover of the compass box has a gazetteer of 36 cities of Safavid Iran, including Kufa, Baghdad, and Basra (which were part of Iran in the early 17th century). Two cities--Kazarun and Shirvan--appear twice. The second Kazarun is misspelled and has been corrected by a later user. The information is arranged in concentric circles and includes qibla values of each place.
The underside of the cover is plain.
Signedunsigned
Historical AttributesThe inclusion of Mughal cities around the compass box of the qibla indicator is not typical of a Persian instrument, and suggests that this may have been customized for a merchant traveler.
Comparison of the qibla values on the top of compass-box cover with some data collected by David King shows that most of the qibla values come from a lost astronomical handbook that was compiled in the Timurid summer residence, Kish, near Samarqand in the 15th century. The geographical table of this handbook influenced most of the geographical data found in extant tables and on Iranian instruments. (See King (1999), 456-477).
One locality found on the lid but not in the Timurid table is Shirvan. The first time Shirvan is engraved on the lid, it is given the qibla value of 44° 12', which is that of Sabzawar in some copies of the Timurid table. The orthography of the name allows for a mistake by a copyist. (A similar conflation of the two places occurred on a Safavid astrolabe dated 1109 AH/1687. See King (1999), 498.) The second time Shirvan is entered on the lid the craftsman chose the qibla value of Samakhi, Shirvan's capital.
Comparison of the qibla values on the top of compass-box cover with some data collected by David King shows that most of the qibla values come from a lost astronomical handbook that was compiled in the Timurid summer residence, Kish, near Samarqand in the 15th century. The geographical table of this handbook influenced most of the geographical data found in extant tables and on Iranian instruments. (See King (1999), 456-477).
One locality found on the lid but not in the Timurid table is Shirvan. The first time Shirvan is engraved on the lid, it is given the qibla value of 44° 12', which is that of Sabzawar in some copies of the Timurid table. The orthography of the name allows for a mistake by a copyist. (A similar conflation of the two places occurred on a Safavid astrolabe dated 1109 AH/1687. See King (1999), 498.) The second time Shirvan is entered on the lid the craftsman chose the qibla value of Samakhi, Shirvan's capital.
Curatorial RemarksReading of Arabic script done by Sonja Brentjes in 2007.
Published ReferencesElio Brancaforte and Sonja Brentjes, From Rhubarb to Rubies: European Travels to Safavid Iran (1550-1700) (Houghton Library exhibition catalogue, forthcoming, 2008), item 51.