Misplaced Pages

Ismail al-Jazari: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 04:49, 25 November 2010 editSmackBot (talk | contribs)3,734,324 editsm Double-action suction pump with valves and reciprocating piston motion: Date maintenance tags and general fixes: build 570:← Previous edit Latest revision as of 12:11, 12 December 2024 edit undoIntergalacticOboist (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users1,098 editsm Reverted 1 edit by 145.28.154.51 (talk) to last revision by TheWikiTobyTags: Twinkle Undo Mobile edit Mobile web edit Advanced mobile edit 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Muslim engineer and artist (1136–1206)}}
'''Abū al-'Iz Ibn Ismā'īl ibn al-Razāz al-Jazarī''' (1136–1206) ({{lang-ar | أَبُو اَلْعِزِ بْنُ إسْماعِيلِ بْنُ الرِّزاز الجزري}}) was an <!--Removed mention of ethnicity in an attempt to avoid edit wars: see talk page for some discussion of this, it should however be noted he was in fact arabic.--> ] ]: a ], ], ], ], ], ] and ] from ], who lived during the ] (]). He is best known for writing the ''Kitáb fí ma'rifat al-hiyal al-handasiyya'' (''Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices'') in 1206, where he described fifty mechanical devices along with instructions on how to construct them.
{{Redirect|Al-Jazari|other people with the name|al-Jazari (surname)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox religious biography
| era = ]
| image =
| caption =
| signature =
| name = Ismail al-Jazari
| title = '''al-Jazari'''
| religion = ]
| birth_date = 1136 CE
| birth_place = ], ]<ref name=Jazari>al-Jazari, ''The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices: Kitáb fí ma'rifat al-hiyal al-handasiyya'', transl. & anno. ]. (1973), ].</ref>
| death_date = 1206 CE
| ethnicity =
| main_interests =
}}
] was one of the most famous inventions of al-Jazari.]]

'''Badīʿ az-Zaman Abu l-ʿIzz ibn Ismāʿīl ibn ar-Razāz al-Jazarī''' (1136–1206, {{langx|ar|بَدِيعُ الزَّمانِ أَبُو العِزِّ بْنُ إسْماعِيلَ بْنِ الرَّزَّازِ الجَزَرِيّ}}, {{IPA-all|ældʒæzæriː}}) was a ] ]:<ref>{{cite book |last1=Burman |first1=Thomas E. |title=The Sea in the Middle The Mediterranean World, 650–1650 |date=2022 |publisher=University of California Press |page=254}}</ref> a ], ], ], ] and ] from the ] of ] in ]. He is best known for writing ''The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices'' ({{langx|ar|كتاب في معرفة الحيل الهندسية|lit=Book in knowledge of engineering tricks|translit=Kitab fi ma'rifat al-hiyal al-handasiya}}, also known as ''Automata'') in 1206, where he described 50 mechanical devices, along with instructions on how to construct them. One of his more famous inventions is the ].{{sfn|Beckwith|1997|p=290}} He has been described as the "father of ]" and modern day engineering.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Jorge Elices |title=Ismail al-Jazari, the Muslim inventor whom some call the 'Father of Robotics' |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/history-magazine/article/ismail-al-jazari-muslim-inventor-called-father-robotics |website=National Geographic |publisher=National Geographic Society |access-date=17 February 2023 |date=30 July 2020}}</ref>


==Biography== ==Biography==
]
Little is known about Al-Jazari, and most of that comes from the introduction to his ''Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices''. He was named after the area in which he was born, ]—the traditional Arabic name for what was northern ] and what is now northwestern ] and northeastern ], between the ] and the ]. Like his father before him, he served as chief engineer at the ], the residence of the ] branch of the ] ] which ruled across eastern ] as ] of the ] rulers of Mosul and later ] general ].<ref name=Hill2>], "Mechanical Engineering in the Medieval Near East", '']'', May 1991, pp. 64-9 (] ], )</ref>


Al-Jazari was born in the area of ] in 1136. Sources state his exact location is unknown, but they speculate he could have been born in ], where he got the name Jazari from or Al-Jazira which was used to denote Upper Mesopotamia.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ofTQAAAAMAAJ&q=Jazari+born|title=Islamic Scientific Thought and Muslim Achievements in Science: Papers Presented|date=1983|publisher=Ministry of Science and Technology, National Hijra Centenary Committee, and Organization of Islamic Conference|language=en|quote=As the Arabs called upper Mesopotamia **al Jazire" meaning "island", it is quite possible that he was born in this area and therefore referred to as al-Jazari.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oEjNaFiTyqUC&q=Jazari+born+upper+mesopotamia&pg=PA35|title=The Arabian legacy|type=Book review|page=35|author=Dr. Norman Smith |journal=]|volume=61|issue=992|date=1974-04-04|publisher=]|language=en|quote=Born in Upper Mesopotamia in the 12th century ad al-Jazari was employed, from about 1180 onwards, by the rulers of ...}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Meisami|first1=Julie Scott|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sx1bqgibKhQC&q=Jazari+born&pg=PA414|title=Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature|last2=Starkey|first2=Paul|date=1998|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-18571-4|language=en|quote=Born in Jazirat al-'Umar, al-Jazari is most noted as the author of ...}}</ref> The only biographical information known about him is contained in his ''Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices''.<ref name=dfmms>{{cite book|chapter=al-Jazari (1136–1206)|author1=Lotfi Romdhane|author2=Saïd Zeghloul|title=Distinguished Figures in Mechanism and Machine Science - Part 2|series=History of Mechanism and Machine Science|editor=Marco Ceccarelli|publisher=]|doi=10.1007/978-90-481-2346-9|isbn=978-90-481-2345-2|date=2010|volume=7|pages=1–21}}</ref> Like his father before him, he served as chief engineer at the ], the residence of the ] branch of the ] which ruled across ] as ] of the ] of ] and later of ] general ].<ref name=Hill2>], "Mechanical Engineering in the Medieval Near East", '']'', May 1991, pp. 64-9 (] ], {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071225091836/http://home.swipnet.se/islam/articles/HistoryofSciences.htm |date=25 December 2007 }})</ref> Little is known about his ethnic background, so he has been variously described as ],<ref>{{cite book |title=Engineering and Technology |editor1=Michael Hacker |editor2=David Burghardt |editor3=Linnea Fletcher |editor4=Anthony Gordon |editor5=William Peruzzi |publisher=] |date=2010 |page=33}}</ref><ref name="banu-musa-translated-by-hill">{{cite book|title=The Book of Ingenious Devices/Kitáb al-Ḥiyal: Kitáb al-Hiyal |author=Banū Mūsā |author-link=Banū Mūsā |translator=Donald R. Hill |translator-link=Donald Hill |publisher=] |isbn=90-277-0833-9 |date=1979}}</ref>{{rp|page=21}}<ref>{{cite journal |title=On a Manuscript by Al-Jazari |author=Mehmet Aga-Oglu |author-link=Mehmet Aga-Oglu |journal=Parnassus |volume=3 |issue=7 |date=November 1931 |page=27 |doi=10.1080/15436314.1931.11666681}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Ancient Engineers' Inventions: Precursors of the Present |editor1=Cesare Rossi |editor2=Flavio Russo |publisher=] |date=2017 |page=364}}</ref> ]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Genovese |first1=Michael A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=setJAgAAQBAJ&dq=Kurdish+polymath&pg=PA5 |title=Building Tomorrow's Leaders Today: On Becoming a Polymath Leader |date=2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781317930921 |page=5 |language=en |quote=Al-Jazari (1136– 1204) was a Kurdish astronomer, mathematician, Islamic scholar, innovator, and ...}}<br />{{cite book |last1=Yazdani |first1=Kaveh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TdrzDQAAQBAJ&dq=Kurdish+polymath&pg=PA44 |title=India, Modernity and the Great Divergence: Mysore and Gujarat (17th to 19th C.) |date=2017 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=9789004330795 |page=113 |language=en |quote=The Kurdish polymath Al-Jazari (1136–1206), for example, built animal- and water-driven devices for raising irrigation water, suctionpumps, cranks, ...}}</ref> or ].<ref>{{cite book |title=A Biographical Dictionary of People in Engineering |editor=Carl W. Hall |publisher=] |date=2008 |page=5}}</ref>
Al-Jazari was part of a tradition of ] and was thus more of a practical ] than an inventor<ref>Donald R. Hill, in ''Dictionary of scientific biography'', 15, suppl. I, p. 254.</ref> who appears to have been "more interested in the craftsmanship necessary to construct the devices than in the technology which lay behind them" and his machines were usually "assembled by ] rather than by theoretical calculation."<ref>{{citation|first=G. R.|last=Tibbetts|title=Review: Donald R. Hill, ''The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices (Kitab fi ma'rifat al-hiyal alhandasiyya), by Ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari''|journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies|publisher=University of London|volume=38|issue=1|year=1975|pages=151–153 |doi=10.1017/S0041977X00047182}}</ref> His ''Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices'' appears to have been quite popular as it appears in a large number of manuscript copies, and as he explains repeatedly, he only describes devices he has built himself. According to Mayr, the book's style resembles that of a modern "do-it-yourself" book.<ref>pp. 32–33, ''The Origins of Feedback Control'', Otto Mayr, MIT Press, 1970, ISBN 026213067X.</ref>


Al-Jazari was part of a tradition of ]s and was thus more a practical engineer than an inventor<ref>Donald R. Hill, in ''Dictionary of scientific biography'', 15, suppl. I, p. 254.</ref> who appears to have been "more interested in the craftsmanship necessary to construct the devices than in the technology which lay behind them" and his machines were usually "assembled by ] rather than by theoretical calculation".<ref>{{cite journal|first=G. R.|last=Tibbetts|type=Book review|title=Donald R. Hill (tr.): ''The book of knowledge of ingenious mechanical devices (Kitāb fῑ ma'rifat al-ḥiyal alhandasiyya), by Ibn al-Razzāz al-Jazarῑ''. xxv, 285 pp. Dordrecht, Boston: D. Reidel Publishing Co., . Guilders 240.|journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies|publisher=University of London|volume=38|issue=1|year=1975|pages=151–153 |doi=10.1017/S0041977X00047182|s2cid=162093750 }}</ref> His ''Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices'' appears to have been quite popular as it appears in a large number of manuscript copies, and as he explains repeatedly, he only describes devices he has built himself. According to Mayr, the book's style resembles that of a modern "do-it-yourself" book.<ref>{{cite book |author=Otto Mayr |author-link=Otto Mayr |date=1970 |title=The Origins of Feedback Control |publisher=] |isbn=0-262-13067-X |pages=32–33}}</ref>
Some of his devices were inspired by earlier devices, such as one of his monumental water clocks, which was based on that of a ].<ref>], </ref> He also cites the influence of the ] brothers for his fountains, ] for the design of a candle clock, and Hibat Allah ibn al-Husayn (d. 1139) for musical automata. Al-Jazari goes on to describe the improvements he made to the work of his predecessors, and describes a number of devices, techniques and components that are original innovations which do not appear in the works by his precessors.<ref>{{citation|title=The book of ingenious devices (Kitāb al-ḥiyal)|author=], ]|publisher=]|year=1979|isbn=9027708339|pages=21–2}}</ref>

Some of his devices were inspired by earlier devices, such as one of his monumental water clocks, which was based on that of a ].<ref>{{cite web |author=Ahmad Y. al-Hassan |author-link=Ahmad Y. al-Hassan |url=http://www.history-science-technology.com/Articles/articles%206.htm |title=al-Jazari And the History of the Water Clock |work=History of Science and Technology in Islam |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226105147/http://www.history-science-technology.com/Articles/articles%206.htm |archive-date=26 February 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He also cites the influence of the ] brothers for his fountains, ] for the design of a candle clock, and Hibatullah ibn al-Husayn (d. 1139) for musical automata. Al-Jazari goes on to describe the improvements he made to the work of his predecessors, and describes a number of devices, techniques and components that are original innovations which do not appear in the works by his precessors.<ref name="banu-musa-translated-by-hill" />{{rp|pages=21–22}}

==1206 edition (Ahmet III 3472)==
The ] ruler ] (r. 1201–1222) is known to have commissioned the first edition of ''Al-Jāmi‘ fī ṣinā‘at al-ḥiyal'' of Ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari, in April 1206 at the Artuqid court.<ref name="LB">{{cite journal |last1=Balafrej |first1=Lamia |title=Automated Slaves, Ambivalent Images, and Noneffective Machines in al-Jazari's Compendium of the Mechanical Arts, 1206. |journal=Inquiries into Art |date=19 December 2022 |volume=History |pages=739–741 |doi=10.11588/xxi.2022.4.91685 |url=https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/xxi/article/download/91685/87635}}</ref><ref name="RW">{{cite journal |last1=Ward |first1=Rachel |title=Evidence for a School of Painting at the Artuqid Court |journal=Oxford Studies in Islamic Art, vol. 1, pp. 69-83 |date=1 January 1985 |page=69 |url=https://www.academia.edu/42857318/Evidence_for_a_School_of_Painting_at_the_Artuqid_Court}}</ref> This manuscript is known as ], now in the ]. The miniatures are thought to reflect various aspects of the Artuqid court at the time.<ref name="LB"/> ] was employed at the Artuqid court during the last quarter of the 12th century, and this is the earliest known manuscript of his opus.<ref name="RW"/>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px" perrow="4">
File:Mechanical boat (court scene), probably Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472).jpg|Court scene. Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472).<ref name="LB"/>
File:Mechanical male servant, probably Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472, fol. 121v).jpg|Mechanical Turkic servant. Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472).<ref name="LB"/>
File:Mechanical female servant, probably Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472).jpg|Female servant. Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472).<ref name="LB"/>
File:Mechanical Slave, probably Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472, fol. 121v).jpg|Mechanical Turkic servant. Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472).<ref name="LB"/>
</gallery>


==Mechanisms and methods== ==Mechanisms and methods==
While many of al-Jazari's inventions may now appear to be trivial, the most significant aspect of al-Jazari's ]s are the ], components, ideas, methods, and design features which they employ.<ref name=Hill2/> The most significant aspect of al-Jazari's machines are the ], components, ideas, methods, and design features which they employ.<ref name=Hill2/>


===Camshaft=== ===Camshaft===
The ], a shaft to which ]s are attached, was first introduced in 1206 by Al-Jazari, who employed them in his ],<ref name=Ifrah>Georges Ifrah (2001). ''The Universal History of Computing: From the Abacus to the Quatum Computer'', p. 171, Trans. E.F. Harding, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (See )</ref> ]s (such as the ])<ref name="Ancient Discoveries"/> and water-raising machines.<ref name=Ifrah/> The cam and camshaft later appeared in European mechanisms from the 14th century.<ref>A. Lehr (1981), ''De Geschiedenis van het Astronomisch Kunstuurwerk'', p. 227, Den Haag. (See )</ref> A ], a shaft to which ]s are attached, was described in 1206 by al-Jazari, who employed them in his ],<ref name="Ifrah">Georges Ifrah (2001). ''The Universal History of Computing: From the Abacus to the Quatum Computer'', p. 171, Trans. E.F. Harding, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (See {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061008113946/http://www.banffcentre.ca/bnmi/programs/archives/2005/refresh/docs/conferences/Gunalan_Nadarajan.pdf|date=8 October 2006}})</ref> ]s (such as the ])<ref name="Ancient Discoveries"/> and water-raising machines.<ref name=Ifrah/>


===Crankshaft and crank-slider mechanism=== ===Crankshaft and crank-slider mechanism===
The eccentrically mounted handle of the rotary ] in 5th century BC ] that spread across the ] constitutes a ].<ref name="Ritti et al. 2007, 159">Tullia Ritti, Klaus Grewe, Paul Kessener: “A Relief of a Water-powered Stone Saw Mill on a Sarcophagus at Hierapolis and its Implications“, Journal of Roman Archaeology, Vol. 20 (2007), pp. 138–163 (159)</ref> The earliest evidence of a crank and ] mechanism dates to the 3rd century AD ] in the ].<ref name="Ritti et al. 2007, 159"/> The crank also appears in the mid-9th century in several of the hydraulic devices described by the ] brothers in their '']''.<ref>{{citation|title=The Cambridge History of Arabic Literature|last=A. F. L. Beeston, M. J. L. Young|first=J. D. Latham, Robert Bertram Serjeant|publisher=]|year=1990|isbn=0521327636|page=266}}</ref> The eccentrically mounted handle of the rotary ] in fifth century BCE ] that spread across the ] constitutes a ].<ref name="Ritti et al. 2007, 159">Tullia Ritti, Klaus Grewe, Paul Kessener: "A Relief of a Water-powered Stone Saw Mill on a Sarcophagus at Hierapolis and its Implications“, Journal of Roman Archaeology, Vol. 20 (2007), pp. 138–163 (159)</ref> The earliest evidence of a crank and ] mechanism dates to the 3rd century AD ] in the ].<ref name="Ritti et al. 2007, 159"/> The crank also appears in the mid-9th century in several of the hydraulic devices described by the ] brothers in their '']''.<ref>{{citation|title=The Cambridge History of Arabic Literature|last=A. F. L. Beeston, M. J. L. Young|first=J. D. Latham, Robert Bertram Serjeant|publisher=]|year=1990|isbn=0-521-32763-6|page=266}}</ref>


In 1206, Al-Jazari invented an early ],<ref name=Ganchy/><ref name=Vallely/> which he incorporated with a crank-connecting rod mechanism in his twin-cylinder ].<ref name=Crank/> Like the modern crankshaft, Al-Jazari's mechanism consisted of a wheel setting several ]s into motion, with the wheel's motion being circular and the pins moving back-and-forth in a straight line.<ref name=Ganchy>{{citation|title=Islam and Science, Medicine, and Technology|last=Sally Ganchy|first=Sarah Gancher|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|year=2009|isbn=1435850661|page=41}}</ref> The crankshaft described by Al-Jazari<ref name="Ganchy"/><ref name=Vallely/> transforms continuous ] into a linear ],<ref name=Crank/> and is central to modern machinery such as the ], ] and ]s.<ref name=Vallely>Paul Vallely, , '']'', 11 March 2006.</ref><ref name=Hill-231-232>] (1998). ''Studies in Medieval Islamic Technology'' II, p. 231-232.</ref> In 1206, al-Jazari invented an early ],<ref name=Ganchy/><ref name=Vallely/> which he incorporated with a crank-connecting rod mechanism in his twin-cylinder ].<ref name=Crank/> Like the modern crankshaft, al-Jazari's mechanism consisted of a wheel setting several ]s into motion, with the wheel's motion being circular and the pins moving back-and-forth in a straight line.<ref name=Ganchy>{{citation|title=Islam and Science, Medicine, and Technology|last=Sally Ganchy|first=Sarah Gancher|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|year=2009|isbn=978-1-4358-5066-8|page=|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/islamsciencemedi0000ganc/page/41}}</ref> The crankshaft described by al-Jazari<ref name="Ganchy"/><ref name=Vallely/> transforms continuous ] into a linear ],<ref name=Crank/> and is central to modern machinery such as the ], ] and ]s.<ref name=Vallely>Paul Vallely, , '']'', 11 March 2006.</ref>{{sfn|Hill|1998|p=231–232}}


He used the crankshaft with a connecting rod in two of his water-raising machines: the ] and the ].<ref name=Crank>], </ref><ref>{{citation|title=The Cambridge History of Arabic Literature|last=A. F. L. Beeston, M. J. L. Young|first=J. D. Latham, Robert Bertram Serjeant|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1990|isbn=0521327636|pages=270–1}}</ref> His water pump also employed the first known ] mechanism.<ref>{{citation|title=Al-Jazari (1136–1206)|author=Lotfi Romdhane & Saïd Zeghloul|journal=History of Mechanism and Machine Science|volume=7|publisher=]|issn=1875-3442|doi=10.1007/978-90-481-2346-9|year=2010|isbn=978-90-481-2346-9|pages=1–21}}</ref> He used the crankshaft with a connecting rod in two of his water-raising machines: the ] and the ].<ref name=Crank>], {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130312021929/http://www.history-science-technology.com/Notes/Notes%203.htm |date=12 March 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{citation|title=The Cambridge History of Arabic Literature|last=A. F. L. Beeston, M. J. L. Young|first=J. D. Latham, Robert Bertram Serjeant|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1990|isbn=0-521-32763-6|pages=270–1}}</ref> His water pump also employed the first known ] mechanism.<ref name=dfmms />


===Design and construction methods=== ===Design and construction methods===
English techonology historian ] writes: English technology historian ] writes:


{{bquote|We see for the first time in al-Jazari's work several concepts important for both design and construction: the ] of timber to minimize warping, the ] of wheels, the use of wooden ] (a kind of pattern), the use of ]s to establish designs, the ], the grinding of the seats and plugs of valves together with ] powder to obtain a watertight fit, and the ] of metals in closed ] with ].<ref name=Hill2/>}} {{blockquote|text=We see for the first time in al-Jazari's work several concepts important for both design and construction: the ] of timber to minimize warping, the ] of wheels, the use of wooden ] (a kind of pattern), the use of ]s to establish designs, the ], the grinding of the seats and plugs of valves together with ] powder to obtain a watertight fit, and the ] of metals in closed ] with ].<ref name=Hill2/>}}


===Escapement mechanism in a rotating wheel=== ===Escapement mechanism in a rotating wheel===
Al-Jazari invented a method for controlling the speed of ] of a wheel using an ] mechanism.<ref>], "Engineering", in Roshdi Rashed, ed., '']'', Vol. 2, p. 751-795 . ], London and New York.</ref> Al-Jazari invented a method for controlling the speed of ] of a wheel using an ] mechanism.<ref>], "Engineering", in Roshdi Rashed, ed., '']'', Vol. 2, pp. 751–795 . ], London and New York.</ref>


===Mechanical controls=== ===Mechanical controls===
According to ], al-Jazari described several early ], including "a large metal door, a ] and a lock with four ]."<ref name=Hill2/> According to ], al-Jazari described several early ], including "a large metal door, a ] and a lock with four ]".<ref name=Hill2/>


===Segmental gear=== === Conical valve and segmental gear ===
A segmental gear is "a piece for receiving or communicating ] from or to a ], consisting of a sector of a circular gear, or ring, having ]s on the periphery, or face."<ref>, ]</ref> Professor ] wrote: A segmental gear is "a piece for receiving or communicating ] from or to a cogwheel, consisting of a sector of a circular ], or ring, having cogs on the periphery, or face."<ref>, ]</ref> ] wrote:{{Sfn|Hill|1974|p=xiii}}
{{blockquote|text=Western scholars had thought that conical ] first appeared in Leonardo's drawings, but al-Jazarl's pictures show them. Similarly, segmental gears first clearly appear in al-Jazarl; in the West they emerge in ]'s astronomical clock finished in 1364; with the great ] engineer ] (d. 1501) they entered the general vocabulary of European machine design.}}

{{bquote|Segmental gears first clearly appear in Al-Jazari, in the West they emerge in ]'s ] finished in 1364, and only with the great ] engineer ] (1501) did they enter the general vocabulary of European machine design.<ref>. The ] Museum, ].</ref>}}


==Water-raising machines== ==Water-raising machines==
]ed ] device.]]
Al-Jazari invented five machines for raising ],<ref name=Jazari>Al-Jazari, ''The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices: Kitáb fí ma'rifat al-hiyal al-handasiyya'', translated by P. Hill (1973), ].</ref> as well as ]s and ]s with ]s on their ] used to operate ],<ref name=Hill/> in the 12th and 13th centuries, and described them in 1206. It was in these water-raising machines that he introduced his most important ideas and components.
Al-Jazari invented five machines for raising water,<ref name="Jazari"/> as well as ]s and ]s with ]s on their ] used to operate ],<ref name=Hill/> in the 12th and 13th centuries, and described them in 1206. It was in these water-raising machines that he introduced his most important ideas and components.


===Saqiya chain pumps=== ===Saqiya chain pumps===
The first known use of a ] in a ] was in one of al-Jazari's ] machines.<ref name=Hill-776>], "Engineering", in Roshdi Rashed, ed., '']'', Vol. 2, p. 751-795 . ], London and New York.</ref> The concept of minimizing ] is also first implied in one of al-Jazari's '']'' chain pumps, which was for the purpose of maximising the efficiency of the saqiya chain pump <ref name=Hill-776/> Al-Jazari also constructed a water-raising saqiya chain pump which was run by ] rather than ], though the Chinese were also using hydropower for chain pumps prior to him. Saqiya machines like the ones he described have been supplying water in ] since the 13th century up until modern times,<ref name=Hassan>], </ref> and were in everyday use throughout the medieval Islamic world.<ref name=Hill-776/> The first known use of a ] in a ] was in one of al-Jazari's ] machines. The concept of minimizing ] is also first implied in one of al-Jazari's '']'' chain pumps, which was for the purpose of maximising the efficiency of the saqiya chain pump. Al-Jazari also constructed a water-raising saqiya chain pump which was run by ] rather than ], though the Chinese were also using hydropower for chain pumps prior to him. Saqiya machines like the ones he described have been supplying water in ] since the 13th century up until modern times,<ref name=Hassan>], {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226105147/http://www.history-science-technology.com/Articles/articles%206.htm |date=26 February 2008 }}</ref> and were in everyday use throughout the medieval Islamic world.<ref name=Hill-776>], "Engineering", in Roshdi Rashed, ed., '']'', Vol. 2, pp. 751–795 . ], London and New York.</ref>
Interestingly, the depiction of the chain in al-Jazari's pump appears to be in the form of a ], from long before the Möbius strip was first identified as an object of study in mathematics.<ref>{{cite journal
| last1 = Cartwright | first1 = Julyan H. E.|author1-link = Julyan Cartwright
| last2 = González | first2 = Diego L.
| arxiv = 1609.07779
| bibcode = 2016arXiv160907779C
| doi = 10.1007/s00283-016-9631-8
| issue = 2
| journal = ]
| mr = 3507121
| pages = 69–76
| title = Möbius strips before Möbius: topological hints in ancient representations
| volume = 38
| year = 2016| s2cid = 253818831}}</ref>


===Double-action suction pump with valves and reciprocating piston motion=== ===Double-action suction pump with valves and reciprocating piston motion===
Citing the Byzantine ] used for discharging ] as an inspiration,<ref>A History of Engineering in Classical and Medieval Times: Irrigation and water supply ; Dams ; Bridges ; Roads ; Building construction ; Surveying Part two, Mechanical engineering : Water-raising machines ; Power from water and wind Part three, Fine technology : Instruments ; Automata ; Clocks ... By Donald Routledge Hill Published by Routledge, 1996 ISBN 0415152917, 9780415152914 pg 150</ref> Al-Jazari went on to describe the first ] pipes, suction ], ] pump, and made early uses of valves and a ]-] mechanism, when he invented a ] ] ] suction pump. This pump is driven by a water wheel, which drives, through a system of gears, an oscillating slot-rod to which the rods of two pistons are attached. The pistons work in horizontally opposed cylinders, each provided with valve-operated suction and delivery pipes. The delivery pipes are joined above the centre of the machine to form a single outlet into the irrigation system. This water-raising machine had a direct significance for the development of modern engineering. This pump is remarkable for three reasons:<ref name=Hill2/><ref>{{Cite web|author=]|title=The Origin of the Suction Pump: Al-Jazari 1206 A.D.|url=http://www.history-science-technology.com/Notes/Notes%202.htm|accessdate=2008-07-16}}</ref><ref name=Hill-1996>] (1996), ''A History of Engineering in Classical and Medieval Times'', ], pp. 143 & 150-2</ref> Al-Jazari described ] pipes, suction ], ] pump, and made early uses of valves and a ]-] mechanism, when he developed a ] ] ] suction pump. This pump is driven by a water wheel, which drives, through a system of gears, an oscillating slot-rod to which the rods of two pistons are attached. The pistons work in horizontally opposed cylinders, each provided with valve-operated suction and delivery pipes. The delivery pipes are joined above the centre of the machine to form a single outlet into the irrigation system. This water-raising machine had a direct significance for the development of modern engineering. This pump is remarkable for three reasons:<ref name=Hill2/><ref>{{Cite web|author=] |title=The Origin of the Suction Pump: al-Jazari 1206 A.D. |url=http://www.history-science-technology.com/Notes/Notes%202.htm |access-date=16 July 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226102543/http://www.history-science-technology.com/Notes/Notes%202.htm |archive-date=26 February 2008 }}</ref>{{sfn|Hill|2013|pp=143}}{{sfn|Hill|2013|p=150-2}}

*The first known use of a true suction pipe (which sucks fluids into a partial ]) in a pump. *The first known use of a true suction pipe (which sucks fluids into a partial ]) in a pump.
*The first application of the ] principle. *The first application of the double-acting principle.
*The conversion of ] to ], via the crank-connecting rod mechanism. *The conversion of ] to ] via the crank-connecting rod mechanism.

Al-Jazari's suction piston pump could lift 13.6 metres of water,{{Citation needed|reason=Water can only be sucked 10 meters at atmospheric pressure, equal to 760 mm Hg.|date=November 2010}} with the help of delivery pipes. It was not, however, any more efficient than the ] commonly used by the Muslim world at the time.{{sfn|Hill|2013}}

Al-Jazari cited the Byzantine ] used for discharging ] as an inspiration for his pump.{{sfn|Hill|2013|p=150}} According to ], al-Jazari's pump can be considered "a direct ancestor of the ] combination".{{Sfn|Hill|1974|p=273}} According to ], al-Jazari's slot-rod ] is one of "the two machines of the Middle Ages which lie most directly in the line of ancestry of the steam-engine and the ]" along with ]'s blowing engine a century later.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Needham |first=Joseph |author-link=Joseph Needham |url=https://archive.org/details/sciencecivilisat0004jose/page/n573/mode/2up |title=Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 4: Physics and Physical Technology (Part II: Mechanical Technology) |date= |publisher=] |year=1965 |isbn=978-0-521-05803-2 |pages=380-2}}</ref>


=== Single-bucket and four-bucket water lifting machines ===
Al-Jazari's suction piston pump could lift 13.6 metres of water,{{Citation needed|Water can only be sucked 10 meters at atmospheric pressure, equal to 760 mm Hg.|date=November 2010}} with the help of delivery pipes. This was more advanced than the suction pumps that appeared in 15th-century Europe, which lacked delivery pipes. It was not, however, any more efficient than a ] commonly used by the Muslim world at the time.<ref name=Hill-1996/>
Al-Jazari described single-bucket and four-bucket water lifting machines. The single-bucket version employs ], semi-circular ] units, ], and ], while the four-bucket version adds a mechanical ].


===Water supply system=== ===Water supply system===
Al-Jazari developed the earliest ] to be driven by ]s and ], which was built in 13th century ] to supply water to its mosques and ] hospitals. The system had water from a lake turn a ] and a system of gears which transported jars of water up to a ] that led to mosques and hospitals in the city.<ref name=Turner>Howard R. Turner (1997), ''Science in Medieval Islam: An Illustrated Introduction'', p. 81, ], ISBN 0292781490</ref> Al-Jazari developed the earliest ] to be driven by ]s and ], which was built in 13th century ] to supply water to its mosques and ] hospitals. The system had water from a lake turn a ] and a system of gears which transported jars of water up to a ] that led to mosques and hospitals in the city.<ref name=Turner>Howard R. Turner (1997), ''Science in Medieval Islam: An Illustrated Introduction'', p. 81, ], {{ISBN|0-292-78149-0}}</ref>


==Automata== ==Automata==
Al-Jazari built automated moving peacocks driven by hydropower.<ref>, '']''.</ref> He also invented the earliest known ], which were driven by hydropower.<ref name=Turner/> He also created automatic doors as part of one of his elaborate ]s,<ref name=Hill2/> and designed and constructed a number of other ], including automatic machines, home appliances, and musical automata powered by water.<ref>See one of his works at .</ref> He also invented ]s with ]s on their ] used to operate automata.<ref name=Hill/> According to '']'', the ] inventor ] may have been influenced by the classic automata of Al-Jazari.<ref>{{Cite web|title=al-Jazari|publisher='']''|year= 2009|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/301961/al-Jazari|accessdate=2009-10-04}}</ref> Al-Jazari built automated moving peacocks driven by hydropower.<ref>, '']''.</ref> He also created automatic doors as part of one of his elaborate ]s,<ref name=Hill2/> and invented ]s with ]s on their ] used to operate automata.<ref name=Hill/> According to '']'', the ] inventor ] may have been influenced by the classic automata of al-Jazari.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|title=al-Jazari|encyclopedia=]|year= 2009|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/301961/al-Jazari|access-date=4 October 2009}}</ref>


Mark E. Rosheim summarizes the advances in ] made by Arab engineers, especially Al-Jazari, as follows: Mark E. Rosheim summarizes the advances in ] made by Muslim engineers, especially al-Jazari, as follows:


{{bquote|Unlike the Greek designs, these Arab examples reveal an interest, not only in dramatic illusion, but in manipulating the environment for human comfort. Thus, the greatest contribution the Arabs made, besides preserving, disseminating and building on the work of the Greeks, was the concept of practical application. This was the key element that was missing in Greek robotic science.<ref name=Rosheim/>}} {{blockquote|text=Unlike the Greek designs, these Arab examples reveal an interest, not only in dramatic illusion, but in manipulating the environment for human comfort. Thus, the greatest contribution the Arabs made, besides preserving, disseminating and building on the work of the Greeks, was the concept of practical application. This was the key element that was missing in Greek robotic science.<ref name=Rosheim/>}}


{{bquote|The Arabs, on the other hand, displayed an interest in creating human-like machines for practical purposes but lacked, like other preindustrial societies, any real impetus to pursue their robotic science.<ref>{{citation|title=Robot Evolution: The Development of Anthrobotics|first=Mark E.|last=Rosheim|year=1994|publisher=Wiley-IEEE|isbn=0471026220|page=36}}</ref>}} {{blockquote|text=The Arabs, on the other hand, displayed an interest in creating human-like machines for practical purposes but lacked, like other preindustrial societies, any real impetus to pursue their robotic science.<ref>{{citation|title=Robot Evolution: The Development of Anthrobotics|first=Mark E.|last=Rosheim|year=1994|publisher=Wiley-IEEE|isbn=0-471-02622-0|page=|url=https://archive.org/details/robotevolutionde0000rosh/page/36}}</ref>}}


===Drink-serving waitress=== ===Drink-serving waitress===
One of Al-Jazari's ] was a waitress that could serve water, tea or drinks. The drink was stored in a tank with a ] from where the drink drips into a bucket and, after seven minutes, into a cup, after which the waitress appears out of an ] serving the drink.<ref>{{citation|title=], Episode 12: Machines of the East|publisher=]|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2HcjanNWFM|accessdate=2008-09-06}}</ref> One of al-Jazari's ] was a waitress that could serve water, tea or drinks. The drink was stored in a tank with a reservoir from where the drink drips into a bucket and, after seven minutes, into a cup, after which the waitress appears out of an automatic door serving the drink.<ref>{{citation|title=Ancient Discoveries, Episode 12: Machines of the East|work=]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2HcjanNWFM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/v2HcjanNWFM| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|access-date=6 September 2008}}{{cbignore}}</ref>


===Hand-washing automaton with flush mechanism=== ===Hand-washing automaton with flush mechanism===
Al-Jazari invented a hand washing ] incorporating a flush mechanism now used in modern ]s. This device is another example of ]. It consisted of a human figure, made from jointed copper, holding a pitcher resembling a peacock in its right hand. The pitcher is made from brass and holds within it a chamber, divided into two parts by a metal plate. This mechanism aided the pouring of the water from the spout so that it was smooth and would not splutter. The reservoir in which the water is held is situated within the right-hand side of the human figure. An axle is fitted into the right elbow of the human figure so as to allow the liquid to pour from the reservoir through the spout of the pitcher. The left arm of the figure had a fixed weight which would raise and lower the arm which would hold a towel, comb and mirror.
Al-Jazari invented a hand washing ] incorporating a flush mechanism now used in modern ]s. It features a female ] standing by a basin filled with water. When the user pulls the lever, the water drains and the female automaton refills the basin.<ref>{{citation|title=Robot Evolution: The Development of Anthrobotics|first=Mark E.|last=Rosheim|year=1994|publisher=Wiley-IEEE|isbn=0471026220|pages=9–10}}</ref>

This automaton was designed to aid the king whilst he performed his ]. A servant of the king would carry the figure and place it next to a basin that could hold liquid. The servant then turned a knob on the back of the figure which opened a valve resulting in the pouring of water from the right hand of the figure into the basin. When the reservoir is nearly empty and most of the water has been poured a mechanism is prompted and the left hand of the figure, holding the towel, comb and mirror, is extended out in the direction of the king so that he can dry himself and tend to his beard.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari|url=http://archive.org/details/TheBookOfKnowledgeOfIngeniousMechanicalDevices|title=The Book Of Knowledge Of Ingenious Mechanical Devices|date=1974-01-01}}</ref>


===Peacock fountain with automated servants=== ===Peacock fountain with automated servants===
Water and its usages holds particular importance in ]; both as being an integral part of the pre-prayer washing processes '']'' and '']'', and a key feature in Islamic gardens – four fountains featuring in the ]; the Islamic final resting place referenced in the ]. Additionally, with ] being a naturally drought-ridden place, machines relating to water held a significant function; in both a divine and practical sense.
Al-Jazari's "peacock fountain" was a more sophisticated hand washing device featuring humanoid automata as servants which offer ] and ]s. Mark E. Rosheim describes it as follows:<ref name=Rosheim>{{citation|title=Robot Evolution: The Development of Anthrobotics|first=Mark E.|last=Rosheim|year=1994|publisher=Wiley-IEEE|isbn=0471026220|page=9}}</ref>

An entire section of ''The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices'' was devoted to fountain mechanisms, titled: ''‘On the construction in pools of fountains which change their shape, and of machines for the perpetual flute’.''<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Campbell|first1=James W. P.|last2=Boyington|first2=Amy|date=2018-07-03|title=Fountains and water: the development of the hydraulic technology of display in Islamic gardens 700–1700 CE|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/14601176.2018.1452827|journal=Studies in the History of Gardens & Designed Landscapes|volume=38|issue=3|pages=247–267|doi=10.1080/14601176.2018.1452827|s2cid=165676924|issn=1460-1176}}</ref>

Al-Jazari's "peacock fountain" was a more sophisticated hand washing device featuring humanoid automata as servants which offer soap and ]s. Mark E. Rosheim describes it as follows:<ref name="Rosheim">{{citation|title=Robot Evolution: The Development of Anthrobotics|first=Mark E.|last=Rosheim|year=1994|publisher=Wiley-IEEE|isbn=0-471-02622-0|page=|url=https://archive.org/details/robotevolutionde0000rosh/page/9}}</ref>

{{blockquote|text=Pulling a plug on the peacock's tail releases water out of the beak; as the dirty water from the basin fills the hollow base a float rises and actuates a ] which makes a servant figure appear from behind a door under the peacock and offer soap. When more water is used, a second float at a higher level trips and causes the appearance of a second servant figure – with a towel!}}
]
The basin of the "peacock fountain" formed the basin for performing '']'', and it would have been operated by a servant, who would have pulled the plug and positioned the peacock's beak; allowing the mechanism to release the water into the basin in front of the user.<ref>{{Cite web|last=גולן|first=אבי|date=2019-07-30|title=The basin of the Peacock and the magic of automata|url=https://aljazaribook.com/en/2019/07/30/the-basin-of-the-peacock_en/|access-date=2020-10-18|website=The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices|language=en-US}}</ref>


However, whilst water moving objects such as the peacock fountain had ritualistic usage, there is suggestion that water-moving hydraulics were put to profane use. Ayhan Aytes suggests that:<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe (ZKM)|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/9789004337862_lgbo_com_260157|access-date=2020-10-19|website=Lexikon des gesamten Buchwesens Online|doi=10.1163/9789004337862_lgbo_com_260157}}</ref><blockquote>Many of the devices also had additional functions that contradicted divine omnipotence. The most profane purpose of several of his hydraulic and pnuematic automata was to get guests at parties drunk as quickly as possible.</blockquote>
{{bquote|Pulling a plug on the peacock's tail releases water out of the beak; as the dirty water from the basin fills the hollow base a float rises and actuates a ] which makes a servant figure appear from behind a door under the peacock and offer soap. When more water is used, a second float at a higher level trips and causes the appearance of a second servant figure — with a towel!}}


===Musical robot band=== ===Musical robot band===
] ].]] ] band.]]


Al-Jazari's work described fountains and musical automata, in which the flow of water alternated from one large tank to another at hourly or half-hourly intervals. This operation was achieved through his innovative use of ] switching.<ref name=Hill2/> Al-Jazari's work described fountains and musical automata, in which the flow of water alternated from one large tank to another at hourly or half-hourly intervals. This operation was achieved through his innovative use of ] switching.<ref name=Hill2/>


Al-Jazari created a musical automaton, which was a boat with four automatic musicians that floated on a lake to entertain guests at royal drinking parties. Professor Noel Sharkey has argued that it is quite likely that it was an early ] automata and has produced a possible reconstruction of the mechanism; it has a programmable drum machine with ] (]s) that bump into little ]s that operated the ]. The drummer could be made to play different rhythms and different drum patterns if the pegs were moved around.<ref name=Sharkey>Professor Noel Sharkey, , ].</ref> According to Charles B. Fowler, the automata were a "] ]" which performed "more than fifty facial and body actions during each musical selection."<ref>{{citation|title=The Museum of Music: A History of Mechanical Instruments|first=Charles B.|last=Fowler|journal=Music Educators Journal|volume=54|issue=2|date=October 1967|pages=45–49|doi=10.2307/3391092|url=http://jstor.org/stable/3391092|publisher=MENC_ The National Association for Music Education}}</ref> Al-Jazari created a musical automaton, which was a boat with four automatic musicians that floated on a lake to entertain guests at royal drinking parties. Professor ] has argued that it is quite likely that it was an early ] automata and has produced a possible reconstruction of the mechanism; it has a programmable drum machine with ] (]s) that bump into little ]s that operated the percussion. The drummer could be made to play different rhythms and different drum patterns if the pegs were moved around.<ref name=Sharkey>Professor Noel Sharkey, , ].</ref>

===The water-clock of the drummers===
]

The water-clock of the drummers, which differs from the Musical robot band in that it lacks a flute-playing ] and instead has two ], consists of seven wood-jointed male figures, including the aforementioned trumpeters as well as two dolls playing ] and the rest playing other ].<ref>The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices by Ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari Translated by Donald R. Hill, 01-01-1974</ref> The mechanism in this specific automaton serves as a ] by producing a musical output once every hour, illustrating ]'s ability to create multi-faceted automata that functioned on a practical and entertainment level. The motion of the ] is initiated at daybreak by another male doll, who stands at the edge of the ] element of the design, moving across until he reaches a specific point at which a carved ] leans forward dropping a ball from its beak onto a cymbal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://michaelkrzyzaniak.com/Research/PrehistoryMusicalRobots.pdf|title=2. Prehistory of Musical Robots, Michael Krzyzaniak, Arizona State University, School of Arts, Media and Engineering}}</ref> All mechanical aspects of the automaton are then driven by water and a series of pistons and cables. Each hour water drains out of the main ] to cause another bucket to tip over driving a ] that is connected to the musicians. The automaton is described to ‘perform a with a clamorous sound which is heard from afar’ and could play several different tunes.<ref></ref> Like many other automatons by Al-Jazari, this was created to entertain guests at the royal palace.


==Clocks== ==Clocks==
Al-Jazari constructed a variety of ]s and ]s. These included a portable water-powered ] ], which was a meter high and half a meter wide, reconstructed successfully at the ] in 1976 <ref name=Hill>] (1996), ''A History of Engineering in Classical and Medieval Times'', ], p. 224</ref><ref name="Razzaz Al-Jazari 1974">Ibn al-Razzaz Al-Jazari (ed. 1974) ''The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices'', Translated and annotated by ], Dordrecht / D. Reidel, part II.</ref> Al-Jazari also invented monumental water-powered ]s which displayed moving models of the Sun, Moon, and stars. Al-Jazari constructed a variety of ]s and ]s. These included a portable water-powered ] ], which was a meter high and half a meter wide, reconstructed successfully at the ] in 1976<ref name=Hill>] (1996), ''A History of Engineering in Classical and Medieval Times'', ], p. 224</ref><ref name="Razzaz Al-Jazari 1974">Ibn al-Razzaz Al-Jazari (ed. 1974) ''The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices'', Translated and annotated by ], Dordrecht / D. Reidel, part II.</ref> Al-Jazari also invented monumental water-powered ]s which displayed moving models of the Sun, Moon, and stars.


===Candle clocks=== ===Candle clocks===
According to ], al-Jazari described the most sophisticated ]s known to date. Hill described one of al-Jazari's candle clocks as follows:<ref name=Hill2/> ].]]
According to ], al-Jazari constructed the most sophisticated ]s known to date. Hill described one of al-Jazari's candle clocks as follows:<ref name=Hill2/>


{{bquote|The candle, whose rate of burning was known, bore against the underside of the cap, and its wick passed through the hole. Wax collected in the indentation and could be removed periodically so that it did not interfere with steady burning. The bottom of the candle rested in a shallow dish that had a ring on its side connected through pulleys to a counterweight. As the candle burned away, the weight pushed it upward at a constant speed. The automata were operated from the dish at the bottom of the candle. No other candle clocks of this sophistication are known.}} {{blockquote|text=The candle, whose rate of burning was known, bore against the underside of the cap, and its wick passed through the hole. Wax collected in the indentation and could be removed periodically so that it did not interfere with steady burning. The bottom of the candle rested in a shallow dish that had a ring on its side connected through pulleys to a counterweight. As the candle burned away, the weight pushed it upward at a constant speed. The automata were operated from the dish at the bottom of the candle. No other candle clocks of this sophistication are known.}}


Al-Jazari's candle clock also included a ] to display the time and, for the first time, employed a ], a ] still used in modern times.<ref>{{citation|title=], Episode 12: Machines of the East|publisher=]|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwGfw1YW9Js|accessdate=2008-09-07}}</ref> Al-Jazari's candle clock also included a ] to display the time and, for the first time, employed a ], a ] still used in modern times.<ref>{{citation|title=Ancient Discoveries, Episode 12: Machines of the East|work=]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwGfw1YW9Js |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/PwGfw1YW9Js| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|access-date=7 September 2008}}{{cbignore}}</ref>


===Elephant clock=== ===Elephant clock===
{{Main|Elephant clock}} {{Main|Elephant clock}}


The ] was described by Al-Jazari in 1206 is notable for several innovations. It was the first clock in which an ] reacted after certain intervals of time (in this case, a humanoid robot striking the ] and a mechanical robotic bird chirping) and the first ] to accurately record the passage of the temporal hours to match the uneven length of days throughout the year.<ref>{{Citation | last=] | last2=] | year=1986 | title=Islamic Technology: An Illustrated History | publisher=] | isbn=0521263336 | pages=57–59}}</ref> The ] described by al-Jazari in 1206 is notable for several innovations. It was the first clock in which an ] reacted after certain intervals of time (in this case, a humanoid robot striking the ] and a mechanical robotic bird chirping) and the first ] to accurately record the passage of the temporal hours to match the uneven length of days throughout the year.<ref>{{Citation |first1=Ahmad Y |last1=Hassan | author1-link=Ahmad Y Hassan |first2=Donald Routledge |last2=Hill | author2-link=Donald Routledge Hill | year=1986 | title=Islamic Technology: An Illustrated History | publisher=] | isbn=0-521-26333-6 | pages=57–59] | url=https://archive.org/details/islamictechnolog0000hasa/page/57 }}</ref>


] of al-Jazari, 12th century.]] ] of al-Jazari, 14th century copy.]]


===Programmable castle clock=== ===Castle clock===
{{Main|Castle clock}} {{See also|Clock tower}}
Al-Jazari's largest astronomical clock was the "castle clock", which was a complex device that was about {{convert|11|ft|m}} high, and had multiple functions besides timekeeping. It included a display of the ] and the ] and ]s, and an innovative feature of the device was a pointer in the shape of the ] which travelled across the top of a gateway, moved by a hidden cart, and caused automatic doors to open, each revealing a ], every hour.<ref name=Hill2/><ref>Howard R. Turner (1997), ''Science in Medieval Islam: An Illustrated Introduction'', p. 184. ], {{ISBN|0-292-78149-0}}.</ref>


Another feature of the device was five ] musicians who automatically play music when moved by ]s operated by a hidden ] attached to a ].<ref name="Ancient Discoveries">{{citation|title=Ancient Discoveries, Episode 11: Ancient Robots|publisher=]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pGXL5OKGqs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/0pGXL5OKGqs| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|access-date=6 September 2008}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
Al-Jazari's largest astronomical clock was the "castle clock", which is considered to be the first ] ].<ref name="Ancient Discoveries">{{citation|title=], Episode 11: Ancient Robots|publisher=]|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pGXL5OKGqs|accessdate=2008-09-06}}</ref> It was a complex device that was about {{convert|11|ft|m}} high, and had multiple functions besides timekeeping. It included a display of the ] and the ] and ]s, and an innovative feature of the device was a ] in the shape of the ] which travelled across the top of a ]way, moved by a hidden ], and caused ] to open, each revealing a ], every hour.<ref name=Hill2/><ref>Howard R. Turner (1997), ''Science in Medieval Islam: An Illustrated Introduction'', p. 184. ], ISBN 0292781490.</ref> Another innovative feature was the ] ability to re-program the length of ] and ] everyday in order to account for the changing lengths of day and night throughout the year. Yet another innovative feature of the device was five ]ic musicians who automatically play music when moved by ]s operated by a hidden ] attached to a ].<ref name="Ancient Discoveries"/> Other components of the castle clock included a main ] with a float, a ] and ], plate and ] trough, two ]s, crescent disc displaying the zodiac, and two falcon ] dropping balls into ]s.<ref>{{Cite web|author=]|title=How it Works: Mechanism of the Castle Clock|url=http://muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=901|publisher=FSTC|date=13 March 2008|accessdate=2008-09-06}}</ref>


Al-Jazari invented ]s that were driven by both water and ]. These included ]ed clocks and a portable water-powered ] clock, which was a meter high and half a meter wide. The scribe with his ] was synonymous to the ] of a modern clock.<ref name="Hill"/><ref name="Razzaz Al-Jazari 1974" /> Al-Jazari's famous water-powered scribe clock was reconstructed successfully at the ] in 1976.
===Weight-driven water clocks===
Al-Jazari invented ]s that were driven by both water and ]. These included ]ed ]s and a portable water-powered ] clock, which was a meter high and half a meter wide. The scribe with his ] was synonymous to the hour ] of a modern clock.<ref name="Hill"/><ref name="Razzaz Al-Jazari 1974" /> Al-Jazari's famous water-powered scribe clock was reconstructed successfully at the ] in 1976.


==Miniature paintings== ==Miniature paintings==
Alongside his accomplishments as an inventor and engineer, al-Jazari was also an accomplished ]. In ''The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices'', he gave instructions of his inventions and illustrated them using ] paintings, a medieval style of ]. Alongside his accomplishments as an inventor and engineer, al-Jazari was also an accomplished artist. In ''The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices'', he gave instructions of his inventions and illustrated them using ] paintings, a medieval style of ].


<gallery> <gallery>
Image:Al-jazari water device.jpg|Diagram of a ]ed ] from ''The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices'' by al-Jazari.

Image:Al-jazari_elephant_clock.png|The ] from al-Jazari's manuscript.
Image:Al-Jazari - A Candle Clock.jpg|One of al-Jazari's ]. Image:Al-Jazari - A Candle Clock.jpg|One of al-Jazari's ].
Image:Al-Jazari - A Musical Toy.jpg|The ] designed by al-Jazari. Image:Al-Jazari - A Musical Toy.jpg|The ] designed by al-Jazari.
Line 119: Line 180:
Image:Al-Jazari - The Basin.jpg|The ] designed by al-Jazari. Image:Al-Jazari - The Basin.jpg|The ] designed by al-Jazari.
Image:Al-Jazari Automata 1205.jpg|Al-Jazari's ]ed ] device. Image:Al-Jazari Automata 1205.jpg|Al-Jazari's ]ed ] device.
File:Al-Djazari automate verseur de vin.jpg|An illustration of a device invented by al-Jazari.
File:A blood measuring device by Al-Jazari.jpg|A sketch of a device designed by al-Jazari. From the manuscript of Kitabal Al-Hial in ], Toronto.
</gallery> </gallery>


==See also== ==See also==
*]
*] *]
*] *]
*] *]
*] *]
*] *]
*] *]
*]
*]
*]


==Notes== ==Notes==
{{Reflist}} {{reflist}}


==References== ==References==
* {{cite journal | last=Balafrej | first=Lamia | title=Automated Slaves, Ambivalent Images, and Noneffective Machines in al-Jazari's Compendium of the Mechanical Arts, 1206 | url=https://doi.org/10.11588/xxi.2022.4.91685 |journal=21: Inquiries into Art, History, and the Visual | volume=3 | issue=4 | date=2022 |doi=10.11588/xxi.2022.4.91685 | pages=737–774| issn=2701-1569 }}
*Al-Jazarí, ''The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices: Kitáb fí ma'rifat al-hiyal al-handasiyya'', Springer, 1973 edition.
* {{cite book |last1=al-Hassan |first1=Ahmad Y. |author-link1=Ahmad Y. al-Hassan |last2=Hill |first2=Donald |author-link2=Donald Hill |title=Islamic Technology: An Illustrated History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hV2OQgAACAAJ |year=1992 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-42239-0}}
*], ''A History of Engineering in Classical and Medieval Times'', 1996.
* {{cite book|last=Beckwith|first=Guy V.|title=Readings in Technology and Civilization|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qPvUAAAACAAJ|date=1 October 1997|publisher=Pearson Custom Publishing|isbn=978-0-536-00579-3}}
* {{cite book |last=Hill |first=Donald |author-link=Donald Hill |title=Studies in Medieval Islamic Technology: From Philo to Al-Jazarī, from Alexandria to Diyār Bakr |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xxvbAAAAMAAJ |year=1998 |publisher=Ashgate |isbn=978-0-86078-606-1}}
* ], ''Modest Variations—Theoretical Tradition and Practical Innovation in the Mechanical Arts from Antiquity to the Arab Middle Ages'', in: {{cite book |last1=Zielinski |first1=Siegfried |last2=Fürlus |first2=Eckhard |title=Variantology: On deep time relations of arts, sciences and technologies in the Arabic-Islamic world and beyond |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c7maSQAACAAJ |year=2010 |publisher=Distributed Art Pub Incorporated |isbn=978-3-86560-732-4}}
* ], ''The Horologium of Hārūn al-Rashīd Presented to Charlemagne – An Attempt to Identify and Reconstruct the Clock Using the Instructions Given by al-Jazarī'', in: {{cite book|last1=Zielinski|first1=Siegfried|last2=Fürlus|first2=Eckhard|title=Variantology: On deep time relations of arts, sciences and technologies in the Arabic-Islamic world and beyond|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c7maSQAACAAJ|year=2010|publisher=Distributed Art Pub Incorporated|isbn=978-3-86560-732-4}}
* ], ''Blurred Edges—At the Intersection of Science, Culture'', and Art, in: {{cite book|last1=Zielinski|first1=Siegfried|last2=Fürlus|first2=Eckhard|title=Variantology: On deep time relations of arts, sciences and technologies in the Arabic-Islamic world and beyond|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c7maSQAACAAJ|year=2010|publisher=Distributed Art Pub Incorporated|isbn=978-3-86560-732-4}}
* ], ''The Paradigmatic-Individualistic Approach of Arab Musical Creativeness'', in: {{cite book|last1=Zielinski|first1=Siegfried|last2=Fürlus|first2=Eckhard|title=Variantology: On deep time relations of arts, sciences and technologies in the Arabic-Islamic world and beyond|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c7maSQAACAAJ|year=2010|publisher=Distributed Art Pub Incorporated|isbn=978-3-86560-732-4}}
* ], ''On Musical Automata'', in: {{cite book|last1=Zielinski|first1=Siegfried|last2=Fürlus|first2=Eckhard|title=Variantology: On deep time relations of arts, sciences and technologies in the Arabic-Islamic world and beyond|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c7maSQAACAAJ|year=2010|publisher=Distributed Art Pub Incorporated|isbn=978-3-86560-732-4}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hill |first=Donald Routledge |author-link=Donald Hill |url=https://archive.org/details/cover_20200113_2057 |title=The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices (Kitab fi Ma'rifat al-Hiyal al-Handasiyya) by ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari |publisher=D. Reidel Publishing Company |year=1974}}
* {{cite book|last=Hill|first=Donald|author-link=Donald Hill|title=The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices: (Kitāb fī ma 'rifat al-ḥiyal al-handasiyya)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EUTqCAAAQBAJ&pg=PR2|year=2012|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-94-010-2573-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Hill|first=Donald|author-link=Donald Hill|title=A History of Engineering in Classical and Medieval Times|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oMceAgAAQBAJ&pg=PP1|year=2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-76157-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Paratico|first=Angelo|author-link=Angelo Paratico|title=Leonardo Da Vinci. A Chinese Scholar Lost in Renaissance Italy|url=https://books}}


==External links== ==Further reading==
*{{cite encyclopedia | last = Hill | first = Donald R. | title= Al-jazarī, Badīʿ Al-zamān Abū'l-ʿizz Ismāʿīl Ibn Al-razzāz | encyclopedia = ] | url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2830904902.html | publisher = Encyclopedia.com | orig-year=1970-80 | year = 2008 }}
{{Commons category|Al-Jazari}}
*
*
*
*
*
* Tuncer Ören, Professor Emeritus School of Information Technologies


== External links ==
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2010}}
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*

{{Authority control}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see ]. -->
| NAME =Jazari
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH = 1136
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH = 1206
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jazari}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Jazari}}
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]
]
] ]
]

]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 12:11, 12 December 2024

Muslim engineer and artist (1136–1206) "Al-Jazari" redirects here. For other people with the name, see al-Jazari (surname).

Ismail al-Jazari
Titleal-Jazari
Personal life
Born1136 CE
Jazira, Artuqid Dynasty
Died1206 CE
EraIslamic Golden Age
Religious life
ReligionIslam
The elephant clock was one of the most famous inventions of al-Jazari.

Badīʿ az-Zaman Abu l-ʿIzz ibn Ismāʿīl ibn ar-Razāz al-Jazarī (1136–1206, Arabic: بَدِيعُ الزَّمانِ أَبُو العِزِّ بْنُ إسْماعِيلَ بْنِ الرَّزَّازِ الجَزَرِيّ, IPA: [ældʒæzæriː]) was a Muslim polymath: a scholar, inventor, mechanical engineer, artisan and artist from the Artuqid Dynasty of Jazira in Mesopotamia. He is best known for writing The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices (Arabic: كتاب في معرفة الحيل الهندسية, romanizedKitab fi ma'rifat al-hiyal al-handasiya, lit.'Book in knowledge of engineering tricks', also known as Automata) in 1206, where he described 50 mechanical devices, along with instructions on how to construct them. One of his more famous inventions is the elephant clock. He has been described as the "father of robotics" and modern day engineering.

Biography

Diagram of a hydropowered perpetual flute from The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices by Al-Jazari in 1206.

Al-Jazari was born in the area of Upper Mesopotamia in 1136. Sources state his exact location is unknown, but they speculate he could have been born in Jazirat ibn Umar, where he got the name Jazari from or Al-Jazira which was used to denote Upper Mesopotamia. The only biographical information known about him is contained in his Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices. Like his father before him, he served as chief engineer at the Artuklu Palace, the residence of the Mardin branch of the Artuqids which ruled across Upper Mesopotamia as vassals of the Zengid dynasty of Mosul and later of Ayyubid general Saladin. Little is known about his ethnic background, so he has been variously described as Arab, Kurdish or Persian.

Al-Jazari was part of a tradition of artisans and was thus more a practical engineer than an inventor who appears to have been "more interested in the craftsmanship necessary to construct the devices than in the technology which lay behind them" and his machines were usually "assembled by trial and error rather than by theoretical calculation". His Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices appears to have been quite popular as it appears in a large number of manuscript copies, and as he explains repeatedly, he only describes devices he has built himself. According to Mayr, the book's style resembles that of a modern "do-it-yourself" book.

Some of his devices were inspired by earlier devices, such as one of his monumental water clocks, which was based on that of a Pseudo-Archimedes. He also cites the influence of the Banū Mūsā brothers for his fountains, al-Saghani for the design of a candle clock, and Hibatullah ibn al-Husayn (d. 1139) for musical automata. Al-Jazari goes on to describe the improvements he made to the work of his predecessors, and describes a number of devices, techniques and components that are original innovations which do not appear in the works by his precessors.

1206 edition (Ahmet III 3472)

The Artuqid ruler Nasr al-Din Mahmud (r. 1201–1222) is known to have commissioned the first edition of Al-Jāmi‘ fī ṣinā‘at al-ḥiyal of Ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari, in April 1206 at the Artuqid court. This manuscript is known as Ahmet III 3472, now in the Topkapı Sarayı Library. The miniatures are thought to reflect various aspects of the Artuqid court at the time. Ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari was employed at the Artuqid court during the last quarter of the 12th century, and this is the earliest known manuscript of his opus.

  • Court scene. Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472). Court scene. Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472).
  • Mechanical Turkic servant. Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472). Mechanical Turkic servant. Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472).
  • Female servant. Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472). Female servant. Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472).
  • Mechanical Turkic servant. Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472). Mechanical Turkic servant. Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472).

Mechanisms and methods

The most significant aspect of al-Jazari's machines are the mechanisms, components, ideas, methods, and design features which they employ.

Camshaft

A camshaft, a shaft to which cams are attached, was described in 1206 by al-Jazari, who employed them in his automata, water clocks (such as the candle clock) and water-raising machines.

Crankshaft and crank-slider mechanism

The eccentrically mounted handle of the rotary quern-stone in fifth century BCE Spain that spread across the Roman Empire constitutes a crank. The earliest evidence of a crank and connecting rod mechanism dates to the 3rd century AD Hierapolis sawmill in the Roman Empire. The crank also appears in the mid-9th century in several of the hydraulic devices described by the Banū Mūsā brothers in their Book of Ingenious Devices.

In 1206, al-Jazari invented an early crankshaft, which he incorporated with a crank-connecting rod mechanism in his twin-cylinder pump. Like the modern crankshaft, al-Jazari's mechanism consisted of a wheel setting several crankpins into motion, with the wheel's motion being circular and the pins moving back-and-forth in a straight line. The crankshaft described by al-Jazari transforms continuous rotary motion into a linear reciprocating motion, and is central to modern machinery such as the steam engine, internal combustion engine and automatic controls.

He used the crankshaft with a connecting rod in two of his water-raising machines: the crank-driven saqiya chain pump and the double-action reciprocating piston suction pump. His water pump also employed the first known crank-slider mechanism.

Design and construction methods

English technology historian Donald Hill writes:

We see for the first time in al-Jazari's work several concepts important for both design and construction: the lamination of timber to minimize warping, the static balancing of wheels, the use of wooden templates (a kind of pattern), the use of paper models to establish designs, the calibration of orifices, the grinding of the seats and plugs of valves together with emery powder to obtain a watertight fit, and the casting of metals in closed mold boxes with sand.

Escapement mechanism in a rotating wheel

Al-Jazari invented a method for controlling the speed of rotation of a wheel using an escapement mechanism.

Mechanical controls

According to Donald Hill, al-Jazari described several early mechanical controls, including "a large metal door, a combination lock and a lock with four bolts".

Conical valve and segmental gear

A segmental gear is "a piece for receiving or communicating reciprocating motion from or to a cogwheel, consisting of a sector of a circular gear, or ring, having cogs on the periphery, or face." Lynn Townsend White wrote:

Western scholars had thought that conical valves first appeared in Leonardo's drawings, but al-Jazarl's pictures show them. Similarly, segmental gears first clearly appear in al-Jazarl; in the West they emerge in Giovanni de’ Dondi's astronomical clock finished in 1364; with the great Sienese engineer Francesco di Giorgio (d. 1501) they entered the general vocabulary of European machine design.

Water-raising machines

Al-Jazari's hydropowered saqiya chain pump device.

Al-Jazari invented five machines for raising water, as well as watermills and water wheels with cams on their axle used to operate automata, in the 12th and 13th centuries, and described them in 1206. It was in these water-raising machines that he introduced his most important ideas and components.

Saqiya chain pumps

The first known use of a crankshaft in a chain pump was in one of al-Jazari's saqiya machines. The concept of minimizing intermittent working is also first implied in one of al-Jazari's saqiya chain pumps, which was for the purpose of maximising the efficiency of the saqiya chain pump. Al-Jazari also constructed a water-raising saqiya chain pump which was run by hydropower rather than manual labour, though the Chinese were also using hydropower for chain pumps prior to him. Saqiya machines like the ones he described have been supplying water in Damascus since the 13th century up until modern times, and were in everyday use throughout the medieval Islamic world. Interestingly, the depiction of the chain in al-Jazari's pump appears to be in the form of a Möbius strip, from long before the Möbius strip was first identified as an object of study in mathematics.

Double-action suction pump with valves and reciprocating piston motion

Al-Jazari described suction pipes, suction pump, double-action pump, and made early uses of valves and a crankshaft-connecting rod mechanism, when he developed a twin-cylinder reciprocating piston suction pump. This pump is driven by a water wheel, which drives, through a system of gears, an oscillating slot-rod to which the rods of two pistons are attached. The pistons work in horizontally opposed cylinders, each provided with valve-operated suction and delivery pipes. The delivery pipes are joined above the centre of the machine to form a single outlet into the irrigation system. This water-raising machine had a direct significance for the development of modern engineering. This pump is remarkable for three reasons:

  • The first known use of a true suction pipe (which sucks fluids into a partial vacuum) in a pump.
  • The first application of the double-acting principle.
  • The conversion of rotary to reciprocating motion via the crank-connecting rod mechanism.

Al-Jazari's suction piston pump could lift 13.6 metres of water, with the help of delivery pipes. It was not, however, any more efficient than the noria commonly used by the Muslim world at the time.

Al-Jazari cited the Byzantine siphon used for discharging Greek fire as an inspiration for his pump. According to Donald Hill, al-Jazari's pump can be considered "a direct ancestor of the steam engine combination". According to Joseph Needham, al-Jazari's slot-rod force pump is one of "the two machines of the Middle Ages which lie most directly in the line of ancestry of the steam-engine and the locomotive" along with Wang Zhen's blowing engine a century later.

Single-bucket and four-bucket water lifting machines

Al-Jazari described single-bucket and four-bucket water lifting machines. The single-bucket version employs differentials, semi-circular gear units, bucket elevators, and gearboxes, while the four-bucket version adds a mechanical timer.

Water supply system

Al-Jazari developed the earliest water supply system to be driven by gears and hydropower, which was built in 13th century Damascus to supply water to its mosques and Bimaristan hospitals. The system had water from a lake turn a scoop-wheel and a system of gears which transported jars of water up to a water channel that led to mosques and hospitals in the city.

Automata

Al-Jazari built automated moving peacocks driven by hydropower. He also created automatic doors as part of one of his elaborate water clocks, and invented water wheels with cams on their axle used to operate automata. According to Encyclopædia Britannica, the Italian Renaissance inventor Leonardo da Vinci may have been influenced by the classic automata of al-Jazari.

Mark E. Rosheim summarizes the advances in robotics made by Muslim engineers, especially al-Jazari, as follows:

Unlike the Greek designs, these Arab examples reveal an interest, not only in dramatic illusion, but in manipulating the environment for human comfort. Thus, the greatest contribution the Arabs made, besides preserving, disseminating and building on the work of the Greeks, was the concept of practical application. This was the key element that was missing in Greek robotic science.

The Arabs, on the other hand, displayed an interest in creating human-like machines for practical purposes but lacked, like other preindustrial societies, any real impetus to pursue their robotic science.

Drink-serving waitress

One of al-Jazari's humanoid automata was a waitress that could serve water, tea or drinks. The drink was stored in a tank with a reservoir from where the drink drips into a bucket and, after seven minutes, into a cup, after which the waitress appears out of an automatic door serving the drink.

Hand-washing automaton with flush mechanism

Al-Jazari invented a hand washing automaton incorporating a flush mechanism now used in modern flush toilets. This device is another example of humanoid automata. It consisted of a human figure, made from jointed copper, holding a pitcher resembling a peacock in its right hand. The pitcher is made from brass and holds within it a chamber, divided into two parts by a metal plate. This mechanism aided the pouring of the water from the spout so that it was smooth and would not splutter. The reservoir in which the water is held is situated within the right-hand side of the human figure. An axle is fitted into the right elbow of the human figure so as to allow the liquid to pour from the reservoir through the spout of the pitcher. The left arm of the figure had a fixed weight which would raise and lower the arm which would hold a towel, comb and mirror.

This automaton was designed to aid the king whilst he performed his ritual ablutions. A servant of the king would carry the figure and place it next to a basin that could hold liquid. The servant then turned a knob on the back of the figure which opened a valve resulting in the pouring of water from the right hand of the figure into the basin. When the reservoir is nearly empty and most of the water has been poured a mechanism is prompted and the left hand of the figure, holding the towel, comb and mirror, is extended out in the direction of the king so that he can dry himself and tend to his beard.

Peacock fountain with automated servants

Water and its usages holds particular importance in Islam; both as being an integral part of the pre-prayer washing processes wudu and ghusl, and a key feature in Islamic gardens – four fountains featuring in the Paradise Garden; the Islamic final resting place referenced in the Quran. Additionally, with Mesopotamia being a naturally drought-ridden place, machines relating to water held a significant function; in both a divine and practical sense.

An entire section of The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices was devoted to fountain mechanisms, titled: ‘On the construction in pools of fountains which change their shape, and of machines for the perpetual flute’.

Al-Jazari's "peacock fountain" was a more sophisticated hand washing device featuring humanoid automata as servants which offer soap and towels. Mark E. Rosheim describes it as follows:

Pulling a plug on the peacock's tail releases water out of the beak; as the dirty water from the basin fills the hollow base a float rises and actuates a linkage which makes a servant figure appear from behind a door under the peacock and offer soap. When more water is used, a second float at a higher level trips and causes the appearance of a second servant figure – with a towel!

Al-Jazari's Peacock Fountain

The basin of the "peacock fountain" formed the basin for performing wudu, and it would have been operated by a servant, who would have pulled the plug and positioned the peacock's beak; allowing the mechanism to release the water into the basin in front of the user.

However, whilst water moving objects such as the peacock fountain had ritualistic usage, there is suggestion that water-moving hydraulics were put to profane use. Ayhan Aytes suggests that:

Many of the devices also had additional functions that contradicted divine omnipotence. The most profane purpose of several of his hydraulic and pnuematic automata was to get guests at parties drunk as quickly as possible.

Musical robot band

Al-Jazari's musical robot band.

Al-Jazari's work described fountains and musical automata, in which the flow of water alternated from one large tank to another at hourly or half-hourly intervals. This operation was achieved through his innovative use of hydraulic switching.

Al-Jazari created a musical automaton, which was a boat with four automatic musicians that floated on a lake to entertain guests at royal drinking parties. Professor Noel Sharkey has argued that it is quite likely that it was an early programmable automata and has produced a possible reconstruction of the mechanism; it has a programmable drum machine with pegs (cams) that bump into little levers that operated the percussion. The drummer could be made to play different rhythms and different drum patterns if the pegs were moved around.

The water-clock of the drummers

The water-clock of the drummers

The water-clock of the drummers, which differs from the Musical robot band in that it lacks a flute-playing doll and instead has two trumpeters, consists of seven wood-jointed male figures, including the aforementioned trumpeters as well as two dolls playing cymbals and the rest playing other percussive instruments. The mechanism in this specific automaton serves as a clock by producing a musical output once every hour, illustrating Al-Jazari's ability to create multi-faceted automata that functioned on a practical and entertainment level. The motion of the automaton is initiated at daybreak by another male doll, who stands at the edge of the frieze element of the design, moving across until he reaches a specific point at which a carved falcon leans forward dropping a ball from its beak onto a cymbal. All mechanical aspects of the automaton are then driven by water and a series of pistons and cables. Each hour water drains out of the main cistern to cause another bucket to tip over driving a water wheel that is connected to the musicians. The automaton is described to ‘perform a with a clamorous sound which is heard from afar’ and could play several different tunes. Like many other automatons by Al-Jazari, this was created to entertain guests at the royal palace.

Clocks

Al-Jazari constructed a variety of water clocks and candle clocks. These included a portable water-powered scribe clock, which was a meter high and half a meter wide, reconstructed successfully at the Science Museum in 1976 Al-Jazari also invented monumental water-powered astronomical clocks which displayed moving models of the Sun, Moon, and stars.

Candle clocks

One of al-Jazari's candle clocks.

According to Donald Hill, al-Jazari constructed the most sophisticated candle clocks known to date. Hill described one of al-Jazari's candle clocks as follows:

The candle, whose rate of burning was known, bore against the underside of the cap, and its wick passed through the hole. Wax collected in the indentation and could be removed periodically so that it did not interfere with steady burning. The bottom of the candle rested in a shallow dish that had a ring on its side connected through pulleys to a counterweight. As the candle burned away, the weight pushed it upward at a constant speed. The automata were operated from the dish at the bottom of the candle. No other candle clocks of this sophistication are known.

Al-Jazari's candle clock also included a dial to display the time and, for the first time, employed a bayonet fitting, a fastening mechanism still used in modern times.

Elephant clock

Main article: Elephant clock

The elephant clock described by al-Jazari in 1206 is notable for several innovations. It was the first clock in which an automaton reacted after certain intervals of time (in this case, a humanoid robot striking the cymbal and a mechanical robotic bird chirping) and the first water clock to accurately record the passage of the temporal hours to match the uneven length of days throughout the year.

Automatic castle clock of al-Jazari, 14th century copy.

Castle clock

See also: Clock tower

Al-Jazari's largest astronomical clock was the "castle clock", which was a complex device that was about 11 feet (3.4 m) high, and had multiple functions besides timekeeping. It included a display of the zodiac and the solar and lunar orbits, and an innovative feature of the device was a pointer in the shape of the crescent moon which travelled across the top of a gateway, moved by a hidden cart, and caused automatic doors to open, each revealing a mannequin, every hour.

Another feature of the device was five automata musicians who automatically play music when moved by levers operated by a hidden camshaft attached to a water wheel.

Al-Jazari invented water clocks that were driven by both water and weights. These included geared clocks and a portable water-powered scribe clock, which was a meter high and half a meter wide. The scribe with his pen was synonymous to the hour hand of a modern clock. Al-Jazari's famous water-powered scribe clock was reconstructed successfully at the Science Museum, London in 1976.

Miniature paintings

Alongside his accomplishments as an inventor and engineer, al-Jazari was also an accomplished artist. In The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices, he gave instructions of his inventions and illustrated them using miniature paintings, a medieval style of Islamic art.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ al-Jazari, The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices: Kitáb fí ma'rifat al-hiyal al-handasiyya, transl. & anno. Donald R. Hill. (1973), Springer Science+Business Media.
  2. Burman, Thomas E. (2022). The Sea in the Middle The Mediterranean World, 650–1650. University of California Press. p. 254.
  3. Beckwith 1997, p. 290.
  4. Jorge Elices (30 July 2020). "Ismail al-Jazari, the Muslim inventor whom some call the 'Father of Robotics'". National Geographic. National Geographic Society. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  5. Islamic Scientific Thought and Muslim Achievements in Science: Papers Presented. Ministry of Science and Technology, National Hijra Centenary Committee, and Organization of Islamic Conference. 1983. As the Arabs called upper Mesopotamia **al Jazire" meaning "island", it is quite possible that he was born in this area and therefore referred to as al-Jazari.
  6. Dr. Norman Smith (4 April 1974). "The Arabian legacy". New Scientist (Book review). Vol. 61, no. 992. Reed Business Information. p. 35. Born in Upper Mesopotamia in the 12th century ad al-Jazari was employed, from about 1180 onwards, by the rulers of ...
  7. Meisami, Julie Scott; Starkey, Paul (1998). Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-415-18571-4. Born in Jazirat al-'Umar, al-Jazari is most noted as the author of ...
  8. ^ Lotfi Romdhane; Saïd Zeghloul (2010). "al-Jazari (1136–1206)". In Marco Ceccarelli (ed.). Distinguished Figures in Mechanism and Machine Science - Part 2. History of Mechanism and Machine Science. Vol. 7. Springer. pp. 1–21. doi:10.1007/978-90-481-2346-9. ISBN 978-90-481-2345-2.
  9. ^ Donald Hill, "Mechanical Engineering in the Medieval Near East", Scientific American, May 1991, pp. 64-9 (cf. Donald Hill, Mechanical Engineering Archived 25 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine)
  10. Michael Hacker; David Burghardt; Linnea Fletcher; Anthony Gordon; William Peruzzi, eds. (2010). Engineering and Technology. Delmar Cengage Learning. p. 33.
  11. ^ Banū Mūsā (1979). The Book of Ingenious Devices/Kitáb al-Ḥiyal: Kitáb al-Hiyal. Translated by Donald R. Hill. D. Reidel Publishing Company. ISBN 90-277-0833-9.
  12. Mehmet Aga-Oglu (November 1931). "On a Manuscript by Al-Jazari". Parnassus. 3 (7): 27. doi:10.1080/15436314.1931.11666681.
  13. Cesare Rossi; Flavio Russo, eds. (2017). Ancient Engineers' Inventions: Precursors of the Present. Springer International Publishing. p. 364.
  14. Genovese, Michael A. (2013). Building Tomorrow's Leaders Today: On Becoming a Polymath Leader. Routledge. p. 5. ISBN 9781317930921. Al-Jazari (1136– 1204) was a Kurdish astronomer, mathematician, Islamic scholar, innovator, and ...
    Yazdani, Kaveh (2017). India, Modernity and the Great Divergence: Mysore and Gujarat (17th to 19th C.). BRILL. p. 113. ISBN 9789004330795. The Kurdish polymath Al-Jazari (1136–1206), for example, built animal- and water-driven devices for raising irrigation water, suctionpumps, cranks, ...
  15. Carl W. Hall, ed. (2008). A Biographical Dictionary of People in Engineering. Purdue University Press. p. 5.
  16. Donald R. Hill, in Dictionary of scientific biography, 15, suppl. I, p. 254.
  17. Tibbetts, G. R. (1975). "Donald R. Hill (tr.): The book of knowledge of ingenious mechanical devices (Kitāb fῑ ma'rifat al-ḥiyal alhandasiyya), by Ibn al-Razzāz al-Jazarῑ. xxv, 285 pp. Dordrecht, Boston: D. Reidel Publishing Co., . Guilders 240". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies (Book review). 38 (1). University of London: 151–153 . doi:10.1017/S0041977X00047182. S2CID 162093750.
  18. Otto Mayr (1970). The Origins of Feedback Control. MIT Press. pp. 32–33. ISBN 0-262-13067-X.
  19. Ahmad Y. al-Hassan. "al-Jazari And the History of the Water Clock". History of Science and Technology in Islam. Archived from the original on 26 February 2008.
  20. ^ Balafrej, Lamia (19 December 2022). "Automated Slaves, Ambivalent Images, and Noneffective Machines in al-Jazari's Compendium of the Mechanical Arts, 1206". Inquiries into Art. History: 739–741. doi:10.11588/xxi.2022.4.91685.
  21. ^ Ward, Rachel (1 January 1985). "Evidence for a School of Painting at the Artuqid Court". Oxford Studies in Islamic Art, vol. 1, pp. 69-83: 69.
  22. ^ Georges Ifrah (2001). The Universal History of Computing: From the Abacus to the Quatum Computer, p. 171, Trans. E.F. Harding, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (See Archived 8 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine)
  23. ^ Ancient Discoveries, Episode 11: Ancient Robots, History, archived from the original on 12 December 2021, retrieved 6 September 2008
  24. ^ Tullia Ritti, Klaus Grewe, Paul Kessener: "A Relief of a Water-powered Stone Saw Mill on a Sarcophagus at Hierapolis and its Implications“, Journal of Roman Archaeology, Vol. 20 (2007), pp. 138–163 (159)
  25. A. F. L. Beeston, M. J. L. Young, J. D. Latham, Robert Bertram Serjeant (1990), The Cambridge History of Arabic Literature, Cambridge University Press, p. 266, ISBN 0-521-32763-6{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  26. ^ Sally Ganchy, Sarah Gancher (2009), Islam and Science, Medicine, and Technology, The Rosen Publishing Group, p. 41, ISBN 978-1-4358-5066-8
  27. ^ Paul Vallely, How Islamic Inventors Changed the World, The Independent, 11 March 2006.
  28. ^ Ahmad Y. al-Hassan, The Crank-Connecting Rod System in a Continuously Rotating Machine Archived 12 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  29. Hill 1998, p. 231–232.
  30. A. F. L. Beeston, M. J. L. Young, J. D. Latham, Robert Bertram Serjeant (1990), The Cambridge History of Arabic Literature, Cambridge University Press, pp. 270–1, ISBN 0-521-32763-6{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  31. Donald Hill, "Engineering", in Roshdi Rashed, ed., Encyclopedia of the History of Arabic Science, Vol. 2, pp. 751–795 . Routledge, London and New York.
  32. Segment gear, TheFreeDictionary.com
  33. Hill 1974, p. xiii.
  34. ^ Donald Hill (1996), A History of Engineering in Classical and Medieval Times, Routledge, p. 224
  35. Ahmad Y. al-Hassan, al-Jazari and the History of the Water Clock Archived 26 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  36. Donald Hill, "Engineering", in Roshdi Rashed, ed., Encyclopedia of the History of Arabic Science, Vol. 2, pp. 751–795 . Routledge, London and New York.
  37. Cartwright, Julyan H. E.; González, Diego L. (2016). "Möbius strips before Möbius: topological hints in ancient representations". The Mathematical Intelligencer. 38 (2): 69–76. arXiv:1609.07779. Bibcode:2016arXiv160907779C. doi:10.1007/s00283-016-9631-8. MR 3507121. S2CID 253818831.
  38. Ahmad Y. al-Hassan. "The Origin of the Suction Pump: al-Jazari 1206 A.D." Archived from the original on 26 February 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
  39. Hill 2013, pp. 143.
  40. Hill 2013, p. 150-2.
  41. Hill 2013.
  42. Hill 2013, p. 150.
  43. Hill 1974, p. 273.
  44. Needham, Joseph (1965). Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 4: Physics and Physical Technology (Part II: Mechanical Technology). Cambridge University Press. pp. 380–2. ISBN 978-0-521-05803-2.
  45. Howard R. Turner (1997), Science in Medieval Islam: An Illustrated Introduction, p. 81, University of Texas Press, ISBN 0-292-78149-0
  46. al-Jazari (Islamic artist), Encyclopædia Britannica.
  47. "al-Jazari". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  48. ^ Rosheim, Mark E. (1994), Robot Evolution: The Development of Anthrobotics, Wiley-IEEE, p. 9, ISBN 0-471-02622-0
  49. Rosheim, Mark E. (1994), Robot Evolution: The Development of Anthrobotics, Wiley-IEEE, p. 36, ISBN 0-471-02622-0
  50. "Ancient Discoveries, Episode 12: Machines of the East", History, archived from the original on 12 December 2021, retrieved 6 September 2008
  51. Ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari (1 January 1974). The Book Of Knowledge Of Ingenious Mechanical Devices.
  52. Campbell, James W. P.; Boyington, Amy (3 July 2018). "Fountains and water: the development of the hydraulic technology of display in Islamic gardens 700–1700 CE". Studies in the History of Gardens & Designed Landscapes. 38 (3): 247–267. doi:10.1080/14601176.2018.1452827. ISSN 1460-1176. S2CID 165676924.
  53. גולן, אבי (30 July 2019). "The basin of the Peacock and the magic of automata". The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  54. "Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe (ZKM)". Lexikon des gesamten Buchwesens Online. doi:10.1163/9789004337862_lgbo_com_260157. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  55. Professor Noel Sharkey, A 13th Century Programmable Robot (Archive), University of Sheffield.
  56. The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices by Ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari Translated by Donald R. Hill, 01-01-1974
  57. "2. Prehistory of Musical Robots, Michael Krzyzaniak, Arizona State University, School of Arts, Media and Engineering" (PDF).
  58. 2.Prehistory of Musical Robots, Michael Krzyzaniak, Arizona State University, School of Arts, Media and Engineering
  59. ^ Ibn al-Razzaz Al-Jazari (ed. 1974) The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices, Translated and annotated by Donald Hill, Dordrecht / D. Reidel, part II.
  60. "Ancient Discoveries, Episode 12: Machines of the East", History, archived from the original on 12 December 2021, retrieved 7 September 2008
  61. Hassan, Ahmad Y; Hill, Donald Routledge (1986), Islamic Technology: An Illustrated History, Cambridge University Press, pp. 57–59], ISBN 0-521-26333-6
  62. Howard R. Turner (1997), Science in Medieval Islam: An Illustrated Introduction, p. 184. University of Texas Press, ISBN 0-292-78149-0.

References

Further reading

External links

Categories: