Wax model of Maryam al-Ijliya al-Astrulabiya at the 1001 Inventions exhibition at the Jordan Museum, Amman (via Google Arts & Culture)

 

Life

Born in Aleppo, modern-day Syria, in 944 CE, Al-ʻIjliyyah bint Al-ʻIjliyy (also known as Mariam/Maryam Al-Astrulabi) came from a family of astronomers and engineers. ¹  Her father was an astrolabe maker under the apprentice of the famous astrolaber Nasṭūlus in Baghdad, and he passed the knowledge of making Nasṭūlus astrolabes with her. ² Mariam went on to improve the design of astrolabes in their utilisation for timekeeping and navigation. ³

Mariam became so renowned that the founder of the Emirate of Aleppo, Sayf Al-Dawla, employed her in the court of Aleppo. ⁴ She died in 967. ⁵

 

Work – Astrolabes

Named after the Arabicisation of the Greek word for “Star Holder”, the astrolabe is believed to be initially invented by the Greeks to measure latitude. ⁶

Astrolabes have up to a thousand uses, from locating celestial objects (altitude and latitude), predicting celestial events, measuring heights, to telling time and direction. ⁷ Muslims scholars like Mariam Al-Astrulabi developed the astrolabe to tell the position of the sun and the direction of Mecca from anywhere around the world, to help inform the times procedures for prayer. On Islamic astrolabes (Fig. 1) can be found even Quran verses and dates of the Hijra calendar. ⁸

Generally, the astrolabe is composed of these parts ⁹

• Mater: The base plate with a depression (womb) to hold the rotating plates and markings for measurement around its circumference (limb).
• Plate: Multiple plates, each for different latitudes, with engraved longitude and latitude lines.
• Rete: A plate that goes on top of other plates marking “fixed” stars, certain naked eye stars and the ecliptic.
• Alidade: The sighting device on the back of the mater used to make observations. 

 

Legacy as a woman astronomer from the Islamic Golden Age

In 1990, American astronomer Henry E. Holt named the main-belt asteroid discovered at Palomar Observatory “7060 Al-‘Ijliya” after Maryam “Al-Ijliyyah” Al-Astrulabi. Nigerian-American writer Nnedi Okorafor also based the protagonist of her book “Binti” on Al-Ijliyyah. ¹⁰

There are few sources that can be found about Al-’Ijliyyah, even her real name is unconfirmed: There are no records from her time citing the name “Mariam”, “Al-’Ijliyyah” is the feminine version of her father’s name “Al-Ijliyy” and “Al-Astrulabi” just means “the astrolabist”. ¹¹ Women like Mariam, such as Fatima de Madrid often have their existence questioned even today.

 

Bibliography

Al-Hassani, Salim T. S., ed. 2012. “Astrolabe.” In 1001 Inventions: The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Civilization, 3rd ed. National Geographic Society. https://search.credoreference.com/articles/Qm9va0FydGljbGU6MzI3ODU5Nw==?aid=99238.

“Who Was Muslim Astronomer Mariam Al-Asturlabi?” Islam Channel. Last modified April 23, 2021. https://islamchannel.tv/who-was-muslim-astronomer-mariam-al-asturlabi/.

“Mariam Astrulabi – Muslim Woman Scientist Who Developed the Arstrolabe.” Bayt Al Fann. Last modified May 31, 2023. https://www.baytalfann.com/post/mariam-astrulabi-muslim-woman-scientist-who-developed-the-arstrolabe.

Tasci, Ufuk N. “Mariam Al Astrulabi: A Muslim Woman Behind the 10th-century Astrolabes.” TRT World – Breaking News, Live Coverage, Opinions and Videos. Accessed July 1, 2024. https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/mariam-al-astrulabi-a-muslim-woman-behind-the-10th-century-astrolabes-43479.