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Nastulus

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Nastulus
محمد بن عبد الله نسطولس
Abū Rayhān Bīrūnī's description of Nasṭūlus’s astrolabe
Bornfl. 10th century
Academic work
EraIslamic Golden Age
Main interestsAstronomy
InfluencedAl-ʻIjliyyah[1]

Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh Nasṭūlus (Arabic: محمد بن عبد الله نسطولس; known as Nasṭūlus, but also referred to as Basṭūlus) was a 10th century astronomer. He is known for making one of the oldest surviving astrolabes, dated 927/928,[2] as well as of another partially preserved astrolabe that bears his signature, "Made by Nasṭūlus in the year 315" of hijra (925).[2][3]

Very little is known about Nasṭūlus. His full name, based on a testimony given by a contemporary astronomer, Abu Sa'id al-Sijzi, indicates that he was a Muslim, but some modern historians have suggested that his foreign last name may indicate that he was Greek or Nestorian.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Dodge 1970, p. 671.
  2. ^ a b c Rius 2007.
  3. ^ King 1999, p. 87.

Sources

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  • Dodge, Bayard (1970). The Fihrist of Al-Nadīm: A Tenth-century Survey of Muslim Culture. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-02925-4.
  • Rius, Mònica (2007). "Nasṭūlus: Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh". In Thomas Hockey; et al. (eds.). The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. New York: Springer. pp. 822–3. ISBN 9780387310220. (PDF version)
  • King, David A. (1999). World Maps for Finding the Direction and Distance of Mecca: Examples of Innovation and Tradition in Islamic Science. Brill Publishers. ISBN 978-90-04-11367-1.

Further reading

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