Mohammed al-Rudani
Encyclopedia
Mohammed al-Rudani (born ca. 1627, died 1683) was an astronomer born in Taroudant
, Morocco
.
Al-Rudani spent most of his life in Ottoman
territories. He is especially well-known for the invention of a spherical device
into which another sphere (painted blue) with a different axis was placed. This second sphere was divided into two parts in which the zodiacal signs with their sections and regions were drawn. Al-Rudānī wrote a book describing it, Al Nāfia fī amal al jāmia (Medina, 1662). Rudānī's best known work is Bahja al ullāb fī al amal bi l as urlāb, a book on how to make and use an astrolabe.
Taroudant
Taroudant is a Moroccan city located in the Sous Valley in the southern part of the country. It is situated east of Agadir on the road to Ouarzazate and the Sahara desert and south of Marrakech. It is called the "Grandmother of Marrakech" because it looks like a smaller Marrakech with its...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
.
Al-Rudani spent most of his life in Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
territories. He is especially well-known for the invention of a spherical device
into which another sphere (painted blue) with a different axis was placed. This second sphere was divided into two parts in which the zodiacal signs with their sections and regions were drawn. Al-Rudānī wrote a book describing it, Al Nāfia fī amal al jāmia (Medina, 1662). Rudānī's best known work is Bahja al ullāb fī al amal bi l as urlāb, a book on how to make and use an astrolabe.