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Reproduced from a 12th c. manuscript (Syriac. 1712 AD)

This work has many illustrations encompassing genealogy, maps of the earth and heavens, and a diagram of the Temple of Solomon. Mingana wrote an article on this manuscript in the Manchester Guardian Weekly, Friday, March 3, 1933, entitled ‘A 12th-century map of the heavens: the earth recognised as a planet’. He starts his article by stating that this was the earliest map of the heavens in existence. “While priests and monks in the West were satisfied with their Bible as containing all the knowledge necessary for the right understanding of the universe, and neglecting the standard works of early scientists like Hipparchus and Ptolemy, the Christians of the East were busy studying them and translating them into Arabic in the Court of the first Caliphs of Bagdad”. He continues that the Arabs learnt from these old masters, combined that knowledge with their own observations, and were able to make major strides in astronomy which eventually reached Europe by the end of the Middle Ages through Italy and Spain. Many stars named then by Arab Astronomers still retain their Arabic names

Category: Paper

Institute: University of Birmingham