MUHAMMAD IBN MUSA AL-KHWARIZMI’S كِتَابُ صَنْعَةِ الأَسْطُرْلابِ “SAN‘AT AL-ASTURLAB” (“THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ASTROLABE”) AND ITS BERLIN MANUSCRIPT AS AN IMPORTANT SOURCE

Abstract

This article provides a scholarly and analytical study of the 9th-century encyclopedic scholar Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi’s treatise كِتَابُ صَنْعَةِ الأَسْطُرْلابِ “San‘at al-Asturlab” (“The Construction of the Astrolabe”) and its manuscript copy preserved in Berlin. The work explains the structure of the astrolabe, the methods of its construction, its application in astronomical calculations, and the procedures for determining geographical coordinates. The Berlin manuscript represents an important source from textual, source-critical, and codicological perspectives. It holds particular significance for elucidating the development of astronomy and applied mathematics within Islamic civilization. Through this treatise, the high level of scientific advancement in 9th-century Central Asia and the scholarly traditions of the Khwarazm school of science are clearly manifested. The Berlin copy provides an opportunity for international research on the scientific heritage, for conducting comparative source analysis, and for further clarifying al-Khwarizmi’s contribution to astronomy.