II. Al-Jazari: Outline of his Biography and of his Work's Historical Context
Previous | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Next 1. Al-Jazari's Life and Personality [1] Al-Jazari was in the service of Nasir al-Din, the Artuqid King of Diyar Bakr. He spent twenty-five years with the family, having served the father and brother of Nasir al-Din. The Artuqids were a Turcoman Dynasty who maintained a precarious autonomy during the twelfth century in Mesopotamia. By 1811, however, they become vassals of Saladin [2]. It can be assumed that conditions during this period were fairly quiet and allowed al-Jazari to pursue his vocation in peace. He received patronage from the Artuqid Kings and financial means were provided through salary and pension. Therefore he was able to devote all his time to study, research, writing and inventions [3]. Al-Jazari was quite evidently a master craftsman himself [4], and regarded himself as in a succession of craftsmen and engineers [5]. He states this point, by describing in scrupulous detail how each device was constructed [6], and through the language that he used, which were terms common among the craftsmen of that time, many of which are in use up to the present day [7]. Furthermore, he expressed awareness for the need to develop machines with a better design and greater output than the traditional ones. However, he does not like to copy his predecessors' work blindly, rather concerned with only innovative and ingenious designs/inventions [8]. Al-Jazari's main virtues were the ability to carefully manufacture and assembly components, and devise real improvements on the work of his predecessors. Whereas his main faults was a tendency to be inconsistent in his dimensions, some vagueness about the positioning of the equipment [9], and his inability to give a coherent record of mathematical or geometrical process [10]. Nevertheless, taking drawings and text together, it can be said that he fulfilled his declared intention of describing the devices so that they could be reconstructed by a successor. Indeed, the "castle" water clock was reconstructed in the Science Museum, London, for the 1976 World of Islam Festival. It works perfectly, exactly in accordance with al-Jazari's intention [11]. 2. Al-Jazari's Work: The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Devices 2.1. Why is Al-Jazari's Work so Important? Until modern times there is no other document like Al-Jazari's, from any cultural area, that provides a comparable wealth of instructions for the design, manufacture and assembly of machines [12] with description of scrupulous detail on how each device was constructed and with beautiful illustrations. In accordance, based on al-Jazari's work, a present day craftsman can construct a device from the book with relative ease and the device would work in accordance with al-Jazari's intention. One such example is the ‘castle' water clock that was reconstructed in the Science Museum, London, for the 1976 World of Islam Festival [13]. However, Al-Jazari hesitated about first writing his book for the fear of adverse criticism. According to him, he finally composed his treatise in obedience to his master's command, Nasīr al-Dīn Mahmūd ibn Muhammad (r. 597-619 H/ 1200-1222), ruler of the Turkish Artuqid dynasty which ruled across eastern Anatolia [14]. We therefore owe a great deal to this prince for our possession of a unique document. We rely so heavily upon al-Jazari for information about Arab mechanical technology that it would be only too easy to lose a sense of perspective [15]. 2.2. Why was there so Limited Works by other Scholars? No doubt this is partly due to the fact that there was usually a social and cultural divide between those who created and those who wrote. When a scholar described a machine that had been constructed by an illiterate craftsman he was usually interested mainly in the finished product; he neither understood nor cared about the messy business of construction. A secondary factor was that a craftsman even when literate might have been reluctant to impart his knowledge to potential competitors, preferring to pass it on to his sons by word-of-mouth. After all, over three centuries separate al-Jazari (who died in 602 H /1206) from the Banu Musa (236 H/850) and we know from the Mafatih and other evidences that the intervening period was in no way sterile and undoubtedly witness the flourishing of mechanical arts, wherever and whenever conditions were favourable [16]. End Notes [1] For more details on al-Jazari's life, environment and the historical context of his work, see below Appendixes 3-5. [2] D. R. Hill, Studies in Medieval Islamic Technology. From Philo to al-Jazari-From Alexandria to Diyar Bakr. Edited by David A. King. (Variorum Collected Studies Series). Aldershot, Eng. /Brookfield, Vt.: Ashgate, 1998, Category XV, p. 253. [3] A. Y. al-Hassan & D. R. Hill, Islamic Technology, op. cit., p. 12. [4] J. R. Hayes (editor), The Genius of Arab Civilization Source of Renaissance, op. cit., p. 177. [5] D. R. Hill, Studies In Medieval Islamic Technology, op. cit., Category I, p. 22. [6] J. R. Hayes (editor), The Genius of Arab Civilization Source of Renaissance, op. cit., p. 177. [7] A. Y. al-Hassan & D. R. Hill, Islamic Technology, op. cit., p. 10. [8] See Appendix 2. [9] D. R. Hill, Studies In Medieval Islamic Technology, op. cit., Category XV, pp. 254-255. [10] Al-Jazari, The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices. Translated and Annotated by Donald R. Hill. Dordrecht: D. Reidel, 1974, Devices, Part III, p. 279. [11] D. R. Hill, Studies In Medieval Islamic Technology, op. cit., Category XV, pp. 254-255. [12] Ibid, Category II, p. 224. [13] Ibid, Category XV, pp. 254-255. [14] See Appendix 4. [15] D. R. Hill, Studies In Medieval Islamic Technology, op. cit., Category II, p. 224. [16] Ibidem. Previous | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Next
by: Salim T. S. Al-Hassani and Colin Ong Pang Kiat, Thu 24 April, 2008
 
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