Ottoman timekeeping

Taqi al-Din

The astronomer Taqi al-Din wrote a treatise on mechanical clocks in 1559 and founded an observatory in Istanbul in 1577, demolished in 1580.

Muvakkithanes

Timekeeping houses attached to mosques kept clocks and instruments to regulate prayer times, using 'alaturka' time counted from sunset.

Clocks for the Ottoman market

English, Swiss and French makers produced clocks and watches with Ottoman numerals for export; Galata had a community of European clockmakers. The Topkapı Palace preserves the imperial collection.

Alaturka time and the muvakkit

In the Ottoman system the 'alaturka' day began at sunset, so clocks had to be reset every few days as sunset moved through the seasons. The muvakkit, the timekeeper of a mosque, used sundials, astrolabes, quadrants, tables and clocks to fix the times of prayer, and the muvakkithane was his workplace. Watches made for Ottoman buyers often have dials with Ottoman (Eastern Arabic) numerals, and some carry two scales, one for alaturka and one for European ('alafranga') time.

European makers and Ottoman taste

In the 18th and early 19th centuries London makers such as George Prior and Markwick Markham produced verge watches for Ottoman clients, often in pair, triple or quadruple cases of tortoiseshell, shagreen or enamel, with Ottoman numerals on the dial; Swiss and French makers took much of the market in the 19th century. Clockmakers in Galata and Istanbul repaired and made clocks, and the court bought and received spectacular musical clocks, many still in the Topkapı Palace collection.

Timeline

1. 1559Taqi al-Din writes a treatise on mechanical clocks in Ottoman Istanbul