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Ismail al-Jazari — "The Elephant Clock", Folio from a Book of the Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices by al-Jazari MET 57.51.23.jpg
"The Elephant Clock", Folio from a Book of the Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices by al-Jazari MET 57.51.23.jpg — al-Jazari · CC0 · source

Engineer

Ismail al-Jazari

Engineer whose Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices (1206) describes water and candle clocks.

Working at the Artuqid court, al-Jazari documented around fifty devices, including the elephant clock, castle clock and candle clocks, with construction drawings.

Country
Artuqid Anatolia / Upper Mesopotamia
City
Diyarbakır
Founded / active
1136–1206
Status
Historical individual
Key people
Ismail al-Jazari

Innovations

  • Elephant clock
  • Castle clock
  • Programmable automata

Related makers

Objects in the catalogue

"The Elephant Clock", Folio from a Book of the Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices by al-Jazari MET DP234075.jpg

Clocks · Described 1206

Al-Jazari's Elephant Clock

Diyarbakır