Astronomy and Astrology in the Islamic World

Stephen Blake is Associate Professor Emeritus at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota. His books include Shahjahanabad: The Sovereign City in Mughal India, 1639-1739 (Cambridge University Press, 2002); Half the World: The Social Architecture of Safavid Isfahan, 1590-1722 (Mazda, 1999); and Time in Early Modern Islam: Calendar, Ceremony, and Chronology in the Safavid, Mughal, and Ottoman Empires (Cambridge University Press, 2013).

• List of Colour PLates; Preface; Chapter One: From Egypt to Islam; Chapter Two: Muhammad to the Seljuqs; Chapter Three: Observatory at Isfahan; Chapter Four: Astronomy and Astrology in Al-Andalus; Chapter Five: Observatory at Maragha; Chapter Six: Observatory at Samarqand; Chapter Seven: Observatory at Istanbul; Chapter Eight: Observatory at Shahjahanabad; Chapter Nine: Conclusion; Glossary; Select Bibliography; Index.

‘a detailed yet readable account of personalities and locations linked to the use and development of algebra, the Arabic numeral system, trigonometry, and the astronomical charts known as the zij… which provides access to this specialized field without burdening the reader with extensive technical information.’