Astronomical Instruments in the Rampur Raza Library

Rampur Raza Library, a premier repository of Arabic and Persian manuscripts, possesses also a valuable collection of eleven astronomical instruments, such as astrolabes, celestial globes and quadrants. These were produced in India, in the Middle-East and in Europe between the thirteenth and the nineteenth century. Scientific instruments of the pre-modern period, like literary documents, constitute an important source for the reconstruction of the history of science and technology. Like manuscripts and paintings, like sculpture and jewellery, these instruments are also part of our cultural and intellectual heritage, and deserve scholarly attention. The present work describes the instruments in the Rampur Raza Library. The Introduction provides a history of the instrument types represented here and explains the method of construction and use of these detailed scientific description of each individual instrument of this collection. Richly illustrated, this is the first catalogue of its kind to be published in India.