List of Аstronomical Instruments

Before you is a nineteenth-century manuscript containing lists of astronomical instruments and computational tables used in the scientific practice of Central Asia. Although relatively late in date, the manuscript continues traditions established during the age of Mirzo Ulugh Beg and the Samarqand school of astronomy.
The open pages display carefully ruled tables drawn in red and black ink. Such schemes functioned as computational tools: they were used to determine the positions of the Sun, Moon, and planets, calculate calendar cycles, and compare astronomical data. The headings include zodiacal signs that served as reference points within the scientific system of Islamic astronomy.
The manuscript is written in the nasta‘liq script, an elegant calligraphic style more commonly associated with poetry and literature. Its use here demonstrates that in Central Asian culture scientific knowledge was also regarded as part of an artistic tradition.
Particularly significant are the marginal notes, known as hashiya. These annotations indicate that the manuscript was not merely a ceremonial object, but a practical working manual used by scholars, teachers, or madrasa students.