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Engineering Clocks

Al-Jazari’s Castle Water Clock: Analysis of its Components and Functioning

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By Professor Salim T. S. Al-Hassani*

Table of contents

1. Introduction
2. Clock's Appearance
3. How it Works: Mechanism of the Castle Clock
4. Servicing and Maintenance
5. Notes on Construction
6. Appendix: Different Line Drawings and Views of the Computer Assisted Reconstruction of the Castle Clock
7. Acknowledgement
8. Bibliography and References

* * *

1. Introduction

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Figure 1: Manuscript view of the castle clock. Source: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Egyptian manuscript, Mamluk period, Accession number: 14.533 (ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper, 39.37 x 27.62 cm). (Source).

The castle water clock is one of the grandest clocks mentioned in al-Jazari's book. Details of its construction and operation have been described quite explicitly at the beginning of Al-Jami ‘ bayn al-‘ilm wa ‘l-‘amal al-nafi ‘ fi sina ‘at al-hiyal (A Compendium on the Theory and Useful Practice of the Mechanical Arts). The first chapter of Category I of the treatise devotes to this detailed description ten sections [1]. We follow in our study of al-Jazari's device his own narrative, but our description given below is not concerned with exact details of its construction but concerned with how components are linked with each other and with the purpose of the clock and its functioning. The analysis thus provided is conceived to accompany computer animations; it is also an interpretation of the clock's appearance to viewers and a study of its internal workings. Further, basic notes on the clock's operating system have been provided to aid understanding of components and some are referenced to technical drawings found at the end.

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Figure 2: View of the computer assisted reconstruction of the castle clock.

*Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation, Chairman of the board; Emeritus professor at the University of Manchester, UK.

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by: Professor Salim T. S. Al-Hassani, Thu 13 March, 2008


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