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Astrolabe (front)

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possibly made in North India

Astrolabe (front)
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An astrolabe is an instrument used by early astronomers to measure the altitude of stars and planets and also as a navigational aid. This brass example, made in North India in 1643, is one of the earliest known Indian astrolabes in a public collection.

The front of the astrolabe is inscribed in Sanskrit by the suspension bracket: 'Caused to be made by Manirama on the 11th day of the dark half of the month Caitra [March-April] samvat 1900 [=1643 AD]'.

Astrolabe construction in the Middle East has a longer and more continuous history than in Europe. The earliest instruments which survive are from the 9th century and were made by Syro-Egyptian astrolabists working in Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo.

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