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Arabic in Cards

Made in Arabic

Instruments made in Arabic, what is written on them in Arabic, and the words that went out from them into the world's languages.

29 cards
alidade almucantar sine

Why these cards?

Each card shows an instrument, photographed in the Imam University museum or taken from museums that open their collections, with the source and licence under each photograph. An instrument comes in only with an Arabic word on it that entered other languages, or with Arabic writing visible in the photograph.

Showing 29 of 29

alidade
the astrolabe, its back
almucantar
the astrolabe, its face
sine
the sine quadrant of ʿAli ibn al-Shihab, 1335
alembic
a rose-water still, after al-Zahrawi's description
al-Ma'mun's world map
a globe bearing al-Ma'mun's world map
Betelgeuse, Rigel, Algol
the celestial globe of Ibrahim ibn Saʿid al-Sahli, Valencia, 1085
A sultan's astrolabe
the astrolabe of the Rasulid sultan ʿUmar ibn Yusuf, Yemen, 1291
carat
a glass coin weight, Egypt, about 808–810
mosque
a Mamluk enamelled glass mosque lamp, 14th century
azure
a tile from an inscribed frieze, Kashan, early 14th century
talisman
a shirt written over in ink and gold, northern India or the Deccan, 15th–early 16th century
rebec
a rabāb with its bow, Algeria or Morocco, 19th century
calibre
a soapstone mould for casting jewellery, possibly Egypt, 10th–11th century
ream
a leaf from a Qur'an written on paper, eastern Islamic lands, second half of the 10th century
demitasse
a brass basin inlaid with silver, Egypt or Syria, first half of the 14th century
naker
a naqqāra of brass and hide, Arabia or Syria, late 19th century
rook
an ivory chess piece, western Islamic lands, 11th–12th century
julep
a silver-gilt rose-water sprinkler, India, late 18th century
sequin
an Umayyad gold dinar, Syria, 698–99
syrup
a leaf from an Arabic translation of Dioscorides' Materia Medica, Iraq, 1224
lute
an ūd made by Manol in Istanbul, 1916
jar
a glazed Mamluk jar, Syria, 14th century
cotton
a fragment of a striped cotton shawl, Yemen, late 9th–early 10th century
crimson
a fragment of red silk, al-Andalus, 13th century
checkmate
a glazed chess set, Nishapur, 12th century
admiral
a bronze incense burner in the form of a lion, Iran, 1181–82
kohl
a bronze kohl flask in the form of a duck, Umayyad period, 661–750
popinjay
a brass finial in the form of a parrot, northern India, 17th–18th century
sultan
a brass basin of Sultan Qaytbay, Egypt or Syria, 1468–96