Lighthouse and the Observatory - Islam, Science, and Empire in Late Ottoman Egypt

This history of astronomy in Egypt reveals how modern science came to play an authoritative role in Islamic religious practice.

List of contents

List of figures and tables; Acknowledgements; Note on chronology and transliteration; List of abbreviations; Introduction; Part I. Geographies of Knowledge: 1. The deaf Shaykh: scholarly astronomy in late Ottoman-Egyptian society; 2. Astronomers and pashas: viceregal imperialism and the making of state astronomy; Part II. Objects of Translation: 3. Positioning the watch hand: ¿Ulamä and the making of mechanical timekeeping in Cairo; 4. Positioning the planets: translating French planetary tables as Ottoman-Islamic knowledge; Part III. Islam, Science, and Authority: 5. The orbits of print: astronomy and the ordering of science and religion in the Arabic press; 6. The measure of piety: making prayer times uniform; 7. Different standards: the Ramadan debates and the establishment of lunar crescent observation; Conclusion; Appendix. Introduction to Muhammad al-Khudari's Sharh al-Lum¿a fi Hall al-Kawakib al-Sab¿a; Bibliography.

About the author

Daniel A. Stolz is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of History and the Science in Human Culture Program at Northwestern University, Illinois. He has held fellowships from the Whiting Foundation, the Center for the Study of Religion at Princeton University, New Jersey, and the Center for Arabic Study Abroad, and he was a US Fulbright Fellow in Egypt.

Summary

In this fresh take on astronomy's role in modern Islamic practice, science and technology are linked with the cultural, material, and political transformations of Ottoman Egypt in the nineteenth century.

Product details

• Authors: Daniel A. Stolz, Daniel A. (Northwestern University Stolz, Daniel A. (University of Wisconsin Stolz, STOLZ DANIEL
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.01.2018
• EAN: 9781107196339
• ISBN: 978-1-107-19633-9
• No. of pages: 330
• Series: Science in History; Science in History
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Technology > Miscellaneous; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Labour, economic and industrial sociology; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, Egypt, TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / History, c 1500 onwards to present day, History of Science, History of engineering and technology, African History, Impact of science & technology on society, Impact of science and technology on society, History and Archaeology, Astronomical observation: observatories, equipment & methods