Astronomical treatise, Almagest ?

This manuscript is an astronomical treatise of which only thirty-two pages remain. It was written in regular sophisticated Maghrebi handwriting, in brown ink, which has faded over time. Even though there are no vocalisation marks on the text of the manuscript, the copyist systematically used the consonants alif, waw and ya as vocalisation marks, as well as diacritical marks, allowing the letters to be distinguished. Orthoepic signs, which denote different phonetic particularities like the wasla (a vowel elision mark) or the shadda (indicating repetition of a consonant), are partially indicated. The treatise does not appear to have been decorated: only a few red geometrical shapes, as well as green secondary annotations decorate this scientific work.

This complex treatise was probably a translation of Ptolemy’s famous work written in the second century under the title Suntaksis, and which groups together all Greek knowledge of astrology. The work is known under the Arabic name of Almagest. In it, Ptolemy maintained Hipparchus’ theories, and added observations of subsequent astronomers, as well as his theory on the movement of stars (geocentrism), known as the “Ptolemeic system”. The book also sets out a complete treatise on plane and spherical trigonometry, as well as a description of the instruments needed to observe the starts, measurements of their movements, and a description of their paths. The work was copied numerous times throughout the centuries, passing from Greek to Arabic, then to Latin. Its importance was recognised very early on in the Islamic world, and the work was spread throughout the Mediterranean basin. According to Hâjjî Khalîfa[1], three different translations of Almagest existed: the first by al-Hajjâj (a translator who lived in Baghdad, and died in 714), the second by Ishâq ibn Hunayn (the son of an important transmitter of Arab science, who was of Christian origin, and who translated numerous works into Syriac, and died in 910), and the third by Thâbit ibn Qurra (a ninth-century mathematician, doctor and philosopher).

Since the 642 taking of Alexandria, constant translations were done in the Muslim world, sponsored by Caliphal policy.  That of the Abbaside Calif al-Mam’ûn (r. 813-833) brought new wind to the practice of translation, and led to a golden age of it between the ninth and eleventh centuries. In addition to the Persian and Indian works, which were often very appreciated for their literary and poetic qualities, Muslim scholars were particularly interested in Greek works. The Arabic translations leave out the theatre plays, and concentrate on the philosophical and scientific works. Thanks to these numerous translations, copied mainly in the Muslim world (in particular in Ifriqiya, where this manuscript comes from, and in al-Andalus), these works penetrated the West. They were translated into Latin, sometimes by Muslim, Jewish and Christian translators.

Science in the Muslim world was at the confluence of several traditions – Indian, Persian and Greek. However, it was Greco-Hellenic culture that played a predominant role, contributing to the emergence of astronomy as a science in its own right, separate from astrology, with which it had been confused up until then.

[1] Seventeenth century Ottoman Empire historian, scholar and geographer.