Quadrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

Among Muslim astronomers in Bosnia and Herzegovina the astrolabe — qadirant was the favourite and most wide spread instrument for time meaisurement. In these regions it was usually called the rub’tahta or irtifa. About 20 such instruimenitis have been discovered to date. Only one quadrant is the so-callad »hour« quadraint, whille the others are the usual combination of the coordinate quadrant (rub ’ulmuikantarat) on the front side and the siouous quadrant on the reverse side. Almost ali quadrants are of domestic production, made for the geographical latituide of Sarajevo. That can be conoluded by the authors’ signatures on the instrument. However, two of these quadranits are to be distiniguished: one was made for the geographical latitude 45°. That corresponds to the areas of Northern Bosnia (this instrument originates from Zvornik) and the other one was made for the geographical latituide 41°, corresponding to Istanbul. On the known instruments, the names of the followimg authors and the years of their production are found:
—Sidqi Bosnawi
—Emin, son of Omer
—Osman
—Ali
—Ali
—Muhamed Akif bosnawi saray
—Muhamed Akif bosnawi saray
—Ali
—Ahmed Niazi
—Zuhdi Bosnawi
—Mustafa
—Zuhdi Osman bosnawi
—Zuhdi Osman bosnawi
1778
A. H. 1209 (A. D. 1794/5)
A. H. 1211 (A. D. 1796/7)
A H. 1224 (A. D. 1809/10)
A. H. 1225 (A. D. 1810/11)
A. H. 1228 (A. D. 1813/14)
A. H. 1228 (A. D. 1813/14)
A. H. 1245 (1829/30)
A. H. 1272 (1855/6)
A. H. 1287 (1870/71)
A. H. 1288 (A. D. 1871/2) probably A. H. 1292 (A. D. 1875/6) probably A. H. 1292 (A. D. 1875/6)

—Zuhdi Osmam bosnawi
—Ismail
(wihout date) (without date)
As to these quadirants and their autors, much can be discovered im the Sarajevo chromicler Mula Mustafa Bašeskija and his Chronicle (evenits recorded from 1764 to 1804). He cites Mula Ibrahim abadžija, Emir jazidžija, Mehmed Velihodžić, Ibrahim Muzaferija and of particular interest, a member of another religion, the Jew, Mirkad, about whom he speaks with sympathy.