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Complicated clocks, fountains and water-raising machines are some of the highly admired machines of Al-Jazari.
Al-Jazari was one of the great mechanical engineers and inventors of the world who described a large number of important and amazing machines in his book, Kitab fi marifat al-hiyal. It is one of the most important books in the history of mechanical technology.
Al-Jazari’s full name was Badi al-Zaman Abu Izz Ismail ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari. Not much is known about this great scientist of Islam. Selling rice was his family profession on account of which the family earned the name al-razzaz, meaning rice-merchants. But Al-Jazari did not follow his family business. He went for studies and developed a keen interest in mechanical engineering. He studied the mechanical devices and writings of Islamic and Greek scientists. Before him, Banu Musa had written very important books on machines. He was born sometime around 550 AH/1155 A.D during the declining years of the Artuquids. The Artuquids ruled over a vast territory around Diyarbakr in Southern Turkey, and Armenia, before they were subdued by the Ayyubids and the Saljuqs.
After his education, he entered the service of the Atruqid rulers and served them for twenty five years before writing his famous book on machines in 602 AH/1206 AD. He wrote the book on the orders of his master, Nasir al-Din Mahmud.
Al-Jazari was a practical engineer and craftsman ,and not merely a theoretician. His book, Kitab fi marifat al-hiyal al-handasiya (Book of knowledge of ingenious mechanical devices), is the most important book on mechanics from the ancient time to the 14th century A.D.
He divides machines into six main categories and fifty types. The six main categories are: water-clocks and candle-clocks, vessels and pitchers, vessels and basins for hand washing and surgical purposes, fountains and musical machines, water-raising machines; and miscell-aneous machines. A twin-cylinder pump driven by a paddle-wheel, complicated clocks, fountains and water-raising machines, some combining utility and entertainment, are some of the highly admired machines of Al-Jazari.
He improved upon the earlier machines, himself invented a number of machines and mechanical systems, and presented a detailed description of the construction and operation of various machines in his book with the aid of illustrations. It is a brilliant account of the advancement achieved by Muslims in mechanical technology.
Al-Jazari’s machines involved a large number of techniques and mechanisms of great significance to the development of machines, such as axles, segmental gear wheel, flume-beam swape, crank as part of machine, suction pipes, regulators and control systems, accurate calibration of small outlets, static balancing of wheels, one-way hinge, etc. A number of his machines were widely used in Europe from the 13th century onwards.
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