al-Zij al-Sabi (The Sabian Zij)

By al-Battani

الزيج الصابي

An astronomical handbook by al-Battani on computing star positions and the zodiac. It opens with the reckoning of the sphere and of chords, then treats the obliquity of the ecliptic, the risings of the zodiac in each city, latitude found by observation, shadows and altitudes, the meridian, and the distances of the stars and planets 1 2 3.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Early Abbasid Caliphate
Review
Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it

Astronomy and timekeeping

Summary

"al-Zij al-Sabi" by al-Battani, an astronomical table (zij) on the calculation of the stars and the astronomy of the zodiac, and on the positions of the planets 4.

Its subjects

The book begins with the tabulation of the circle of the celestial sphere and the calculation of the chords of its arcs. It then treats the obliquity of the zodiac relative to the celestial equator, the rising points of the signs in different countries, knowing the latitudes of places by observation, the gnomon and the altitude, the meridian line, and the distances of the planets from the celestial equator and from one another 1 2 3.

On the edition

The text is taken from a manuscript which the publisher says is kept in the Escorial Library. It was edited and annotated by Carlo Nallino, and published by Byblion in 2005. The details of the original edition have not yet been verified 5 6.

People and things also explored

Sharaf al-Dawla's observatory at Baghdad· Qibla-finding by stars, winds, mountains and rivers· Sizes of the heavenly bodies· Distances of the heavenly bodies from the Earth· The seven climates· The second motion (the planets' own motion along the zodiac)· The first motion (diurnal rotation of the heavens)· The solstices

Sources

  1. al-Zij al-Sabi, ed. Carlo Nallino (Byblion, Jbeil, 2005) , p.5
  2. al-Zij al-Sabi, ed. Carlo Nallino (Byblion, Jbeil, 2005) , p.6
  3. al-Zij al-Sabi, ed. Carlo Nallino (Byblion, Jbeil, 2005) , p.7
  4. al-Zij al-Sabi, ed. Carlo Nallino (Byblion, Jbeil, 2005) , p.1
  5. al-Zij al-Sabi, ed. Carlo Nallino (Byblion, Jbeil, 2005) , p.2
  6. al-Zij al-Sabi, ed. Carlo Nallino (Byblion, Jbeil, 2005) , p.4
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “al-Zij al-Sabi (The Sabian Zij)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/work/al-zij-al-sabi/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-18.

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Sharaf al-Dawla's observatory at Baghdad

The observatory the Buyid sultan Sharaf al-Dawla commissioned at Baghdad in 378: he ordered the observation of the seven planets in their courses and zodiacal transits on the model of what al-Ma'mun had done, and a well-built observing house went up at the back of the garden in Dar al-Mamlaka, its sightings written into a register drawn up by those who knew geometry.