Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh Nasṭūlus ( ar, محمد بن عبد الله نسطولس; known as Nasṭūlus, but also referred to as Basṭūlus) was a 10th century
astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...
. He is known for making one of the oldest surviving
astrolabes, dated 927/928, as well as of another partially preserved astrolabe that bears his signature, "Made by Nasṭūlus in the year 315" of hijra (925).
Very little is known about Nasṭūlus. His full name, based on a testimony given by a contemporary astronomer,
Abu Sa'id al-Sijzi, indicates that he was a Muslim, but some modern historians have suggested that his foreign last name may indicate that he was Greek or
Nestorian
Nestorianism is a term used in Christian theology and Church history to refer to several mutually related but doctrinarily distinct sets of teachings. The first meaning of the term is related to the original teachings of Christian theologian ...
.
References
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External links
Image of one of the two astrolabes made by Nasṭūlusfrom the
Al-Sabah Collection website
Description of a manuscript dated Jumadi II 625 AH (May 1228)from the exhibition ''Scanning the Skies: A Virtual Exhibit of Astronomy Manuscripts at the University of Pennsylvania'', showing a description of one of Nasṭūlus’s astrolabes
10th-century astronomers
Astronomers of the medieval Islamic world
Scientific instrument makers
{{astronomer-stub