Nastulus

Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh Nasṭūlus (or Basṭūlus) was a notable 10th-century astronomer and astrolabist. He is known for making the oldest surviving astrolabe, dated 927/928 AD.^[1] Another partially preserved astrolabe that bears his signature, "Made by Nasṭūlus in the year 315" of hijra (925 AD), contains the earliest known geographical list on an instrument.^[1]

Very little is known about his life. His full name, based on a testimony given by a contemporary astronomer Abu Sa'id al-Sijzi, indicates that he was a Muslim.^[1] But some modern historians have suggested that his foreign last name may indicate that he was Greek or Nestorian.^[1]

Notes

References

• Rius, Mònica (2007). "Nasṭūlus: Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh". In Thomas Hockey; et al. The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. New York: Springer. pp. 822–3. ISBN 9780387310220.  CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link) (PDF version)