al-Jazari

Also known as Ismail al-Jazari, Ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari

mathematician and engineer from Jazira, Artuqid State (1164–1206)

AI overview

Al-Jazari was a medieval mathematician and engineer from the Artuqid State who lived from 1164 to 1206 and is known for developing innovative mechanical devices and automata. His work represents an important contribution to early engineering and mechanical science, influencing technological advancement in the Islamic world and beyond.

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Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Gender: male
Citizenship: Artuqids
Place of birth: Upper Mesopotamia
Place of death: Turkey
Languages spoken: Arabic
Religion: Islam
Field of work: mechanical engineering
Image: Ismail al jazari.jpg

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Commons category: Al-Jazari
date of birth: 1164-00-00
date of death: 1206-01-01
ethnic group: Arabs
has works in the collection: Metropolitan Museum of Art
different from: Ibn al-Jazari
Commons Creator page: Badi` Al-Jazari

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Encyclopedic overview

The elephant clock was one of the most famous inventions of al-Jazari.

Badīʿ az-Zaman Abu l-ʿIzz ibn Ismāʿīl ibn ar-Razāz al-Jazarī (1136–1206, Arabic: بَدِيعُ الزَّمانِ أَبُو العِزِّ بْنُ إسْماعِيلَ بْنِ الرَّزَّازِ الجَزَرِيّ, [ældʒæzæriː]) was a polymath, scholar, inventor, mechanical engineer, artisan and artist from the Artuqid Dynasty of Jazira in Mesopotamia. He is best known for writing The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices (Arabic: كتاب في معرفة الحيل الهندسية, romanized: Kitab fi ma'rifat al-hiyal al-handasiya, lit. 'Book in knowledge of engineering tricks', also known as Automata) in 1206, where he described 50 mechanical devices, along with instructions on how to construct them. One of his more famous inventions is the elephant clock. He has been described as the "father of robotics" and modern day engineering.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “al-Jazari” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.