| 'The selection includes beautiful, antique astrolabes, Qiblah (direction of Mecca) indicators, globes and other instruments dating back to Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal times.' |
There is a large selection of the Royal Observatory's Islamic collection now on
display to the general public on the Upper Court of the National Maritime Museum (NMM), with further items on view in the History of Astronomy Gallery at the Observatory.
The selection includes beautiful, antique astrolabes, Qiblah (direction of Mecca) indicators, globes and other instruments dating back to Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal times. The Museum has one of the world's largest collections of astrolabes. Astrolabes are astronomical instruments for finding and interpreting information from the stars.
For those wishing to sample a taste of the great heritage of Muslim scholarship and begin to understand its contribution to the advancement of science, a family trip to the Royal Observatory Gallery and National Maritime Museum this summer would represent an ideal starting point. There will of course be much to interest more cultured historians of science. And if that isn't enough to entice you, don't forget that there is also a special Tintin exhibition at the National Maritime Museum and daily planetarium shows at the Royal Observatory Gallery!
For more information on the collection, contact:
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