Historical astronomer and timekeeper in Islamic institutions
The muvakkithane ("lodge of the muwaqqit") in Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
In the history of Islam, a muwaqqit (Arabic: مُوَقَّت, more rarely ميقاتيmīqātī; Turkish: muvakit) was an astronomer tasked with the timekeeping and the regulation of prayer times in an Islamic institution like a mosque or a madrasa. Unlike the muezzin (reciter of the call to prayer) who was usually selected for his piety and voice, a muwaqqit was selected for his knowledge and skill in astronomy.
Not all mosques had a muwaqqit. The office was first recorded in the late 13th century in the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As in the Mamluk Sultanate of Cairo and then spread to various parts of the Muslim world. Even then, many major mosques only relied on muezzins to determine prayer times using traditional methods, such as observing shadow lengths and twilight phenomena. The lack of historical sources and research makes it difficult to ascertain the specific functions and roles of the muwaqqit. There is uncertainty among historians of science whether the muwaqqit was a specialised office whose holder dealt exclusively with astronomical matters, or if it was part of a broader role of a teacher (mudarris) who also worked and taught in other fields.
During its peak in the fourteenth and the fifteenth centuries, prominent scientists held the post of muwaqqit. For example, ibn al-Shatir (1304–1375) and Shams al-Din al-Khalili (1320–1380) formed a team of muwaqqits in the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus. Syria and Egypt were the major centres of muwaqqit activity in these centuries, while the office spread to Palestine, Hejaz, Tunis, and Yemen. The office continued to be recorded up to the nineteenth century, although muwaqqits produced fewer treatises and instruments than in earlier times. Today, mosques use prayer time-tables produced by religious or scientific agencies or clocks programmed for this purpose. These allow for the exact determination of prayer times without the specialised skills of a muwaqqit.
In the history of Islam, a muwaqqit (Arabic: مُوَقَّت, more rarely ميقاتي mīqātī; Turkish: muvakit) was an astronomer tasked with the timekeeping and the...
the qualification of the muwaqqit required special knowledge in astronomy. Historian Sonja Brentjes speculates that the muwaqqit might have evolved from...
elder, of the Grand Mosque of the university of Cairo, where his name al-Muwaqqit reflected his position in regulating the times and hours at the mosque...
been created. In the past, some mosques employed astronomers called the muwaqqits who were responsible for regulating the prayer time using mathematical...
clock building, the Muvakkithane, was built by the Fossatis for use by the muwaqqit (the mosque timekeeper), and a new madrasa (Islamic school) was constructed...
the 14th century, Shams al-Din al-Khalili, an astronomer who served as a muwaqqit (timekeeper) in the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus, compiled a qibla table...
Technology in Saudi Arabia. Inventions in the Muslim world Dar al-Magana Dar al-Muwaqqit Ibn al-Razzaz Al-Jazari (ed. 1974), The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious...
later monuments in Fes. One is incorporated into the window of the Dar al-Muwaqqit (timekeeper's house) overlooking the courtyard of the Qarawiyyin Mosque...
Morocco. It is also referred to as the Dar al-Muwaqqit (not to be confused with another Dar al-Muwaqqit inside the nearby Qarawiyyin Mosque and in other...
been created. In the past, some mosques employed astronomers called the muwaqqits who were responsible for regulating the prayer time using mathematical...
of Muslim rule. The Arab astronomer Ibn al-Shatir worked as the chief muwaqqit ('religious timekeeper') and the chief muezzin at the Umayyad Mosque from...
One of the most striking examples was built in the 14th century by the muwaqqit (timekeeper) of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, ibn al-Shatir. Several...
al-Qunawi or Muhammad ibn Yusuf (died c. 1524), Ottoman astronomer and muwaqqit (timekeeper) Ahli Shirazi, Muhammad ibn Yusuf (1454–1535), Persian poet...
the correct times of prayer, and the system was overseen by the mosque's muwaqqit (timekeeper). The structure is believed to have also been built by Abu...
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