What is it about?
The water clocks of the 12th-century Islamic scientist Ismail Al-Jazari may be regarded as among the most outstanding engineering masterpieces in the history of science and technology in Persia. In this study in experimental archaeology two of his water clocks – namely the dragon clock and the peacock clock – were considered for the purposes of making working reconstructions. The historical background, design details, and a technical and comparative analysis of these inventions are presented here. Replicas were constructed in accordance with the indications provided in Al-Jazari’s A Compendium on the Theory and Practice of the Mechanical Arts and tests have shown that both clocks operated exactly as described in his book, and with an acceptable degree of precision.
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Why is it important?
The importance of this article may be summarized as revitalization of historic engineering master pieces to show the world the scientific and engineering domain of man in centuries ago, and also give an insight to those who are eager to understand the state of art.
Perspectives
I hope that the article can bring about a good understanding and insight of the engineering power or man in the far past. Also i wish the technology can be used for any further application,where ever it may be useful.
Professor Yousef Yassi
Energy Institute for Higher Education(EIHE)
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Al-Jazari’s Water Clocks, Nuncius, January 2017, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/18253911-03201001.
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