Qibla compass: a special instrument brought from the Netherlands is on display in the exhibition!
In Islamic scholarship, the determination of the qibla direction stimulated the development of astronomy and geometry. The Qibla compass displayed in the museum exhibition of the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan is a remarkable example of these scientific pursuits.
Among the most important exhibits in the museum exhibition of the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan is a Qibla compass specially brought from the Netherlands. In Islam, determining the direction of the qibla has always held significant practical importance. For this reason, over the centuries Islamic scholars, particularly thinkers from Central Asia, conducted serious scientific research in this field.
The modern qibla indicator presented in the exhibition was produced with inspiration from versions created in Isfahan in the 17th-18th centuries. Scientifically, the instrument is based on the retro-azimuthal projection developed by al-Biruni. This projection made it possible to determine the qibla direction with high precision. The instrument displays the coordinates of more than 100 cities, most of which were taken from geographical sources compiled in Central Asia in the 15th century. The aesthetic design of the qibla indicator is also distinctive: straight and elliptical lines, along with ornaments based on the laws of geometry, place it not only among practical instruments but also among works of art with high artistic value. The diameter of the instrument is 18 cm; city names are given in English, and distance measurements are calculated in kilometers.
