The Lighthouse and the Observatory
Islam, Science, and Empire in Late Ottoman Egypt

This history of astronomy in Egypt reveals how modern science came to play an authoritative role in Islamic religious practice.

Daniel A. Stolz (Author)

9781316647257, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 13 June 2019

330 pages, 19 b/w illus. 2 tables
23 x 15.3 x 2 cm, 0.5 kg

'The Lighthouse and the Observatory should be required reading for historians of science of the long nineteenth century as well as for scholars of modern Egypt … The Lighthouse and the Observatory is a clear-eyed demonstration of the fact that while scientific ideas, practices, and technologies might circulate throughout different regions of the globe, histories of science are made through their articulations in specific geographies, knowledge practices, politics, and broader cultural concerns.' Jennifer L. Derr, American Historical Review

An observatory and a lighthouse form the nexus of this major new investigation of science, religion, and the state in late Ottoman Egypt. Astronomy, imperial bureaucrats, traditionally educated Muslim scholars, and reformist Islamic publications, such as The Lighthouse, are linked to examine the making of knowledge, the performance of piety, and the operation of political power through scientific practice. Contrary to ideas of Islamic scientific decline, Muslim scholars in the nineteenth century used a dynamic tradition of knowledge to measure time, compute calendars, and predict planetary positions. The rise of a 'new astronomy' is revealed to owe much to projects of political and religious reform: from the strengthening of the multiple empires that exercised power over the Nile Valley; to the 'modernization' of Islamic centers of learning; to the dream of a global Islamic community that would rely on scientific institutions to coordinate the timing of major religious duties.

List of figures and tables
Acknowledgements
Note on chronology and transliteration
List of abbreviations
Introduction
Part I. Geographies of Knowledge: 1. The deaf Shaykh: scholarly astronomy in late Ottoman-Egyptian society
2. Astronomers and pashas: viceregal imperialism and the making of state astronomy
Part II. Objects of Translation: 3. Positioning the watch hand: ?Ulama? and the making of mechanical timekeeping in Cairo
4. Positioning the planets: translating French planetary tables as Ottoman-Islamic knowledge
Part III. Islam, Science, and Authority: 5. The orbits of print: astronomy and the ordering of science and religion in the Arabic press
6. The measure of piety: making prayer times uniform
7. Different standards: the Ramadan debates and the establishment of lunar crescent observation
Conclusion
Appendix. Introduction to Muhammad al-Khudari's Sharh al-Lum?a fi Hall al-Kawakib al-Sab?a
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: Astronomical observation: observatories, equipment & methods [PGG], Astronomy, space & time [PG], History of science [PDX], Impact of science & technology on society [PDR], Social & cultural history [HBTB], Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], African history [HBJH], Regional & national history [HBJ], History [HB]