Abstract
In this talk we will discuss some aspects of the exchange of astronomical knowledge that took place between the Muslim world and China in the thirteenth and fourteenth century. In that period both the eastern part of the Muslim world, consisting of Persia and surrounding countries, and China, ruled by the Yuan Dynasty, were part of the Mongol world empire. In particular in the period between 1260 and 1280, astronomers as well as astronomical books and instruments were exchanged between Persia and China. As a result, extensive descriptions of a Chinese luni-solar calendar can be found in Arabic and Persian astronomical works from the Mongol period, whereas a Chinese text entitled Huihui li (“Islamic Calendar”) can be seen to be a translation of a typical Islamic astronomical handbook with tables and explanatory text, in Arabic and Persian called zij. Islamic astronomy had a good name in China because of its accurate prediction of eclipses, and the Huihui li was used parallel with the official Chinese calendar for almost 300 years.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Bibliography
Benno van Dalen, E.S. Kennedy, and Mustafa K. Saiyid, “The Chinese-Uighur Calendar in Tusī’s Zīj-i nkhānī”, Zeitschrift für Geschichte der Arabisch-Islamischen Wissenschaften 11 (1997), pp. 111–152.
Herbert Pranke, “Mittelmongolische Glossen in einer arabischen astronomischen Handschrift von 1366”, Oriens 31 (1988), pp. 95–118.
Willy Hartner, “The Astronomical Instruments of Cha-ma-lu-ting, their Identification, and their Relations to the Instruments of the Observatory of Marāgha”, Isis 41 (1950), pp. 184–195.
Edward S. Kennedy, “Eclipse Predictions in Arabic Astronomical Tables Prepared for the Mongol Viceroy of Tibet”, Zeitschrift für Geschichte der Arabisch-Islamischen Wissenschaften 4 (1987/88), pp. 60–80.
CHEN Jiujín, “Comparative Research Between the Huihui Calendar, Chiljðng Oepiðn and Qizheng tuibu”, in: Oriental Astronomy from Guo Shoujing to King Sejong, Proceedings of an International Conference (Seoul, Korea, 6-11 October 1993), Seoul 1997, pp. 105–111.
CHEN Meidong, “A Study of Some Astronomical Data in Muslim Calendar”, in: History of Oriental Astronomy: Proceedings of an International Astronomical Union Colloquium No. 91 (New Delhi, India, 13-16 November 1985), Cambridge 1987, pp. 169–174.
Kiyosi Yabuuti, Chūgoku no tenmon-rekihō (Chinese Astronomy and Calendrical Sciences), Tokyo 1969.
Kiyosi Yabuuti, translated and partially revised by Benno van Dalen, “Islamic Astronomy in China during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties”, Historia Scientiarum 7 (1997), pp. 11–43.
Michio Yano, Kūšyār Ibn Labbān’s’ Introduction to Astrology’ (edition and translation), Tokyo 1997.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1998 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Van Dalen, B., Yano, M. (1998). Islamic Astronomy in China: Two New Sources for the Huihui li (“Islamic Calendar”). In: Andersen, J. (eds) Highlights of Astronomy. International Astronomical Union / Union Astronomique Internationale, vol 11B. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4778-1_27
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4778-1_27
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-0-7923-5556-4
Online ISBN: 978-94-011-4778-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive