Al-Jazari
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/* Double-action suction pump with valves and reciprocating piston motion */ elaborated
'''Abū al-'Iz Ibn Ismā'īl ibn al-Razāz al-Jazarī''' ([[1136]]-[[1206]]) ([[Arabic language|Arabic]]: أَبُو اَلْعِزِ بْنُ إسْماعِيلِ بْنُ الرِّزاز الجزري) was an important [[Muslim]] [[Ulema|scholar]], [[Islamic art|artist]], [[Islamic astronomy|astronomer]], [[Artisan|craftsman]], [[Inventions in the Muslim world|inventor]] and [[mechanical engineering|mechanical engineer]] from [[al-Jazira, Mesopotamia]] who flourished during the [[Islamic Golden Age]] ([[Middle Ages]]). He is best known for writing the ''Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices'' in 1206, where he described fifty mechanical devices.
== Biography ==
Little is known about Al-Jazari, and most of that comes from the introduction to his ''Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices''. He was named after the area in which he was born, [[al-Jazira, Mesopotamia|al-Jazira]] —the traditional Arabic name for what was northern [[Mesopotamia]] and what is now northern [[Iraq]] and northeastern [[Syria]], between the [[Tigris]] and the [[Euphrates]]. Like his father before him, he served as chief engineer at the [[Artuklu Palace]], the residence of the [[Diyarbakır]] branch of the [[Turkish people|Turkish]] [[Artuqid dynasty]] which ruled across eastern [[Anatolia]] as [[Vassal state|vassals]] of the [[Zangid]] rulers of Mosul and later [[Fatimid]] general [[Saladin]].<ref name=Hill2>[[Donald Routledge Hill]], "Mechanical Engineering in the Medieval Near East", ''Scientific American'', May 1991, p. 64-69. ([[cf.]] [[Donald Routledge Hill]], [http://home.swipnet.se/islam/articles/HistoryofSciences.htm Mechanical Engineering])</ref>
Al-Jazari was part of a tradition of [[Artisan|craftsmen]] and was thus more of a practical [[engineer]] than an inventor <ref>Donald R. Hill, Dictionary of scientific biography 15, suppl I, p254</ref> who appears to have been "more interested in the craftsmanship necessary to construct the devices than in the technology which lay behind them" and his machines were usually "assembled by [[trial and error]] rather than by theoretical calculation."<ref>{{citation|first=G. R.|last=Tibbetts|title=Review: Donald R. Hill, ''The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices (Kitab fi ma'rifat al-hiyal alhandasiyya), by Ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari''|journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies|publisher=University of London|volume=38|issue=1|year=1975|pages=151-153 [152]}}</ref> Some of his devices were also inspired by earlier devices, such as one of his monumental water clocks being based on that of a [[Pseudo-Archimedes]].<ref>[[Ahmad Y Hassan]], [http://www.history-science-technology.com/Articles/articles%206.htm Al-Jazari And the History of the Water Clock]</ref>
==Mechanisms and methods==
While many of al-Jazari's inventions may now appear to be trivial, the most significant aspect of al-Jazari's [[machine]]s are the [[Mechanism (technology)|mechanisms]], components, ideas, methods and design features which they employ.<ref name=Hill2/>
===Crankshaft and connecting rod mechanism===
Al-Jazari invented the [[crankshaft]], though not the hand-operated [[Crank (mechanism)|crank]] (which appeared in [[Han Dynasty|Han China]]) but he was the first to incorporate it in a [[machine]]. It transforms continuous [[rotary engine|rotary motion]] into a linear [[reciprocating engine|reciprocating motion]],<ref name=Crank/> and is central to modern machinery such as the [[steam engine]], [[internal combustion engine]] (where it converts in the other direction) and [[automatic control]]s.<ref name=Hill-231-232>[[Donald Routledge Hill]] (1998). ''Studies in Medieval Islamic Technology'' II, p. 231-232.</ref><ref name=Vallely>Paul Vallely, [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20060311/ai_n16147544 How Islamic Inventors Changed the World], ''[[The Independent]]'', 11 March 2006.</ref>
The [[connecting rod]] was also invented by al-Jazari, and was used in a crank and connecting rod system in a rotating machine he developed in 1206, in two of his water-raising machines: the crank-driven [[saqiya]] chain pump and the double-action reciprocating piston suction pump.<ref name=Crank>[[Ahmad Y Hassan]]. [http://www.history-science-technology.com/Notes/Notes%203.htm The Crank-Connecting Rod System in a Continuously Rotating Machine].</ref>
=== Design and construction methods ===
[[Donald Routledge Hill]] writes:
{{quote|"We see for the first time in al-Jazari's work several concepts important for both [[design]] and [[construction]]: the [[Laminate|lamination]] of [[Lumber|timber]] to minimize warping, the [[Mechanical equilibrium|static balancing]] of wheels, the use of wooden [[template]]s (a kind of pattern), the use of [[paper model]]s to establish designs, the calibration of [[orifice]]s, the [[grind]]ing of the seats and plugs of [[valve]]s together with [[Emery (mineral)|emery]] powder to obtain a watertight fit, and the [[casting]] of metals in closed [[Sand casting|mold boxes]] with [[Green sand|sand]]."<ref name=Hill2/>}}
=== Escapement mechanism in a rotating wheel ===
Al-Jazari invented a method for controlling the speed of [[rotation]] of a [[wheel]] using an [[escapement]] mechanism.<ref>[[Donald Routledge Hill]], "Engineering", in Roshdi Rashed, ed., ''[[Encyclopedia of the History of Arabic Science]]'', Vol. 2, p. 751-795 [792]. [[Routledge]], London and New York.</ref>
===Mechanical controls===
According to [[Donald Routledge Hill]], al-Jazari described several early [[Control system|mechanical controls]], including "a large metal [[door]], a [[combination lock]] and a [[Lock (device)|lock]] with four [[Bolted joint|bolts]]."<ref name=Hill2/>
===Segmental gear===
A segmental [[gear]] is "a piece for receiving or communicating [[reciprocating motion]] from or to a [[cogwheel]], consisting of a sector of a circular gear, or ring, having [[cog]]s on the periphery, or face."<ref>[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Segment+gear Segment gear], [[TheFreeDictionary.com]]</ref> Professor [[Lynn Townsend White, Jr.]] wrote:
{{quote|"Segmental gears first clearly appear in Al-Jazari, in the West they emerge in [[Giovanni de Dondi]]‘s [[astronomical clock]] finished in 1364, and only with the great [[Sienese]] engineer [[Francesco di Giorgio]] (1501) did they enter the general vocabulary of European machine design."<ref>[http://www.finns-books.com/auto.htm The Automata of Al-Jazari]. The [[Topkapi Palace]] Museum, [[Istanbul]].</ref>}}
== Water-raising machines ==
Al-Jazari invented five [[machine]]s for raising [[water]],<ref name=Jazari>Al-Jazari, ''The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices: Kitáb fí ma'rifat al-hiyal al-handasiyya'', translated by P. Hill (1973), [[Springer Science+Business Media]].</ref> as well as [[watermill]]s and [[water wheel]]s with [[cam]]s on their [[axle]] used to operate [[automata]],<ref name=Hill/> in the 12th and 13th centuries, and described them in 1206. It was in these water-raising machines that he introduced his most important ideas and components.
===Saqiya chain pumps===
The first known use of a [[crankshaft]] in a [[chain pump]] was in one of al-Jazari's saqiya machines.<ref name=Hill-776>[[Donald Routledge Hill]], "Engineering", in Roshdi Rashed, ed., ''[[Encyclopedia of the History of Arabic Science]]'', Vol. 2, p. 751-795 [776]. [[Routledge]], London and New York.</ref> The concept of minimizing [[Intermittency|intermittent working]] is also first implied in one of al-Jazari's saqiya chain pumps, which was for the purpose of maximising the efficiency of the saqiya chain pump <ref name=Hill-776/> Al-Jazari also constructed a water-raising saqiya [[chain pump]] which was run by [[hydropower]] rather than [[manual labour]], though the Chinese were also using hydropower for chain pumps prior to him. Saqiya machines like the ones he described have been supplying water in [[Damascus]] since the 13th century up until modern times,<ref name=Hassan>[[Ahmad Y Hassan]], [http://www.history-science-technology.com/Articles/articles%206.htm Al-Jazari and the History of the Water Clock]</ref> and were in everyday use throughout the medieval Islamic world.<ref name=Hill-776/>
===Double-action suction pump with valves and reciprocating piston motion===
In 1206, Al-Jazari described the first [[suction]] pipes, suction [[pump]], [[Steam engine#Double-acting engine|double-action]] pump, [[valve]], and [[crankshaft]]-[[connecting rod]] mechanism, when he invented a [[Straight-two|twin-cylinder]] reciprocating [[piston]] suction pump. This pump is driven by a [[water wheel]], which drives, through a system of [[gear]]s, an oscillating slot-rod to which the rods of two pistons are attached. The pistons work in horizontally opposed cylinders, each provided with [[valve]]-operated suction and delivery pipes. The delivery pipes are joined above the centre of the machine to form a single outlet into the irrigation system. This may be the only one of al-Jazari's water-raising machines which had a direct significance for the development of modern engineering. This pump is remarkable for three reasons:<ref name=Hill2/><ref>{{cite web|author=[[Ahmad Y Hassan]]|title=The Origin of the Suction Pump: Al-Jazari 1206 A.D.|url=http://www.history-science-technology.com/Notes/Notes%202.htm|accessdate=2008-07-16}}</ref>
*The first known use of a true [[suction]] pipe (which sucks fluids into a partial [[vacuum]]) in a [[pump]].
*The application of the [[Steam engine#Double-acting engine|double-acting]] principle.
*The conversion of [[Rotary engine|rotary]] to [[Reciprocating engine|reciprocating motion]], via the [[crankshaft]]-[[connecting rod]] mechanism.
===Water supply system===
Al-Jazari developed the earliest [[Water supply network|water supply system]] to be driven by [[gear]]s and [[hydropower]], which was built in 13th century [[Damascus]] to supply water to its [[mosque]]s and [[Bimaristan]] hospitals. The system had water from a lake turn a scoop-wheel and a system of gears which transported jars of water up to a [[water channel]] that led to mosques and hospitals in the city.<ref name=Turner>Howard R. Turner (1997), ''Science in Medieval Islam: An Illustrated Introduction'', p. 181, [[University of Texas Press]], ISBN 0292781490.</ref>
==Automata==
Al-Jazari invented automated moving [[Peafowl|peacocks]] driven by [[hydropower]].<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-301961/al-Jazari al-Jazari (Islamic artist)], ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''.</ref> He also invented the earliest known [[Gate operator|automatic gates]], which were driven by [[hydropower]].<ref name=Turner/> He also created automatic [[door]]s as part of one of his elaborate [[water clock]]s.<ref name=Hill2/>
Al-Jazari also designed and constructed a number of other [[Automaton|automata]], including automatic [[machine]]s, [[home appliance]]s, and [[music]]al automata powered by [[water]].<ref>See one of his works at [http://www.finns-books.com/auto.htm The Automata of Al-Jazari].</ref> Al-Jazari also invented [[water wheel]]s with [[cam]]s on their [[axle]] used to operate automata.<ref name=Hill/>
Mark E. Rosheim summarizes the advances in [[robotics]] made by [[Arab]] engineers, especially Al-Jazari, as follows:
{{quote|"Unlike the Greek designs, these Arab examples reveal an interest, not only in dramatic illusion, but in manipulating the environment for human comfort. Thus, the greatest contribution the Arabs made, besides preserving, disseminating and building on the work of the Greeks, was the concept of practical application. This was the key element that was missing in Greek robotic science."<ref name=Rosheim/>}}
{{quote|"The Arabs, on the other hand, displayed an interest in creating human-like machines for practical purposes but lacked, like other preindustrial societies, any real impetus to pursue their robotic science."<ref>{{citation|title=Robot Evolution: The Development of Anthrobotics|first=Mark E.|last=Rosheim|year=1994|publisher=Wiley-IEEE|isbn=0471026220|page=36}}</ref>}}
===Hand-washing automaton with flush mechanism===
Al-Jazari invented a [[hand washing]] [[automaton]] incorporating a flush mechanism now used in modern [[flush toilet]]s. It features a female [[humanoid robot|humanoid automaton]] standing by a [[Sink|basin]] filled with water. When the user pulls the lever, the water drains and the female automaton refills the basin.<ref>{{citation|title=Robot Evolution: The Development of Anthrobotics|first=Mark E.|last=Rosheim|year=1994|publisher=Wiley-IEEE|isbn=0471026220|pages=9-10}}</ref>
===Peacock fountain with automated servants===
Al-Jazari's "peacock fountain" was a more sophisticated [[hand washing]] device featuring [[humanoid robot|humanoid automata]] as [[servant]]s which offer [[soap]] and [[towel]]s. Mark E. Rosheim describes it as follows:<ref name=Rosheim>{{citation|title=Robot Evolution: The Development of Anthrobotics|first=Mark E.|last=Rosheim|year=1994|publisher=Wiley-IEEE|isbn=0471026220|page=9}}</ref>
{{quote|"Pulling a plug on the peacock's tail releases water out of the beak; as the dirty water from the basin fills the hollow base a float rises and actuates a [[linkage]] which makes a servant figure appear from behind a door under the peacock and offer [[soap]]. When more water is used, a second float at a higher level trips and causes the appearance of a second servant figure — with a towel!"}}
===Musical robot band===
[[Image:Al-jazari robots.jpg|thumb|right|Al-Jazari's musical [[robot]] [[Musical ensemble|band]].]]
Al-Jazari's work described [[fountain]]s and [[music]]al [[Automaton|automata]], in which the flow of [[water]] alternated from one large [[tank]] to another at [[hour]]ly or half-hourly intervals. This operation was achieved through his innovative use of [[Hydraulics|hydraulic]] [[switch]]ing.<ref name=Hill2/>
Al-Jazari created a musical [[automaton]], which was a boat with four automatic musicians that floated on a lake to entertain guests at royal drinking parties. Professor Noel Sharkey has argued that it is quite likely that it was an early programmable automata and has produced a possible reconstruction of the [[mechanism]]; it has a programmable [[drum]] machine with [[Wiktionary:peg|pegs]] ([[cam]]s) that bump into little [[lever]]s that operated the [[percussion]]. The drummer could be made to play different rhythms and different drum patterns if the pegs were moved around.<ref name=Sharkey>Professor Noel Sharkey, [http://www.shef.ac.uk/marcoms/eview/articles58/robot.html A 13th Century Programmable Robot], [[University of Sheffield]].</ref> According to Charles B. Fowler, the automata were a "[[robot]] [[Musical ensemble|band]]" which performed "more than fifty facial and body actions during each musical selection."<ref>{{citation|title=The Museum of Music: A History of Mechanical Instruments|first=Charles B.|last=Fowler|journal=Music Educators Journal|volume=54|issue=2|date=October 1967|pages=45-49}}</ref>
==Clocks==
Al-Jazari constructed a variety of [[water clocks]] and [[candle clocks]]. These included a portable [[Water clock|water-powered]] [[scribe]] clock, which was a meter high and half a meter wide, reconstructed successfully at the [[Science Museum (London)]] in 1976 <ref name=Hill>[[Donald Routledge Hill]] (1996), ''A History of Engineering in Classical and Medieval Times'', Routledge, p.224.</ref><ref>Ibn al-Razzaz Al-Jazari (ed. 1974) ''The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices'', Translated and annotated by [[Donald Routledge Hill]], Dordrecht / D. Reidel, part II.</ref>
===Astronomical clocks===
Al-Jazari invented monumental [[Water clock|water-powered]] [[astronomical clock]]s which displayed moving models of the [[Sun]], [[Moon]], and [[star]]s. His largest astronomical clock, which was about 11 feet high, displayed the [[zodiac]] and the [[Heliocentric orbit|solar]] and [[lunar orbit]]s. Another innovative feature of the clock was a [[pointer]] which travelled across the top of a [[gate]]way and caused automatic [[door]]s to open every [[hour]].<ref>Howard R. Turner (1997), ''Science in Medieval Islam: An Illustrated Introduction'', p. 184. [[University of Texas Press]], ISBN 0292781490.</ref><ref name=Hill2/>
===Candle clocks===
According to [[Donald Routledge Hill]], al-Jazari described the most sophisticated [[candle clock]]s known to date. Hill described one of al-Jazari's candle clocks as follows:<ref name=Hill2/>
{{quote|"The candle, whose rate of burning was known, bore against the underside of the cap, and its wick passed through the hole. Wax collected in the indentation and could be removed periodically so that it did not interfere with steady burning. The bottom of the candle rested in a shallow dish that had a ring on its side connected through pulleys to a counterweight. As the candle burned away, the weight pushed it upward at a constant speed. The automata were operated from the dish at the bottom of the candle."}}
===Elephant clock with automaton===
{{main|Elephant clock}}
The [[elephant clock]] described by Al-Jazari in 1206 is notable for several innovations. It was the first clock in which an [[automaton]] reacted after certain intervals of time (in this case, a humanoid robot striking the [[cymbal]] and a mechanical robotic bird chirping) and the first [[water clock]] to accurately record the passage of the temporal [[hour]]s to match the uneven length of days throughout the year.<ref>{{Citation | last=[[Ahmad Y Hassan]] | last2=[[Donald Routledge Hill]] | year=1986 | title=Islamic Technology: An Illustrated History | publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] | isbn=0521263336 | page=57-59}}</ref>
===Weight-driven water clocks===
Al-Jazari invented clocks which were driven by both water and weights. These included [[gear]]ed [[clock]]s and a portable water-powered [[scribe]] clock, which was a meter high and half a meter wide. The scribe with his [[pen]] was synonymous to the hour [[Clock face|hand]] of a modern clock.<ref name=Hill>[[Donald Routledge Hill]] (1996), ''A History of Engineering in Classical and Medieval Times'', Routledge, p.224.</ref><ref>Ibn al-Razzaz Al-Jazari (ed. 1974) ''The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices'', Translated and annotated by [[Donald Routledge Hill]], Dordrecht / D. Reidel, part II.</ref> Al-Jazari's famous water-powered scribe clock was reconstructed successfully at the [[Science Museum (London)]] in 1976.
== Miniature paintings ==
Alongside his accomplishments as an inventor and engineer, al-Jazari was also an accomplished [[artist]]. In ''The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices'', he gave instructions for of his inventions and illustrated them using [[Miniature (illuminated manuscript)|miniature]] paintings, a medieval style of [[Islamic art]].
<gallery>
Image:Al-jazari water device.jpg|Diagram of a [[hydropower]]ed [[#Water-raising machines|water-raising machine]] from ''The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices'' by al-Jazari.
Image:al-jazari pump.png|The [[#Double-action suction pump with valves and reciprocating piston motion|double-action reciprocating suction piston pump]] water-raising machine with a [[#Crankshaft and connecting rod mechanism|crankshaft-connecting rod mechanism]] invented by al-Jazari.
Image:Al-jazari_elephant_clock.png|The [[elephant clock]] from al-Jazari's manuscript.
Image:Al-Jazari - A Candle Clock.jpg|One of al-Jazari's [[#Candle clocks|candle clocks]].
Image:Al-Jazari - A Musical Toy.jpg|A musical toy [[automaton]] designed by al-Jazari.
Image:Al-Jazari - A Table Device.jpg|A table device [[automaton]] designed by al-Jazari.
Image:Al-Jazari - The Basin.jpg|A [[hand washing]] device designed by al-Jazari.
Image:Al-Jazari Automata 1205.jpg|Al-Jazari's water-powered [[#Saqiya chain pumps|saqiya chain pump]] device.
</gallery>
==See also==
* [[Inventions in the Muslim world]]
* [[Muslim Agricultural Revolution]]
* [[Islamic Golden Age]]
* [[Islamic science]]
* [[List of Arab scientists and scholars]]
* [[Hero of Alexandria]]
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
== References ==
* Al-Jazarí, ''The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices: Kitáb fí ma'rifat al-hiyal al-handasiyya'', Springer, 1973 edition.[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9027703299]
* [[Donald Routledge Hill|Hill, Donald Routledge]], ''A History of Engineering in Classical and Medieval Times'', 1996.[http://books.google.com/books?id=jGShLU3xKsgC]
== External links ==
{{commonscat|Al-Jazari}}
* [http://www.finns-books.com/auto.htm The Automata of Al-Jazari]
* [http://www.ebuliz.com/orijinalkitap The Book of Al-Jazari, Flash format]
* [http://www.muslimheritage.com/day_life/default.cfm?ArticleID=188&Oldpage=1 "Al-Jazari, the Mechanical Genius" at MuslimHeritage.com]
* [http://www.muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=466 "The Machines of Al-Jazari and Taqi Al-Din" at MuslimHeritage.com]
* [http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article350594.ece "How Islamic inventors changed the world" article in ''The Independent'']
* [http://www.site.uottawa.ca/~oren/pubs/pubs-2001-02-Tubitak.pdf ADVANCES IN COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCES: FROM ABACUS TO HOLONIC AGENTS From:Tuncer Ören, Professor Emeritus School of Information Technologies]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jazari}}
[[Category:Mechanical engineers]]
[[Category:Arab engineers]]
[[Category:History of Islamic science]]
[[Category:Clockmakers]]
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[[az:Əl Cəzari]]
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[[fa:بدیعالزمان جزری]]
[[he:אל-ג'זארי]]
[[ku:Îsmaîl Ebu'l-Îzz el-Cizîrî]]
[[tr:El Cezeri]]