Al-ʻIjliyyah facts for kids
Al-ʻIjliyyah bint al-ʻIjliyy (Arabic: العجلية بنت العجلي) was a 10th-century maker of astrolabes active in Aleppo, in what is now northern Syria.
She is sometimes known in modern popular literature as Mariam al-Asṭurlābiyya (Arabic: مريم الأسطرلابي) but her supposed first name 'Mariam' is not mentioned in the only source that we have of her life.
Life
According to ibn al-Nadim, she was the daughter of another astrolabe maker known as al-ʻIjliyy; she and her father were apprentices (tilmīthah) of an astrolabe maker from Baghdad, Nasṭūlus.
Al-ʻIjliyyah manufactured astrolabes, an astronomical instrument, during the 10th century; she was employed by the first Emir of Aleppo, Sayf al-Dawla, who reigned from 944 to 967.
Beyond that information, nothing is known about her. Her supposed name, "Mariam", is not supported by sources from her time, and the phrase "al-Asturlabiyy" in the names by which she and her father are known simply means "the astrolabist", and indicates their profession; astrolabes were long known by her time.
Legacy
The main-belt asteroid 7060 Al-'Ijliya, discovered by Henry E. Holt at Palomar Observatory in 1990, was named in her honor. The naming citation was published on 14 November 2016 (M.P.C. 102252).
She inspired a character in 2015 award-winning book Binti. She was named an extraordinary woman from the Islamic Golden Age by 1001 Inventions.
See also
In Spanish: Mariam al-Asturlabi para niños
