Stolz Daniel A. The Lighthouse and the Observatory: Islam, Science, and Empire in Late Ottoman Egypt

Cambridge University Press, 2018. — 331 р. — (Science in History). — ISBN 9781108164672, 1108164676.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.
List of Tables.
Acknowledgments.
Note on Chronology and Transliteration.
Abbreviations.
Introduction: Astronomy, Empire, and Islamic Authority at the End of Days.
Geographies of Knowledge.
The Deaf Shaykh: Scholarly Astronomy in Late Ottoman-Egyptian Society.
Astronomers and Pashas: Viceregal Imperialism and the Making of State Astronomy.
Objects of Translation.
Positioning the Watch Hand: «Ulama» and the Making of Mechanical Timekeeping in Cairo.
Positioning the Planets: Translating French Planetary Tables as Ottoman- Islamic Knowledge.
Islam, Science, and Authority.
Orbits of Print: Astronomy and the Ordering of Science and Religion in the Arabic Press.
The Measure of Piety: Making Prayer Times Uniform.
Different Standards: The Ramadan Debates and the Establishment of Lunar Crescent.
Observation.
Conclusion: Astronomy, the State, and Islamic Authority at the End of the Day.
Appendix: Muhammad al-Khudari al-Dimyati’s Introduction to his Commentary on the Brilliancy.
of the Solution of the Seven Planets.
Bibliography.
Index.