Brass sheet qiblah compass, engraved, with hinged lid and hasp, Iran, 1800-1875.

Brass sheet qiblah compass, engraved with hinged lid and hasp; magnetic iron needle under a glass held in place by a pierced brass plate, with rotatable pointer. Lid inscribed with inscriptions in circular bands.

This qiblah compass is typical of a number of small examples produced in Iran during the 19th century. The literature on the determination of the qiblah is extensive; it appears that the compass in the astronomical compendium Sanduq al-yawaqit ('The Chest of Rubies') made in 1365-6 by Ibn al-Shatir is the first known example with a pivotal needle, and of a qiblah-compass. The introduction of the magnetic compass from China made it possible to manufacture small instruments which, when correctly orientated by means of the pivoted needle, would show the azimuth of the qiblah from a number of places marked on the compass plate.

Muslims face the holy city of Mecca when they perform their prayers – an orientation known as the Qiblah. Over the centuries many methods have been devised to determine the Qiblah, some more accurate than others. The magnetic compass, introduced from China in the Middle Ages, was an element in many Qiblah finders, including this type, produced in some numbers in 19th-century Iran. The brass case is densely engraved with a gazetteer that gives the geographical coordinates of the Qiblah at many cities in the Islamic world.

762-1889