Islamic Astronomical Bureau

The Islamic Astronomical Bureau was a government agency of Imperial China established in 1271 during the reign of Yuan Emperor Kublai Khan. The bureau was founded in Beijing by the Persian astronomer Jamal ad-Din Bukhari, who originally hailed from Bukhara, and existed alongside the traditional Chinese Astronomical Bureau.[1] Both agencies were subordinate to the Office for Confidential Records and Books. The organization maintained an observatory and a staff of around 40 scholars and administrators, many of whom were Persians and Arabs, and operated through the early stages of the Qing Dynasty, finally ceasing to exist in 1656.[2] Though it existed for nearly four centuries, few records of the bureau remain. Overall, despite its value to the government and significance in the history of Islamic-Chinese cultural exchange in Imperial China, the activity of the Islamic Astronomical Bureau didn't have a strong impact on the procedures and processes of Chinese astronomy.[3]

Islamic Astronomical Bureau
回回司天監
Agency overview
Formed1271
Dissolved1656
Parent departmentOffice for Confidential Records and Books
Islamic Astronomical Bureau
Traditional Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinhuí huí sī tiān jiān

References

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  1. ^ Martzloff, Jean-Claude (2007). A History of Chinese Mathematics. Springer. p. 103. ISBN 978-3540337836.
  2. ^ Petersen, Kristian (2018). Interpreting Islam in China: Pilgrimage, Scripture, and Language in the Han Kitab. Oxford University Press. pp. 39–41. ISBN 978-0190634346.
  3. ^ Katherine Bracher; Richard A. Jarrell; Jordan D. Marche II; F. Jamil Ragep, eds. (2007). "Zhamaluding". Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. Springer. p. 1262. ISBN 9780387304007.