Fine Art by Aline de Leandro

 Figure 1 hereunder is the basic geometric grid used to create a hexagon; the most common grid used by the early Islamic artists to make their star patterns.  If you look closely, it has the same outline as the modern-day clock/watch which is shown in Figure 2 below.

The Chinese, Greeks and other ancient civilisations kept time using all sorts of gadgets including sun-dials, water clocks, stone columns and hourglasses; all were cumbersome & heavy. 

The first mercury-powered automated clock was invented during Islam?s Golden Age by the mechanical engineer, Ibn Khalaf al Muradi, who wrote about it in his 'Book of Secrets' [Kitab al Asrar] in 1277.  Al Muradi had closely studied the work of the instrument-maker/astrologer/and leading astronomer, Ishaq Abu Ibrahim al Zarqali (1029-1087).  Al Zarqali had upgraded the astrolabe from the basic model designed by the Greeks.  The segmentation on the updated astrolabe was used primarily to map out the heavens [used for travel and especially to find the correct direction of Mecca for prayers].  As they had mapped the heavens and their star patterns, they gave them names resulting in the twelve houses of astrology [again on the same basic grid - as shown hereunder] (Surah 85:1 al Burj).  N.b. Nowadays, Islamic scholars prefer to ignore the astrology component [as it would mean 'divining', which in Islam is considered magic and therefore in conflict with the words of the Qur'an]. 

    Figure 1. Figure 2.