Al-Jazari Completes the Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices
- Date
- 1206 CE
- Category
- Science, technology & invention
- Region
- Upper Mesopotamia (Diyarbakir, Artuqid realm)
- Era
- Post-Classical / Medieval
- Significance
In 1206, the polymath Badi al-Zaman Abu al-Izz Ismail ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari (1136-1206) completed the Kitab fi Ma'rifat al-Hiyal al-Handasiyya (The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices) while serving as chief engineer at the Artuqid court of Nasir al-Din Mahmud at Diyarbakir in Upper Mesopotamia.
The treatise describes some fifty mechanical devices in six categories, complete with detailed instructions and illustrations for their design, manufacture, and assembly, including elaborate water clocks such as the celebrated Elephant Clock, musical automata, fountains, and water-raising machines. Al-Jazari documented or pioneered key mechanical components such as the camshaft, the crankshaft with a crank-connecting rod mechanism, segmental gears, and double-acting suction pumps, anticipating concepts central to later engineering. It is widely regarded as one of the most important works in the history of engineering, unmatched in pre-modern times for the wealth of practical construction detail it provides. The book secured al-Jazari's reputation as a foundational figure in mechanical engineering, automation, and robotics.
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Empires active in 1206 CE
- Jurchen Jin Dynasty1115 CE – 1234 CE
- Mongol Empire1206 CE – 1368 CE
- Song Dynasty960 CE – 1279 CE
- Kanem-Bornu Empire700 CE – 1900 CE
- Abbasid Caliphate750 CE – 1258 CE
- Byzantine Empire330 CE – 1453 CE
Related science, technology & invention events
- Ibn al-Nafis Describes the Pulmonary Circulation of the Bloodc. 1242 CE
- Ibn al-Haytham Completes the Book of Opticsc. 1021 CE
- Gutenberg's printing press and the first printed Biblec. 1440–1455 CE
- First recorded use of the magnetic compass for navigationc. 1088-1117 CE
- Su Song's astronomical clock tower with escapement mechanism1088 CE (completed 1092)
- The print revolution spreads across Europeby 1500
Further reading
The wider story
A Little History of Science
Warm, jargon-free tour of discovery from Babylonian stargazers to the genome.
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