Title
Qibla indicator with sundial
Year/Period
19th century
Region
Ottoman Turkey
Object Type
Material
Technique
Dimension
Object size: 1.2 x 8.5 x 9.0 cm
Accession No.
2023-01447
Collection of
Portable qibla indicators like these serve the needs of Muslim travellers. The instrument’s primary function is to help its owner determine, from his location, the where to face in the direction of Mecca while conducting prayers (termed ‘qibla’). The indicator also contains a gnomon which enables it to function as a sundial for telling time. This instrument is a reproduction in silver of a 16th century ivory compass made by Bayram ibn Ilyas. The set of markings and certain design features (such as the depiction of the Ka’ba) have been faithfully replicated while an Arabic inscription attributing this to “'amal afqar al-nas Bayram ibn Ilyas” (“work of the most humble Bayram ibn Ilyas”) confirms the source.
