ManuscriptsArab14th century

Pump for Raising Water (painting, recto; text, verso), folio from a manuscript of the Kitab fi Ma'rifat al-Hiyal al-Handasiyya (Book of Ingenious Mechanical Devices) of al-Jazari

1354

Description

Badi’ al-Zaman Abu al-Izz Isma’il b. al-Razzaz al-Jazari's compendium of mechanical devices stands out for combining theory with practice and providing the earliest mentions of mechanical devices that were thought to have been invented in later periods in Europe. Ibn al-Jazari was an engineer who lived in Amid and possibly Diyar Bakr, and was in the service of the Artuqid rulers of Diyar Bakir: Nur al-Din and his sons Qutb al-Din and Nasr al-Din. The book was commissioned by Nasr al-Din, and it was completed in 1204 A.D. or 1206 A.D. This folio, however, comes from a Mamluk copy of the book which was written in 1354 A.D by the scribe, Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Izmiri. The machine depicted here pumps water from a river. Running water rotates a paddled wheel (see the paddles in red) which in turn rotates a horizontal axle. The machine has a triangular body which is immersed in the flowing water. The body contains a gear system which is powered by the rotating axle. A lever on the gear transforms rotational motion into horizontal force which activates a two-cylinder system. The cylinders are alternately filled with water from the same flowing water. The water is then pumped through the two pipes providing a continuous flow of water at the top end of the device.

Classification

Manuscripts

Medium

Ink and opaque watercolor on paper

Culture

Arab

Period

Mamluk period

Century

14th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art