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Comparison paper on Al Sufi's art

Introduction

Abd al-Rahman Al-Sufi, commonly known as Al Sufi or Azophi was a Persian Astronomer who was born on the 7th of December 903 in Iran and he dies on the 25th of May, 986 in Shiraz. He was amongst the nine most famous Muslim astronomers. He was a devout Sufi Muslim which can be defined as adherent to the mystical dimension of Islam. While living in the court of Emir Adud-ad-Daula in Persia he worked extensively on translating the Greek astronomical works specifically the Almagest of Ptolemy. He presented various contributions to rectify some of Ptolemy's list of stars. He also worked on estimating the brightness and magnitude or the stars. His most famous publication was the Fixed Stars which was inspired by the work of Ptolemy. This paper looks focuses on comparing two masterful works of art created by Al Sufi the Perseus and Andromeda with the Sagittarius and it also compares the Orion with Ursa Major. Every work of art is in actuality the depiction of constellations, such images are used to show the constellations since according to Greek Mythology many of the Greek gods and other creatures were given a place in the sky as constellations. The paper also presents how Al Sufi's art is related to astronomy (Ridpath, n.d).

Discussion

Al Sufi's major contributions to astronomy

Al Sufi created most of his work in the Persian City Shiraz he later moved to the city of Baghdad and focused on the star catalogue in Ptolemy's Almagest. The Ptolemy became the foundation for his own Arabic version called Kitab al-Kawakib al-Thabita also known as the Book of the Fixed Stars. The book was written after 964 AD approximately 800 hundred years after the Almagest was written. Al Sufi's work was the first update of the book by Ptolemy and the book of Fixed Stars became the standard handbook regarding constellations up until many centuries. It was because of Al Sufi's work that he inspired many other Arabic people towards astronomy and the Greek also decided to come back into the field of astronomy based on his work. In his book the fixed Stars Al Sufi concurs with the existence of 48 constellations just like Ptolemy; Al Sufi further added information regarding the traditional Bedouin Arabic constellations. Al Sufi also translated the Hellenistic astronomy which was centered in Alexandria, the lunar crater of Azophi and the minor planet 1261 Alsufi are both named after him.

Comparison between Perseus and Andromeda with Sagittarius art

Perseus and Andromeda

The art of Perseus and Andromeda by Al Sufi is a direct depiction of Greek mythological stories Andromeda was a princess and the daughter of Cassiopeia and Cepheus she was punished for her mother's bragging that her daughter was extremely beautiful and that the Nereids who were the Nymph daughters of the sea god Nereus were no match for Andromeda. Nereus who was frequently accompanied by Poseidon the brother of Zeus. In order to reprimand the Queen for her haughtiness ...