Astrolabe Vase

İ.Ö. The astrolabe, which is thought to have been invented by Hipparkhos in the 2nd century, is an astronomical and nautical instrument that is used to determine the position of celestial bodies at any latitude at any time of the year. It is known that in the ninth century at the great university in Harran, various works were written about the astrolabe as a result of the importance given to science and culture by the Abbasid caliphs.

In the 10th century, it spread from Spain under Arab rule to Europe and its use became widespread. As a result of trade and naval wars, when ships that could move further away from land began to be built, sailors began to need latitude and longitude information and to meet this need, sailor astrolabe began to be used around 1450 and later.