Brass geomantic instrument, made by Muhammad ibn Khutlukh
al-Mawsili
Possibly from Damascus (Syria), AD 1241-42
'The revealer of secrets'
This unique instrument 'calculates' patterns of dots with
different ascribed meanings, related to the planets, four elements,
the signs of the zodiac and parts of the body. Many scholars have
written about geomantic divination, but there are no references to
an instrument such as this. One Arabic term for geomancy is
'ilm al-raml ('the science of sand'); originally, the
patterns were created when the geomancer traced dots with a stylus
across a board of sand or dust. The geomancer then inspected and
interpreted the dots, deriving further patterns, and eventually a
result or forecast for his customer. This instrument provides a
mechanical means of tracing the dots and developing further
patterns. The rectangular tablet features a series of sixteen
dials, each turning to display a domino-like pattern in the small
window above. Hence the inscription on the instrument's face:
'I am the revealer of secrets; in me are marvels of wisdom and
strange and hidden things. But I have spread out the surface of my
face out of humility, and have prepared it as a substitute for
earth. […] From my intricacies there comes about perception
superior to books concerned with the study of the art' [of
geomancy].
To use the device, the customer or the geomancer turns the first
series of four dials, creating four dot patterns for
interpretation. From these four, the geomancer then derives a
further twelve patterns, using the following dials to record each
stage. The semi-circular panel at the bottom provides 'meanings'
for the final derived pattern, and the customer receives an answer
to his question ('should I marry X?', 'will my business venture
succeed?', etc.).
The triangular handle and ring at the top of the panel are
features usually found on astrolabes. This suggests that the
craftsman, Muhammad ibn Khutlukh al-Mawsili, was also a maker of
astrolabes, but there are no known astrolabes bearing his
signature. 'al-Mawsili' shows that Muhammad ibn Khutlukh came from
Mosul in northern Iraq, a city famous for its accomplished
metalworkers in the first half of the thirteenth century.
E. Savage-Smith and M.B. Smith, Islamic geomancy and a thirtee (Malibu, Undena Publications, 1980)