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STORYTech Stories · #15EP.245 · 24 s

Tech Story #15 · Golden Age G8: Mariam al-Ijliya and the hand-held computer of the stars

Cover of the lesson: Tech Story #15 · Golden Age G8: Mariam al-Ijliya and the hand-held computer of the starsComing to YouTube soon
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// WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

Aleppo, 10th century: Mariam al-Ijliya built astrolabes, hand-held analogue computers for time, stars and direction; asteroid 7060 Al-Ijliya is named after her.

// LESSON NOTES

A 1,000-year-old computer for the stars ✨🧭

📍 Aleppo, in the 900s: Mariam al-Ijliya built astrolabes for the ruler of Aleppo.
🌌 An astrolabe is a hand-held model of the sky. Turn its star map, sight the sun along the rule, and read off the time.
⭐ It also finds stars, sunrise times and directions — a brass, hand-held computer!
🤔 What's named after her today?
☄️ An asteroid: 7060 Al-Ijliya!
📱 Your phone's GPS, compass and clock do the same jobs now.
📜 Few details of her life survive — but her name is in the history books, and in the sky.

Read the voiceover (transcript)
  1. A thousand-year-old computer for the stars!
  2. In Aleppo, Mariam al-Ijliya built them.
  3. Turn its star map, sight the sun, and it tells you the time.
  4. Stars, sunrise, directions: a hand-held computer!
  5. What's named after her today?
  6. An asteroid! Seven oh six oh.
  7. Your phone's GPS does it now.
  8. Next: the sine wave in your socket. Follow for more!

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