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Ibn al-A'lam

901 – 985

Arab astronomer and astrologer

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About Ibn al-A'lam

Lived 901 – 985 (aged 83–84). Ibn al-A'lam was an astronomer.

'Alī ibn al-Ḥusayn Abū l-Qasim al-'Alawi Ashraf al-Sharif al-Husayni, , (died in Baghdad, 985), was a 10th-century Islamic astronomer and astrologer.

Little is known about Ibn al-A'lam's life, and his birth date has not been established by historians. He seems to have been one of the most prominent astronomers of the 10th century, demonstrated by the impact he had on Islamic and Byzantine astronomy. He appears to have been active in Baghdad, working under the patronage of its Buyid ruler, 'Adud al-Dawla (978–983). His Nisba "al-Alawi al-Sharif" indicates that he was a Sharif and a descendant of Ja’far al-Tayyar.

Ibn al-A'lam's main work, a zīj, also known as "" or "", was named after his patron . The work is lost, but scholars have been able to reconstruct most of it from Arabic, Persian, and Greek sources.

Ibn Yunus, the renowned 10th century Egyptian astronomer, was a contemporary to Ibn al-A'lam, whose work he praised and cited. After Ibn al-A'lam's death in 985, his influence remained for at least three centuries, as evidenced by the tables of the Maragheh observatory which were largely based on his work and that of the Egyptian astronomer Ibn Yunus.

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Important facts

Born
901
Birth century
Died
985, Baghdad
Occupation
Also known as
Ebn al Aalam

People in Ibn al-A'lam's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Ibn al-A'lam's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Ibn al-A'lam?

arab astronomer and astrologer

When was Ibn al-A'lam born?

Ibn al-A'lam was born in 901.

When did Ibn al-A'lam die?

Ibn al-A'lam died in 985 in Baghdad.

What was Ibn al-A'lam's occupation?

Ibn al-A'lam was an astronomer.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Ibn al-A'lam

· Wikidata: Q21208389

· DBpedia: Ibn al-A'lam

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ibn al-A'lam. https://biography.guide/ibn-al-a-lam/

MLA: "Ibn al-A'lam." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ibn-al-a-lam/.

Chicago: "Ibn al-A'lam." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ibn-al-a-lam/.

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