Badīʿ az-Zaman Abu l-ʿIzz ibn Ismāʿīl ibn ar-Razāz al-Jazarī (1136–1206, Arabic: بَدِيعُ الزَّمانِ أَبُو العِزِّ بْنُ إسْماعِيلَ بْنِ الرَّزَّازِ الجَزَرِيّ, [ældʒæzæriː]) was a person with many talents. He was a scholar, inventor, mechanical engineer, artisan, and artist from the Artuqid Dynasty of Jazira in Mesopotamia. He is most famous for writing a book called The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices (Arabic: كتاب في معرفة الحيل الهندسية, romanized: Kitab fi ma'rifat al-hiyal al-handasiya, also known as Automata) in 1206. In this book, he described 50 mechanical devices and provided instructions on how to build them. One of his well-known inventions is the elephant clock. He has been called the "father of robotics" and a pioneer in modern engineering.

Biography

Al-Jazari was born in the area of Upper Mesopotamia in 1136. Sources do not know his exact birthplace, but they think he may have been born in Jazirat ibn Umar, which is where his name "Jazari" likely comes from. This area was also called Al-Jazira, a name used to describe Upper Mesopotamia. The only information about his life comes from his book, The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices. Like his father, he worked as a chief engineer at the Artuklu Palace, the home of the Mardin branch of the Artuqids. This group ruled parts of Upper Mesopotamia as subordinates of the Zengid dynasty of Mosul and later under Ayyubid general Saladin. His ethnic background is unknown, and he has been described as Arab, Kurdish, or Persian by different sources.

Al-Jazari was part of a group of skilled workers and focused more on building machines than on inventing new technologies. He often used trial and error to assemble his devices instead of using complex calculations. His book was widely copied in manuscripts and was popular because he only described machines he had built himself. The book’s style is similar to modern "do-it-yourself" guides, as noted by historian Mayr.

Some of his machines were based on earlier designs. For example, one of his large water clocks was inspired by a device created by Pseudo-Archimedes. He also used ideas from the Banū Mūsā brothers for his fountains, al-Saghani for a candle clock, and Hibatullah ibn al-Husayn for musical automata. Al-Jazari explained how he improved on these earlier works and described many new machines, tools, and parts that had not been created before.

1206 edition (Ahmet III 3472)

The Artuqid ruler Nasr al-Din Mahmud, who ruled from 1201 to 1222, asked the author Ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari to create the first version of his book Al-Jāmi' fī ṣinā'at al-ḥiyal in April 1206 at the Artuqid court. This manuscript is called Ahmet III 3472 and is now kept in the Topkapı Sarayı Library. The pictures in the manuscript are believed to show different parts of the Artuqid court during that time. Ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari worked at the Artuqid court in the last part of the 12th century, and this is the earliest known version of his book.

• Court scene. Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472).
• Mechanical Turkic servant. Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472).
• Female servant. Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472).
• Mechanical Turkic servant. Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472).

Mechanisms and methods

The most important part of al-Jazari's machines is the mechanisms, parts, ideas, methods, and design features they use.

A camshaft, which is a shaft with cams attached, was described in 1206 by al-Jazari. He used camshafts in his automata, water clocks (like the candle clock), and machines that lift water.

The handle of a rotary quern-stone in fifth-century BCE Spain, which spread across the Roman Empire, is an example of a crank. The earliest known crank and connecting rod mechanism was found in the 3rd century AD at the Hierapolis sawmill in the Roman Empire. The crank also appears in the mid-9th century in hydraulic devices described by the Banū Mūsā brothers in their Book of Ingenious Devices.

In 1206, al-Jazari created an early crankshaft. He used it with a crank-connecting rod mechanism in his twin-cylinder pump. Like modern crankshafts, al-Jazari's design included a wheel that moved several crankpins. The wheel turned in a circle, while the pins moved back and forth in a straight line. This crankshaft changed continuous circular motion into a straight-line motion. It is important in modern machines like steam engines, internal combustion engines, and automatic controls.

Al-Jazari used the crankshaft with a connecting rod in two of his water-raising machines: the crank-driven saqiya chain pump and the double-action reciprocating piston suction pump. His water pump also used the first known crank-slider mechanism.

English technology historian Donald Hill wrote:

Al-Jazari invented a way to control how fast a wheel spins using an escapement mechanism.

According to Donald Hill, al-Jazari described several early mechanical controls, including "a large metal door, a combination lock, and a lock with four bolts."

A segmental gear is "a piece that receives or sends back-and-forth motion from or to a cogwheel. It is shaped like a part of a circular gear or ring and has teeth on its outer edge." Lynn Townsend White wrote:

Water-raising machines

Al-Jazari created five machines for lifting water, along with watermills and water wheels that had special parts on their axles to operate mechanical figures. He described these inventions in 1206. His most important ideas and parts were introduced in these water-lifting machines.

The first known use of a crankshaft in a chain pump was in one of Al-Jazari’s saqiya machines. He also showed how to reduce the stop-and-start movement in his saqiya chain pumps to improve their efficiency. Al-Jazari built a saqiya chain pump powered by water energy instead of human effort, though the Chinese had also used water energy for similar pumps before him. Saqiya machines like those he described have been used to supply water in Damascus since the 13th century, and were widely used in the Islamic world during the medieval period. The chain in his pump is shaped like a Möbius strip, a design that appeared long before the Möbius strip was studied in mathematics.

Al-Jazari described suction pipes, suction pumps, and double-action pumps. He also used valves and a crankshaft-connected rod system when he made a twin-cylinder reciprocating piston suction pump. This pump was powered by a water wheel, which turned gears to move an oscillating slot-rod connected to two pistons. The pistons moved in opposite directions inside two cylinders, each with suction and delivery pipes controlled by valves. The delivery pipes joined above the pump to create one outlet for irrigation. This machine was important for the development of modern engineering. It was notable for three reasons:

• It used the first known true suction pipe, which draws fluids into a partial vacuum.
• It applied the double-acting principle, which allows a pump to move water in both directions.
• It converted circular motion into back-and-forth motion using a crank and rod system.

Al-Jazari’s suction piston pump could lift water 13.6 meters high with the help of delivery pipes. However, it was not more efficient than the noria, a common water-lifting device used by the Muslim world at that time.

Al-Jazari was inspired by a Byzantine siphon used to release Greek fire. According to Donald Hill, his pump is considered "a direct ancestor of the steam engine." Joseph Needham noted that Al-Jazari’s slot-rod force pump is one of "the two machines of the Middle Ages most closely related to the development of the steam engine and the locomotive," alongside a machine made by Wang Zhen a century later.

Al-Jazari also described single-bucket and four-bucket water-lifting machines. The single-bucket version used differentials, semi-circular gears, bucket elevators, and gearboxes. The four-bucket version added a mechanical timer.

In the 13th century, Al-Jazari designed the earliest water supply system powered by gears and hydropower. It was built in Damascus to provide water to mosques and hospitals. Water from a lake turned a scoop-wheel and a gear system, which moved jars of water up to a channel that delivered water to these buildings.

Automata

Al-Jazari created automated peacocks that moved using water power. He also designed automatic doors as part of a complex water clock and invented water wheels with special parts on their axle to operate machines. According to Encyclopædia Britannica, Leonardo da Vinci, an inventor from the Italian Renaissance, may have been inspired by the automata of al-Jazari.

Mark E. Rosheim explains the robotic advancements made by Muslim engineers, especially al-Jazari, in the following way:

One of al-Jazari's human-like machines was a waitress that could serve water, tea, or drinks. The drink was stored in a tank with a reservoir. After seven minutes, the drink dripped into a bucket and then into a cup. The waitress then appeared through an automatic door to deliver the drink.

Al-Jazari invented a hand-washing machine that used a flushing system similar to modern toilets. This machine was a human-like figure made of copper, holding a pitcher shaped like a peacock in its right hand. The pitcher was made of brass and had a chamber divided by a metal plate to help water flow smoothly. A reservoir for water was placed inside the figure’s right side. An axle in the right elbow allowed water to pour from the pitcher. The figure’s left arm held a fixed weight that raised and lowered the arm to hold a towel, comb, and mirror.

This machine was designed to help a king during his ritual washing. A servant would carry the figure and place it near a basin. The servant then turned a knob on the figure’s back, opening a valve that let water flow from the pitcher into the basin. When the water was nearly gone, a mechanism caused the left arm to extend, offering the towel, comb, and mirror to the king.

Water is very important in Islam. It is used in pre-prayer washing rituals, such as wudu and ghusl, and is a key feature in Islamic gardens, like the Paradise Garden mentioned in the Quran. In Mesopotamia, a region often affected by drought, water-related machines were essential for both religious and practical reasons.

A section of Al-Jazari’s book, The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices, focused on fountain mechanisms. It was titled: On the construction in pools of fountains which change their shape, and of machines for the perpetual flute.

Al-Jazari’s "peacock fountain" was a more advanced hand-washing device with human-like machines that offered soap and towels. Mark E. Rosheim describes it as follows:

The basin of the "peacock fountain" was used for pre-prayer washing. A servant would pull a plug and position the peacock’s beak, allowing water to flow into the basin for the user.

Although water-powered devices like the peacock fountain had religious uses, some suggest they were also used for non-religious purposes. Ayhan Aytes notes:

Al-Jazari’s work described fountains and musical machines that used water to move between large tanks at regular intervals. This was achieved through his use of water-based switching systems.

Al-Jazari created a musical machine that was a boat with four automatic musicians that floated on a lake to entertain guests at royal parties. Professor Noel Sharkey believes this may have been an early programmable machine. He suggests it had a drum machine with pegs (cams) that hit levers to produce rhythm. The drummer could play different patterns by moving the pegs.

The water-clock of the drummers, which is different from the musical robot band because it lacks a flute-playing doll and instead has two trumpeters, includes seven wooden figures. These figures include the trumpeters, two dolls playing cymbals, and others playing percussion instruments. This machine functions as a clock by producing music every hour, showing Al-Jazari’s ability to create complex machines for both practical and entertainment purposes. The automaton starts at sunrise when a doll moves across a design element until a carved falcon drops a ball onto a cymbal. Water and a system of pistons and cables then drive the machine. Each hour, water drains from a main tank, causing a bucket to tip and turn a water wheel connected to the musicians. The automaton produces loud music that can be heard far away and can play different tunes. Like many of Al-Jazari’s inventions, this was made to entertain guests at the royal palace.

Clocks

Al-Jazari built many types of water clocks and candle clocks. These included a portable water-powered scribe clock, which was 1 meter high and 0.5 meters wide. This clock was successfully reconstructed at the Science Museum in 1976. Al-Jazari also created large water-powered astronomical clocks that showed moving models of the Sun, Moon, and stars.

According to Donald Hill, Al-Jazari built the most advanced candle clocks known at the time. Hill described one of these clocks as having a dial to show the time. This clock was the first to use a bayonet fitting, a fastening method still used today.

The elephant clock, described by Al-Jazari in 1206, had several important features. It was the first clock in which a mechanical figure reacted after certain time intervals. For example, a humanoid robot struck a cymbal, and a mechanical bird chirped. It was also the first water clock to accurately measure the changing length of days throughout the year.

Al-Jazari’s largest astronomical clock was called the "castle clock." It was a complex device about 11 feet (3.4 meters) tall and had many functions beyond telling time. It showed the zodiac, the paths of the Sun and Moon, and had a crescent-shaped pointer that moved across the top of a gateway. This pointer was powered by a hidden cart and caused automatic doors to open every hour. Each door revealed a mannequin.

Another part of the device had five mechanical musicians who played music automatically when levers, controlled by a hidden camshaft connected to a water wheel, moved them.

Al-Jazari invented water clocks powered by both water and weights. These included geared clocks and the portable water-powered scribe clock, which was 1 meter high and 0.5 meters wide. The scribe with his pen acted like the hour hand of a modern clock. Al-Jazari’s famous water-powered scribe clock was successfully reconstructed at the Science Museum in London in 1976.

Miniature paintings

In addition to his work as an inventor and engineer, al-Jazari was also a skilled artist. In his book, The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices, he provided detailed instructions for his inventions and drew pictures of them using a type of art called miniature paintings, which was common in medieval Islamic art.

• One of al-Jazari's candle clocks.
• The musical robot band created by al-Jazari.
• A table device automaton designed by al-Jazari.
• The hand-washing automaton with a flush mechanism designed by al-Jazari.
• Al-Jazari's hydropowered saqiya chain pump device.
• An illustration of a device invented by al-Jazari.
• A sketch of a device designed by al-Jazari. From the manuscript of Kitab al-Hial, housed in the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto.