The astrolabe represents a pivotal scientific innovation within the Islamic intellectual tradition, functioning as both an astronomical instrument and a cultural artefact that bridged Greek heritage with Islamic advancement. While its importance is widely acknowledged, a systematic chronological study of its development remains scarce. This article seeks to reconstruct the chronology of astrolabe innovation in Islamic astronomy by examining its evolution, applications, and intellectual contributions across different phases of Islamic civilization. Adopting a qualitative approach, the study integrates literature analysis, historical method, and bibliometric insights to analyse classical manuscripts, scholarly treatises, and contemporary research. The findings demonstrate that the Islamic contribution to the astrolabe was not merely a transmission of Greek knowledge but a transformative innovation that enhanced astronomical precision, timekeeping, navigation, and education. Key contributions by scholars such as al-Farghani, al-Sufi, and al-Biruni illustrate how regional centres including Baghdad, Andalusia, and Cairo shaped its development and dissemination. The study is limited by the availability of original manuscripts and the fragmented nature of historical sources. Nevertheless, it contributes theoretically by providing a structured historiography of Islamic science, methodologically by combining historical and bibliometric analysis, and practically by highlighting the astrolabe as an early model of interdisciplinary innovation. The originality of this research lies in its integrative historiographical perspective, which advances scholarship on Islamic astronomy and underscores the astrolabe’s enduring role in knowledge transfer and technological heritage.
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