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Elephant Clock, a page from the book “Knowledge of Intelligent Mechanical Devices” by Al-Jazari
(ساعة فيل ، صفحة من كتاب معرفة الأجهزة الميكانيكية الحاذقة بقلم الجزري)

Title	Elephant Clock, a page from the book “Knowledge of Intelligent Mechanical Devices” by Al-Jazari
Title Original	ساعة فيل ، صفحة من كتاب معرفة الأجهزة الميكانيكية الحاذقة بقلم الجزري
Publication Date:	Its history is 715 AH / 1315 AD
Publication Place	Syria - Metropolitan Museum of Art
Subject	Mamluk — Ink, opaque watercolour, and gold on paper
Type	Other
Language	Undetermined
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	Yes
Physical Dimensions	الارتفاع : 30 سم ، العرض : 19.7 سم الحامل : 48.9 سم ، العرض : 36.2 سم الإطار : الارتفاع : 51.4 سم ، العرض : 38.7 سم
Library:	Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID	57.51.23
Record ID	object;EPM;us;Mus23;28;ar
Library Location	Metropolitan Museum of Art
Date	Its history is 715 AH / 1315 AD
Notes	This page comes from a treatise on the wonderful devices invented by the author Ismail Al-Jazari. His elephant-shaped clock was particularly complex: every half hour, the bird on the dome whistled, the man below him dropped a ball into the dragon’s mouth, and the driver hit the elephant with his spur. The automatic system is prominent in the elaborate clocks found in city halls in medieval Europe, which made the passage of time more enjoyable through the performance of moving figures. The page is a rare piece delivered from Syria, where few manuscripts of this history are known.
Sample Text	“Elephant Clock, a page from the book Knowledge of Clever Mechanical Devices by Al-Jazari” within Discover Islamic Art Collections. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;EPM;us;Mus23;28;ar
Bu sayfanın künyesi	MWNF Working Number: US3 28
Seçili bibliyografya	Ackerman, Phyllis,Guide to the Exhibition of Persian Art, New York. The Iranian Institute, New York: The Iranian Institute, 1940: no. Gallery VII; case 72G, 190.Atil, Esin,Art of the Arab World, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1975.Atil, Esin,Renaissance of Islam: Art of the Mamluks, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1981: 255–57.Bernus-Taylor, Marthe,L'Etrange et le Merveilleux en Terres d'Islam. Musée du Louvre 23 avril–23 juillet 2001, Paris: Musée du Louvre, 2001.Campbell, Thomas P. (ed),The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012: 133, ill. (colour).Dimand, Maurice S., "New Accessions of Islamic Art",Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, 16 (April 1958): 227–335, ill. 229 (b/w).Ekhtiar, Maryam, Canby, Shelia R., Haidar, Navina and Soucek, Priscilla P. (eds),Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011: 6, 143–45, no. 92, ill. 144 (colour).Roxburgh, David J. (ed),Turks. A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600–1600, London, New York: Royal Academy of Arts, 2005.Swietochowski, Marie and Ettinghausen, Richard, "Islamic Painting",Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series, 36/2 (Autumn 1978): 4–5, ill. 5 (b/w).Welch, Stuart Cary,The Islamic World. Vol. 11, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987: 50–51, ill. fig. 35 (colour).

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Museum With No Frontiers

Elephant Clock, a page from the book “Knowledge of Intelligent Mechanical Devices” by Al-Jazari

(ساعة فيل ، صفحة من كتاب معرفة الأجهزة الميكانيكية الحاذقة بقلم الجزري)

Publication Date Its history is 715 AH / 1315 AD

Publication Place Syria - Metropolitan Museum of Art

Subject Mamluk — Ink, opaque watercolour, and gold on paper

Type Other

Language Undetermined

Digital Yes

Manuscript Yes

Physical Dimensions الارتفاع : 30 سم ، العرض : 19.7 سم الحامل : 48.9 سم ، العرض : 36.2 سم الإطار : الارتفاع : 51.4 سم ، العرض : 38.7 سم

Library Museum With No Frontiers

Library Asset ID 57.51.23

Record ID object;EPM;us;Mus23;28;ar

Library Location Metropolitan Museum of Art

Date Its history is 715 AH / 1315 AD

Notes This page comes from a treatise on the wonderful devices invented by the author Ismail Al-Jazari. His elephant-shaped clock was particularly complex: every half hour, the bird on the dome whistled, the man below him dropped a ball into the dragon’s mouth, and the driver hit the elephant with his spur. The automatic system is prominent in the elaborate clocks found in city halls in medieval Europe, which made the passage of time more enjoyable through the performance of moving figures. The page is a rare piece delivered from Syria, where few manuscripts of this history are known.

Sample Text “Elephant Clock, a page from the book Knowledge of Clever Mechanical Devices by Al-Jazari” within Discover Islamic Art Collections. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;EPM;us;Mus23;28;ar

Bu sayfanın künyesi MWNF Working Number: US3 28

Seçili bibliyografya Ackerman, Phyllis,Guide to the Exhibition of Persian Art, New York. The Iranian Institute, New York: The Iranian Institute, 1940: no. Gallery VII; case 72G, 190.Atil, Esin,Art of the Arab World, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1975.Atil, Esin,Renaissance of Islam: Art of the Mamluks, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1981: 255–57.Bernus-Taylor, Marthe,L'Etrange et le Merveilleux en Terres d'Islam. Musée du Louvre 23 avril–23 juillet 2001, Paris: Musée du Louvre, 2001.Campbell, Thomas P. (ed),The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012: 133, ill. (colour).Dimand, Maurice S., "New Accessions of Islamic Art",Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, 16 (April 1958): 227–335, ill. 229 (b/w).Ekhtiar, Maryam, Canby, Shelia R., Haidar, Navina and Soucek, Priscilla P. (eds),Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011: 6, 143–45, no. 92, ill. 144 (colour).Roxburgh, David J. (ed),Turks. A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600–1600, London, New York: Royal Academy of Arts, 2005.Swietochowski, Marie and Ettinghausen, Richard, "Islamic Painting",Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series, 36/2 (Autumn 1978): 4–5, ill. 5 (b/w).Welch, Stuart Cary,The Islamic World. Vol. 11, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987: 50–51, ill. fig. 35 (colour).