Steven Gheno
26th April 2020
ARTH C120 Selected Topics in Islamic Art: Art and Technology in Medieval Islam, Spring 2020
Prof. Balafrej Lamia, Dept of Art History
ASSIGNMENT 2: Examples of Medieval Islamic machines, tools and instruments
1. An automaton is an object that moves by itself, through the pneumatic power, from the air, or
through the hydraulic power, from the water. Its Arabic equivalent is Hiyal, the definition of
ingenious devices moved by air or by water and represents a wider concept than an automaton by
including even fountains and dispensers in its meaning.
2. Automata were mainly used in palaces in the medieval Islamic world, as their role was
connected with the expression of the power of the caliphs and the legitimacy of their rulership.
The origin of this tradition came from the Qur’an where the prophet Sulayman, considered the
example of the wise and the just Islamic ruler, expressed his power through his palace and its
sculptures which were testifying his control over the jinn of the temporal world, represented by
the craftsmen and the engineers who worked for him. Caliphs but also the urban elites used this
example to legitimate their own rulership in the Islamic world, considering themselves as
second-Sulayman, adding automata for different purposes in their palaces, from shocking to
amusing their important guests.
3. Automata had an important role in diplomatic relations between Muslim and non-Muslim,
being used to awe envoys of foreign countries showing the power of the ruler who owned them.
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