Person

Ismail al-Jazari

1136–1206 · 12th century

Ismail al-Jazari was an engineer and inventor who served the Artuqid rulers of Diyarbakır in upper Mesopotamia for about 25 years. Around 1206 he completed his Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices, describing water clocks, automata, pumps and other machines with detailed drawings. He is one of the best-known engineers of the medieval Islamic world.

Ismail al-Jazari — Image: Al-Jazari · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Artuqids of Hasankeyf

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Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ismail al-Jazari. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ismail-al-jazari
MLA: “Ismail al-Jazari.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ismail-al-jazari. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Ismail al-Jazari.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ismail-al-jazari.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ismail al-Jazari’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ismail-al-jazari (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻