Impressions of a British Missionary in China in 1845

Here  is an interesting story on the Language Log blog about the impressions of a British Missionary in China in 1845 with respect to Chinese Muslims and their language. On July 23, 1845, a British missionary named George Smith visited a mosque in the city of Ningbo, which is a major commercial city on the [...]

Read Full Post »

Persian helped promulgate Islam in China

One thing that usually gets lost in discussion of Islam in “far-away” lands is the contribution of non-Arab Muslims in spreading Islam. The point is not to diminish the contribution of Arabs Muslims but rather to highlight the contribution made by many other. Here an article about the contibutions and the influence of the Persian [...]

Read Full Post »

The Chinese Capital in Astrolabes

(Image source: Wikimedia, Caption: Persian Astrolabe from 1208) Before the invention of modern compasses and rapid modes of transportation Astrolabes used to be the principal instrument for Muslim travellers to determine the direction of the Qibla. While going through In Synchony with the Heavens the following caught my attention, many of the astrolabes had the location [...]

Read Full Post »

Huihui-li or Islamic Calendar

Here is an interesting fact: Huihui-li is a Chinese translation of a Astronomical handbook with Tables in Farsi from the Islamic world. It was translated at the Islamic Astronomy Bureau in the Chinese Capital. during Kublai Khan’s time. Huihui-li was used in conjunction with the official Chines calendar for more than 300 years. Different versions [...]

Read Full Post »