Author(s)

ADRIANA DE MIRANDA

Abstract

Water is of great importance for life and culture in the Mediterranean. In the early Muslim age, with the advent of Islamic technology, different historical types of water devices developed in the Mediterranean basin, making use of the aesthetic and psychological potential of water. This paper focuses on hydraulic automata, particularly “surprising” fountains, as devices that were very popular in the Islamic courts. The hydraulic mechanism, hidden in the device, was able, through the application of physical principles, to amaze people because of the spectacular water movement it created. The exceptional knowledge of the Greek engineer’s mechanical application has played a fundamental role in the evolvement of the hydraulic automata from the Hellenistic Society to the Islamic Age, and has been essential for the development of innovative methods. By establishing a picture of the development of the studies that led to the creation of these wonderful mechanisms in the Islamic Golden Age, the paper will also attempt to underline the fact the hydraulic automata sustain a significant position in the history of Islamic fine technology.

Keywords

automata, hydraulics, table-fountains, ḥiyal