On my recent trip to Sharjah I visited the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation .
What i loved was the viewer friendly way the museum has been designed, with animated screens showing how a particular mechanism works.
I always knew about the elephant clock & had seen it in Ibn Batuta mall in Dubai but here it was well explained.
Al-Jazari’s Elephant Clock, built in the 12th century, is an impressive example of early engineering. This water-powered clock, designed in the shape of an elephant, uses a sinking bowl mechanism to mark time with automated movements every half hour. Blending Indian, Chinese, and Egyptian influences, it reflects the cultural connections of the Islamic Golden Age. Al-Jazari described this invention in his 1206 manuscript called The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices, highlighting its artistic and mechanical brilliance.
