PROBABLY EGYPT, OTTOMAN PROVINCES, 17TH OR EARLY 18TH CENTURY

Abu al-Fath al-Sufi was an important Egyptian astronomer from the end of the 15th to the beginning of the 16th century. Twenty-six works are attributed to him, including commentaries on the renowned Zij al-Ilkhani composed for Ulugh Beg. See Thomas Hockey, et al publ., Biographical Encyclopaedia of Astronomers, 2007, Cedar Falls, p.547. As indicated in the preface, the present work appears to be a commentary on earlier works by Nasir al-Din Tusi, the Zij of Ulugh Beg, 'Ali al-Maghribi and Ibn al-Banna.