Mariam Al-Ijliya Al-Asturlabi was a tenth century muslim intellectual who lived in modern-day Syria. Mariam was famous for creating very accurate astrolabes (akin to the modern GPS). In fact, her name itself identifies her career: "al-Asturlabiyy" signifies "the astrolabist", an individual who creates Astrolabes. The accuracy of her astrolabes advanced communication in tenth century muslim society, by enabling individuals to coordinate a common place to meet.
The development of astrolabes enabled muslim society to accurately observe all five times of prayer in the day and pointed the North Star of the muslim world: the Kabba, the most sacred site in Islam, based in modern Saudia Arabia.
Despite never taking a math course, Mariam excelled in applying complicated engineering techniques to develop state-of-the-art astrolabes. This has been credited to her father, who was also an astrolabe maker, and decided that Mariam would pursue his career. He brought Mariam into his astrolabe workshop, which played a key role in helping Mariam develop her engineering and mathematical intuition.
Astrolabes are similar to the modern-day GPS. They display an individual's location in latitude and longitude, with respect to celestial bodies such as the sun, moon, and stars. The Astrolabe can also use the sun’s position to determine the time. This made it central for the Islamic Calendar and for Islamic Holidays such as Ramadan. This is why Mariam’s position as an astrolabe maker was so revered. As Mariam’s fame grew, she caught the attention of Sayf al-Dawla, the founder of the Emirate of Aleppo, a city in modern-day Syria. Mariam was subsequently called upon to serve in the court of Aleppo.
