2. The nawaa ('season') Ash Shabt has 2 Moon stations, Al Naam and Al Baldaah:
Al Baldaah surely must refer to π Sagittarii (Al Baldah):
"π, a 3d-magnitude on the back of the head, was Al Tizini's Al Baldah, from the 19th manzil, which it marked; Al Achsasi considering it as Al Nā'ir, the Bright One, of that lunar station." (Allen) This does not make us any wiser as to its meaning. Moreover, Allen has this statement in his description of the Pegasus constellation: "The starless region toward Pisces was Al Bīrūnī's Al Baldah, the Fox's Kennel, a term for whose stellar connection I find no explanation." Considering the fact that there is no star given for the manzil Al Baldaah we can guess the meaning of Al Baldaah is 'starless'. But there is more. In his description of the Sagittarius constellation Allen says: "The 19th manzil lay in the vacant space from the upper part of the figure toward the horns of the Sea-Goat, and was known as Al Baldah, the City, or District, for this region is comparatively untenanted. It was marked by one scarcely distinguishable star, probably π, and was bounded by six others in the form of a Bow, the Arabs' Kaus, which, however, was not our Bow of Sagittarius. It was also Al Kilādah, the Necklace; and Al Udhiyy, the Ostrich's Nest, marked by our τ, ν, ψ, A, and ζ; while the space between this and the preceding mansions was designated by Al Bīrūnī as 'the head of Sagittarius and his two locks'. In his discussion of this subject, quoting, as he often did, from Arab poets, he compared this 19th manzil to 'the interstice between the two eyebrows which are not connected with each other', - a condition described by the word Άblād, somewhat similar to the Baldah generally applied to it." We ought to add the star A Sagittarii to our list, but I am unable to find it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
