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Elephant clock


The elephant clock was a medieval invention by Al-Jazari (1136–1206), a Muslim engineer and inventor of various clocks including the Elephant clock which consisted of a weight powered water clock in the form of an Asian elephant. This horological technology was derived from earlier Indian clocks that were in turn derived from even earlier Han Chinese clock technology that was originally invented by the Han Chinese polymath Su Song. It is known from his own book that Su Song had utilized even earlier ancient Han Chinese technologies such as the clock escapement mechanism that was invented by the polymath and buddhist monk Yi Xing as well as the hydraulic powered waterwheel and water clock in the mechanically-driven and rotated equatorial armillary sphere of the Han Chinese polymaths Zhang Heng and Ma Jun. The Elephant clock had some design differences compared to earlier Indian and Han Chinese clocks and the various elements of the clock are in the housing (howdah) on top of the elephant. They were designed to


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