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A Brief Visual History of the Zodiac in Islam

September 17, 2020
Horoscope from the book of the birth of Iskandar. Image courtesy of Wellcome Images.

Astrology and the Zodiac are often associated with flowery magazine columns and teenager obsessions, however, unbeknownst to many, they are said to have roots in Islamic heritage. Islamic Historian and Professor Ali A. Olomi has been garnering attention on Twitter for his informative threads about unconventional aspects of Islam, including the study of dreams, Islamic astrology and mythic and legendary creatures. For centuries, the zodiac existed as a medieval Islamic intellectual tradition. There are historical meanings and definitions to each sign and associations with each group of signs. In Islamic cultural tradition, the same applies. In one of his Twitter threads, Olomi shared that both medieval and Islamic astrology share an emphasis on planets, meaning that the signs themselves (such as Virgo, Leo, etc) are not as important as the planets that rule. This is different than the popular forms of astrology that appear in magazines and products that focus on the signs and commoditize and commercialize them. Therefore, their focus is placed on the way planets interact in houses and signs.   Islamic astrology shares a lot of commonalities and influence with European medieval astrology. For example how they…


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