Thread by @aaolomi

While the famed image of a centaur is the most recognizable depiction of Sagittarius, for medieval Muslim astrologers this zodiac had hidden depths.

A thread on Sagittarius in astrology from the Islamic world-

Those born under Sagittarius or al Qaws are said to be attractive, noble of spirit, have a way with words and are skilled at influencing people with speech and writing.

They have a friendly, generous, persuasive, and amiable manner.

Like Leo they are identified as one of the royal or kingly signs. It is also one of the signs astrologers took for themselves.

Al Biruni says they are liberal minded, but tricky with strong dislikes.

Though open-minded there are certain things they deeply dislike and it can invoke anger in them

They are fond of travel, thoughtful about the afterlife, and have passionate obsessions. He goes on to say they tend to meddle and cause chaos, but are well-intentioned.

They are good at philosophy, religious matters, writing, and creativity

They are a double-bodied and dual-natured sign which was interpreted as have two contrasting sides. They can be publicly amiable, but often keep a part of their life, a passion or interest secret

They are fond of food and given their Jovian nature are inclined to either being great cooks or voracious eaters. They gain weight easily, but it is deemed attractive and well-proportioned on them.

Reputedly many have a small mark on their belly or thigh.

Sagittarius is described as masculine, diurnal, hot, fiery, dry, and choleric. Its season is autumn.

Yellow, red, and gold are good colors for them to wear and they find much of their fortune on Thursday but Tuesday will be difficult for them.

They have few children, but they are considered a lusty sign.

They make good rulers, diplomats, writers, poets, and equestrians

Sagittarius is the home of Jupiter but the kingdom of the Tail of the Dragon.

It is in depiction we see a clear visual difference.

The image invokes the famed Greek centaur, but according to Kuehn the 14th C depictions were leonine or had a dragon head for a tail

The inclusion of the dragon highlights the Indian influence on Muslim astrologers who associated Rahu and Ketu, the “pseudo-planet” of the dragon with Sagittarius.

This invisible dragon was synthesized with the pre-Islamic Tannin and Persian Al Jawzahar

Compare the image from the Kitab al Bulhan (left) where Sagittarius is slaying his own tail (representing the fall of the Head of the Dragon) to the classic centaur from Al Sufi’s Kitab Suwar al Kawakib al Tabita from Bodleian Library

The dragon represents the lunar nodes

The leonine and dragon components show us historical influence, but also represent interpretive layers. It reveals the nature of kingship which must be wise and just like Jupiter, but also contains a savage component in order to rule.

It is said Capricorn obeys Sagittarius who is friendly with Aquarius and Cancer.

Sagittarius are said to easily get sick in their youth until 21.

In their 30’s they’ll become overwhelmed by personal and professional matters, but will recover.

Sagittarius Ascendant, in the 6th house, and Sun placement usually indicate thinning hair, regular headaches, and heavy blood flow.

The human body was divided up by the zodiac with Sagittarius associated with the thighs.

Muslim astrologers also designated parts of the world as governed by the Zodiac with Sagittarius corresponding to the legendary Mount Damavand, Bukhara, the lands of the Persians, the Indo-Persian East, and the lands of the Qahtani or Qahtanite

As an auspicious sign, Sagittarius was used as an important election for various activities. Courtiers would wait until Sagittarius was in the Ascendant before approaching kings.

Though it was associated with few children, it was a lusty and virile sign so some would even time sex to when Sagittarius was in the Ascendants or propose marriage during the time

Yet one was advised to avoid marriage during Moon in Sagittarius for it could lead to promiscuity

While today we associate Spring as a time of sex and fertility, for the astrologically-inclined medieval person sex during Sagittarius season could produce Virgo children or induced Leo children.

In magical work, a Jupiteran talisman made in Sagittarius employing its secret letter and a stone of lapis or chalcedony could bend kings, eagles, and horses to the will of the wearer.

Some famous Sagittarius from Islamic history include the 10th century astronomer and astrologer Abd al Rahman Al Sufi whose treatise on fixed stars shaped the Islamic study of the stars for centuries and cemented the synthesis of Greek, Arabic, and Persian science.

Of course the most famous Sagittarius was Baghdad itself. Under the direction of Al Mansur, the astrologers Nawbakht and Mashallah ibn Athari elected an auspicious date to found the city: July 31st 762 CE

They chose when the Sun was in Leo in the 9th house of philosophy and governance, with Jupiter in Sagittarius on the Ascendant

Sagittarius and Jupiter would inscribe the ideals of the Abbasids onto the foundation—to make a kingly city of learning, art, philosophy, and science

So confident in their astrological timing, they claimed no blood of a caliph would be spilled in the blessed city (Al Amin would be the exception).

A later anecdote claims when the city was sacked by the Mongols, they took care not to spill the blood of the caliph.

They wrapped Al Musta’sim in a rug and trampled him with their horses.

Another telling say they found the Caliph hiding with his treasure so they melted the gold and poured it down his throat. (Where George R. Martin got the inspiration for that one scene with the Dothraki).

Sagittarius was also used in world astrology. Abu Ma’shar and Mashallah both would claim Jesus was born during a conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in Sagittarius. The star of Bethlehem was identified as the planetary conjunction and the wise men as magi skilled in astrology.

This would fuse Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Islamic narratives

Indeed, Sagittarius would consistently be linked to Zoroastrian sentiment both through the Magi and on account of being a fire sign.

In the 10th century the Saturn and Jupiter conjunction in Sagittarius would be used to stir Zoroastrian messianic sentiment with the astrologer Abu Abdallah Al’adi predicting a coming Zoroastrian dynasty

In typical acerbic fashion, Biruni dismisses him as an idiot and points out Sagittarius governs Baghdad and the Abbasids were already Persian in their own way.

The Qarmatians used the conjunction of 928 CE in Sagittarius to rise up against the Abbasids launching an attack on Mecca and seizing the black stone and disrupting the hajj in 930 CE.

Later during the Mughal dynasty Abul Fazl notes astrologers used the appearance of a comet in Sagittarius in 1577 to predict the death of a Persian king and trouble for Persian lands.

20 days later the Safavid Shah Islamil II died

For Muslim astrologers Sagittarius was both a royal sign, an auspicious omen to be sought after for couplings, philosophy, and success but so too did it portend seismic changes. Its image offers a trace of the fusion of Greek, Persian, and Indian ideas

Its associations tell us a bit about some of the positive ideas around sex and even beauty with Sagittarius linked to a healthy figure and being the original thicc icon

I’ll cover the rest of the zodiac in future threads but while you are here please consider donating to @HAZINEblog an important research resource for archives, heritage, and culture. Their resources list of digital and visual collections is invaluable!

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