User:KhalidAlAjaji/alkhiba alyamani

Not to be confused with Alkhiba alshamai or Alchiba.

Authors: Khalid Al-Ajaji

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Arabian Khibāʾtent. image inspired by a century old photo in Matson collection in Library of Congress. (CC BY Khalid AlAjaji 2026).

al-Ḫibāʾ (Arabic: الخباء), “the small tent” is an Arabian asterism of four stars forming a quadrilateral in the constellation Corvus.

Provenance, Etymology, History

Variants The asterism is referred to in historical sources as:

• al‑Ḫibāʾ (Arabic: الخباء), “the Tent” without a specifier.
• al-Ḫibāʾ al-yamānī (Arabic: الْخِبَاء اليماني) “Southern Tent” as mentioned by ibn Qutayba and al-Ṣūfī.

The asterism is also called:

• ʿajuz al-asad (Arabic: عجز الأسد) “the Lion’s Hindquarters”.
• ʿarš al‑Simāk, (Arabic: عرش السماك), “the Throne of al‑Simāk” in works by Ibn Qutayba, al-Marzūqī, and al-Ṣūfī. al‑Simāk is a proper name connected with being high or elevated
• al-Ajmāl/al-Ahmāl (Arabic: الأجمال/الأحمال) “the camels/the loads on camels” is reported only by al‑Ṣūfī.

Etymology

al‑Ḫibāʾ (Arabic: الخباء), from the Arabic root خ ب ي) denotes a small tent. Lisān al-ʿArab defines al-Ḫibāʾ as:

الخِباءُ مِنَ الأَبنية: وَاحِدُ الأَخْبية، وَهُوَ مَا كَانَ مِنْ وَبَر أَو صُوفٍ وَلَا يَكُونُ مِنْ شَعَر، وَهُوَ عَلَى عَمُودَيْنِ أَو ثَلَاثَةٍ، وَمَا فوقَ ذَلِكَ فَهُوَ بَيْت.

al‑Ḫibāʾ (الخِبَاء) is a tent made of camel wool or sheep’s wool, never of goat hair. It usually stands on two or three poles; anything larger than that is called a bayt (large tent).

Sources and Identification

Three primary sources describe al-Ḫibāʾ al-yamānī: Ibn Qutayba, al-Marzūqī, and al-Ṣūfī. Their accounts largely agree, allowing the stars to be identified with high confidence and clarifying how the Arabs envisioned al-Ḫibāʾ as a celestial figure.

Sources	Identification(s)
Ibn Qutayba (d. 276 H / 889) Original Arabic, p. 62 قال ابن كناسة: وربما عدل القمر فنزل بعَجُزِ الأَسَدِ، وهي أربعة كواكب بين يدي السِّمَاكِ الأَعْزَلِ، منحدرة عنه في الجنوب، مربعة على صورة النَّعْشِ، يقال لها: عَرْشَ السِّمَاكِ، وتُسَمَّى: الخِبَاءَ. English translation Ibn Kunāsa [d. 207H/822AD] said: "Sometimes the moon deviates and alights at the Hindquarters of the Lion ('Ajuz al-Asad). These are four stars situated before the Unarmed Simāk (al-Simāk al-A'zal), sloping down from it toward the south, squared in the shape of the stars of (Na'š) [the bowl of the Big Dipper α, β, γ, δ UMa]; they are called the Throne of al-Simāk('Arš al-Simāk) and are also named the Tent (al-Ḫibāʾ)." Ibn Qutayba also named this asterism the Southern tent (Arabic: الخباء اليماني، al-Ḫibāʾ alyamānī) in his description of the Northern Tent. Original Arabic, p. 67 وأولاد الظباء كواكب صغار، فيما بين الظباء والنفزات، وعن يمين نفزات الظباء كواكب مستديرة غير متقارنة، تسمّى: الحوض. والخباء أسفل من الحوض، كواكب في مثل هيئة الخباء اليمانية. English translation The fawns, awlād al-Zibāʾ (أَوْلادُ الظِّبَاءِ), are small stars located between al-Zibāʾ (الظِّبَاءِ) and the Gazelle Leaps (النَّفَزَاتِ). To the right of the Gazelle Leaps (نَفَزَاتِ الظِّبَاءِ), there are round, non-aligned stars called al-Hawd (الحَوْضَ, "the Pool"). Below al-Hawd lies al-Ḫibāʾ (الخِبَاءُ, "the Tent"), a group of stars shaped like the Southern tent (الخِبَاءِ اليَمَانِيَّةِ, al-Ḫibāʾ alyamāniyah).	Star chart of the Arabian asterism al-Ḫibāʾ al-yamānī (الخباء اليماني) in constellation Corvus. (CC BY Khalid AlAjaji 2026).
Al-Ṣūfī (d. 376 H / 986) Original Arabic, description of Corvus والعرب تُسَمِّي هذه الكواكب: عَجُزَ الأَسَدِ، وتزعم أن القمر ربما قصر فنزل بعجز الأسد، وتسمّيها أيضًا: عَرْشَ السِّمَاكِ الأَعْزَلِ، وتسميها أيضًا: الأَجْمَالَ، وتسميها أيضًا: الخِبَاءَ. English translation The Arabs call these stars [the seven stars of Ptolemaic Corvus]: the Hindquarters of the Lion (‘Ajuz al-Asad). They claim that the moon sometimes falls short and alights at the Hindquarters of the Lion. They also call them: the Throne of the Unarmed Simāk (‘Arš al-Simāk al-A‘zal); they also call them: the Camels (al-Ağmāl); and they also call them: the Tent (al-Ḫibā’). Al-Ṣūfī also named this asterism the Southern tent (Arabic: الخباء اليماني، al-Ḫibāʾ alyamānī) in his description of Hydra. Original Arabic, description of Hydra وذكر بعد ذلك أن بين الفَرْدِ وبين زُبَانَى العَقْرَبِ الخِبَاءَ اليَمَانِيَ. English translation He then mentioned that between al-Fard (Arabic: الفرد, "the lone one", Alphard α Hya) and Zubānā al-aqrab (Arabic: زبانى العقرب, "Claws of Scorpio", α2, β Lib) lies al-Ḫibāʾ al-Yamānī.	Southern Tent (الخباء اليماني), al-Ḫibāʾ al-yamānī in Corvus. Image produced by Stellarium. (CC BY Khalid AlAjaji 2026).
Al-Marzūqī (d. 421 H / 1030) Original Arabic, vol 2, p. 345 "وقال [ابن الأعرابي]: فيما بين الفَرْدِ وبين زُبَانَى العَقْرَبِ الخِبَاءُ. قال أبو حنيفة: إن كان عنى بالخِبَاءِ عَرْشَ السِّمَاكِ، فذاك، وإلَّا فليس هناك خباء غيره، وقال: على أثر الخِبَاءِ كواكب يقال لها: الشَّرَاسِيفُ، وهي كواكب مستطيلة مثل الحبل. وقال: بين الشَّرَاسِيفِ والخِبَاءِ كواكبُ مستديرةٌ متبدّدةٌ على غير نظام يقال لها: المَعْلَفُ." English translation “[Ibn al-Aʿrabī] (d. 230 H / 845) said: Between al‑Fard (Alphard α Hya) and al-Zubānā (α2, β Lib, the claws of the Scorpion) is al‑Ḫibāʾ. Abū Ḥanīfa (d. 282 H / ~895) said: If by al‑Ḫibāʾ he meant the throne of al‑Simāk, then that is correct; otherwise, there is no other Ḫibāʾ there. And he said: Following al‑Ḫibāʾ are stars that are called al-Šarāsīf (Arabic الشراسيف, the Tied camels); they are elongated stars like a rope [stars of Hydra]. And he said: Between al‑Šarāsīf and al‑Ḫibāʾ are round, scattered stars, without order, that are called al‑Maʿlaf (Arabic المَعْلَف, the Camels feeding trough) [stars of the constellation Crater].”	Southern Tent (الخباء اليماني), al-Ḫibāʾ al-yamānī as described by Ibn al-Aʿrabī (d. 230 H / 845 AD). (CC BY Khalid AlAjaji 2026).
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Stars Identification

As evident from the historical descriptions al-Ḫibāʾ, also named al-Ḫibāʾ al-yamānī, ʿajuz al-asad,ʿarš al‑Simāk, and al-Ağmal is an asterism of the quadrilateral γ, ε, β, δ Crv.

Stars of the asterism	Proper names of the stars
γ Crv	Gienah
ε Crv
β Crv	Kraz
δ Crv	Algorab

Formerly, Kunitzsch (1961) mentioned al-Ḫibāʾ (English translation):

131a. al-ḫibāʾ "the tent". Ibn Qutayba 62, 11 (among the stars treated under lunar station 14) and 73, 3 (among the stars treated under lunar station 19); Marzūqī 2, 383; Ṣūfī 313, 3; 321, 5 (Yehuda XLII, 6): another name for the stars called ʿarš al‑Simāk as-simāk al-ʿazal (no. 40).

131b. al-ḫibā al-yamānī Ṣūfī 313, 7 mentions the same star here under the extended name al-hibā al-yamānī "the southern tent".

Discussion

The name al-Ahmāl (Arabic الأحمال, “the Camel Loads”) appears in some manuscripts, but it seems to be a scribal error. The two forms الأجمال and الأحمال are graphically similar and differ by only a single dot, while al-Ağmal (“the Camels”) is preferable because it lies in the same area as the Arabian constellations al-Šarāsīf (Arabic الشراسيف, “the Tied Camels”) = Hydra and al-Maʿlaf (Arabic المَعْلَف, “the Camels’ feeding trough”) = Crater.

Image Variants, Transfer and Transformation

• Error creating thumbnail:
  ancient manuscript 1
• Error creating thumbnail:
  Laffitte's mapping
• Error creating thumbnail:
  something else ...

Verbal Discussion/ Conclusion

different opinions by modern scholars - e.g. Adams, Laffitte (2012, 2025), AlAjaji, Kunitzsch, Ideler ...

Deviating Identifications?

Header text	Adams	AlAjaji	Laffitte
Example	Example	Example	Example
Star Name	beta	alpha	gamma
Example	Example	Example	Example

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IAU Working Group Star Names

In 202x, the name ... was suggest as a star name in the area that is covered by the historical asterism. It is suggested to be used for ...

WGSN decided in ... 202x to name ... ...

This star is <a red giant or whatelse> ... here astrophysical data will be added (by Eric, most likely) after the decision.