The Arabic constellation al-Ṯurayyā: The Head and the Two Hands (الثُّرَيَّا: الرأس واليدان). CC BY, Khalid Al-Ajaji, 2026.
al-Ṯurayyā: al-Raʾs wa-l-Yadān (الثُّرَيَّا: الرأس واليدان), “al-Ṯurayyā: The Head and the Two Hands”, is an Arabic constellation extending across parts of Cassiopeia, Perseus, Taurus, and Cetus. It represents a woman’s head with two outstretched hands and is described by al-Ṣūfī and in primary anwāʾ sources.
The constellation al-Ṯurayyā: al-Raʾs wa-l-Yadān is recorded in the primary anwāʾ works of ibn Qutayba, ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ṯaqafī, and al-Marzūqī, as well as in the astronomer al-Ṣūfī’s kitāb al-Kawākib. These sources record fourteen names for its components, which include individual stars, groups of stars, and a nebulous patch.
Variants Arabic
Arabic Name
Arabic Variants
al-Ṯurayyā (الثُّرَيَّا) “The Abundance”
al-Naǧm (النَّجم) “The Star”
al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ (الكَف الجَذْماء) “the Amputated Hand”
al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb (الكَف الخَضِيْب) “the Henna-Dyed Hand”
Sanām al-Nāqa (سَنَام النَّاقَة) “the Camel's Hump”
al-Miʿṣam (المِعْصَم) “the Wrist”
Wašm al-Miʿṣam (وَشْم المِعْصَم) “the Wrist Tattoo”
al-Ḏirāʿ (الذِّرَاع) “the Forearm”
al-Sāʿid (السَّاعِد) “the Forearm”; al-Suwayʿid (السُّوَيْعِد) “the Little Forearm”
al-Maʾbiḍ (المَأْبِض) “the Inner Elbow”
al-Mirfaq (المِرْفَق) “the Elbow”
Ibrat al-Mirfaq (إبْرَةُ المِرْفَق) “the Tip of the Elbow”
ʿAḍud al-Ṯurayyā (عَضُدُ الثُّرَيَّا) “the Upper Arm of al-Ṯurayyā”
“Ṯarwa means a great number of people or an abundance of wealth.”
It also states in the same entry:
“‘So-and-so is qarīb al-ṯarā’ means that his wealth and generosity are readily accessible to others. Ṯarwān means ‘abundant’; hence the masculine personal name Ṯarwān and the feminine personal name Ṯurayyā, the latter being a diminutive of ṯarwā. Al-Ṯurayyā [the Pleiades], among the stars, was so named because of the abundant rainfall associated with its nawʾ. It is also said to have been so named because of the multitude of its stars despite its small apparent size—as though they were numerous in relation to the confined space they occupy. The name is used only in the diminutive form, but here the diminutive serves to magnify.”
“Al-sāʿid is the meeting of the two zands from the elbow to the wrist. … It was called sāʿid because it helps (musāʿada) the hand when it seizes or takes something; the plural is sawāʿid.”
“Al-ḏirāʿ is the part extending from the tip of the elbow to the tip of the middle finger; the word is feminine, though it is sometimes used as masculine.”
“Al-ʿātiq is the place of the cloak on the shoulder (mankib); hence the saying ‘a man amyal al-ʿātiq’, when the place of the cloak on him is crooked. Or: what lies between the shoulder and the neck; masculine only, and the two are ʿātiqān.”
Ibn Qutayba (d. 276 AH / 889 CE), Hyderabad edition (1956)[8], (pp. 32-34):
English
Arabic
Ibn Qutayba said:
Al-Ṯurayyā has two hands. One is called al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ (“the Amputated Hand”)—it lies below al-Šaraṭān, with al-Baqar (“the Oryxes”) to its right—and consists of scattered stars extending to al-Ṯurayyā.
He then described al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb (“the Henna-Dyed Hand”), saying:
The other is called al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb. It is the outstretched hand of al-Ṯurayyā: five white stars in the Milky Way, opposite al-Ḥūt (“the Fish”).
He then described the line of stars extending between al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb and al-Ṯurayyā, saying:
Following al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb (“the Henna-Dyed Hand”) is al-Miʿṣam (“the Wrist”), which is the wrist of the hand. It is also called Wašm al-Miʿṣam (“the Wrist Tattoo”). It is a patch resembling a patch of cloud. A mark of this kind is sometimes made on the thigh of a she-camel.
Following al-Miʿṣam is al-Ḏirāʿ (“the Forearm”): three faint stars. Following al-Ḏirāʿ is al-Maʾbiḍ (“the Inner Elbow”): two stars close together, separated by about a cubit to the eye. Following al-Maʾbiḍ is al-Mirfaq (“the Elbow”), a white star. Beneath it is a smaller star called Ibrat al-Mirfaq (“the Tip of the Elbow”), while al-Šaraṭān (“the Two Signs”) lies to the right of al-Mirfaq.
ʿAḍud al-Ṯurayyā (“the Upper Arm of al-Ṯurayyā”) consists of stars arranged in an elongated formation between al-Mirfaq and al-Ṯurayyā, faint, like the stars of al-Ḏirāʿ. Next is al-Mankib (“the Shoulder”): two stars resembling al-Maʾbiḍ. Al-Buṭayn (“the Little Belly”) lies to the right of al-Mankib. Next is al-ʿĀtiq (“the Upper Shoulder”), a star that is not bright. Then comes al-Ṯurayyā (“the Pleiades”), which is said to be the head.
Ḏū al-Rumma said, mentioning the hands of al-Ṯurayyā:
If only Mayy’s phantom would visit by night a lover so obsessed that he never ceases to think of her,
while the hands of al-Ṯurayyā droop low in the west!
He means the end of the night, when they halted to rest. Al-Ṯurayyā sets at every hour of the night, but the poet meant a time when its setting occurs at the end of the night. By “the hands of al-Ṯurayyā,” he may have meant these two hands; alternatively, he may have meant its foremost stars, namely al-Šaraṭān.
قال ابن قتيبة:
«للثُّرَيَّا كفان، يقال لإحداهما: الكَفُّ الجَذْمَاءُ، وهي أسفل من الشَّرَطَيْنِ، وعن يمينها البَقَرُ، وهي كواكب متفرقة تتصل بالثُّرَيَّا.»
ثم وصف الكف الخضيب قائلًا:
«ويقال للأخرى: الكَفُّ الخَضِيبُ. وهو كَفُّ الثُّرَيَّا المَبْسُوطَةُ، خمسة كواكب بيض فـي الـمجرَّة حيال الحُوتِ.»
ثم وصف سطر النجوم الممتدة بين الكف الخضيب والثريا قائلًا:
«وعلى إثر الكَفِّ الخَضِيبِ: “المِعْصَمُ”. وهو للكَفِّ مِعْصَمٌ. ويُسَمَّى: “وَشْمَ المِعْصَمِ”. وهو لطخة كلطخة السحاب. وقد يجعل وَشْمًا في فَخِذِ النَّاقَةِ. وعلى إثـر المِعْصَمِ “الذِّرَاعُ”؛ ثلاثة كواكب خفية. وعلى إثر الذِّرَاعِ، المَأبِضُ؛ وهما كوكبان متقاربان بينهما في رأى العين نحو ذراع. وعلى إثر المَأبِضِ، المِرْفَقُ؛ وهو كوكب أبيض. وتحته كوكب أصغر منه يقال له: إبْرَةُ المِرْفَقِ، والشَّرَطَانِ عن يمين المِرْفَقِ. وعَضُدُ الثُّرَيَّا كواكب مستطيلة، خفية، ككواكب الذِّرَاعِ بين المِرْفَقِ والثُّرَيَّا. ثم المَنْكِبُ؛ وهما كوكبان يشبهان المَأبِضَ. والبُطَيْنُ عن يمين المَنْكِبِ. ثم العَاتِقُ؛ وهو كوكب ليس بالنيِّر. ثم الثُّرَيَّا، ويقال هي الرَّأْسُ. قال ذو الرُّمَّةِ يذكر أيدي الثُّرَيَّا:
يريد آخر الليل حين عرَّسوا، والثُّرَيَّا تغرب في كل أوقات الليل إلَّا أن الشاعر أراد وقتا يكون غروبها فيه آخر الليل. وقد يجوز أن يكون أراد بأيدي الثُّرَيَّا هاتين الكفين، وأن يكون أراد أوائلها، يعنى الشَّرَطَيْنِ.
»
The Arabic constellation al-Ṯurayyā: The Head and the Two Hands (الثُّرَيَّا: الرأس واليدان). CC BY, Khalid Al-Ajaji, 2026.
Ḏū al-Rumma said, mentioning the hands of al-Ṯurayyā: If only Mayy’s phantom would visit by night a lover so obsessed that he never ceases to think of her, while the hands of al-Ṯurayyā droop low in the west! CC BY, Khalid Al-Ajaji, 2026.
Al-Ṣūfī
Al-Ṣūfī (d. 376 AH / 986 CE), ed. al-Ajaji (2021)[9], Cetus and Perseus:
English
Arabic
Al-Ṣūfī described the two hands of al-Ṯurayyā and the line of stars extending to al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ (“the Amputated Hand”):
The Arabs call the stars in the head [of Cetus], from the first to the sixth, al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ, by which they mean the hand of al-Ṯurayyā. This is because they found two lines of stars extending from al-Ṯurayyā. One runs northwards, passing through most of the stars of the Bearer of the Ghoul’s Head [Perseus] until it reaches the bright stars on the back of al-Nāqa (“the She-Camel”), which constitute the constellation Ḏāt al-Kursī (“the Lady of the Chair”) [Cassiopeia]. They likened the bright stars on the She-Camel’s back to henna-dyed fingertips and called this hand al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb (“the Henna-Dyed Hand”).
The other line extends southwards from al-Ṯurayyā, passing through the four stars arranged in a row at the point where the Bull [Taurus] is cut off, and ends at these six stars on the head of Cetus. They likened this line and the stars on the head to an amputated hand because of its shortness and because it does not extend as far as the northern line. They likened al-Ṯurayyā to a head between two hands.
He then described the line of stars extending between al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb and al-Ṯurayyā, saying:
The Arabs likened the following line of stars, together with the constellation Ḏāt al-Kursī [Cassiopeia] on the She-Camel’s back, to an outstretched hand of al-Ṯurayyā: the first, nebulous star at the tip of the right hand [of the figure of Perseus]; the second, on his right elbow, together with the third, on his right shoulder; the bright seventh star, on his right side; the ninth and tenth, on the same side; the twenty-third, on his left knee; the twenty-fourth, on his left shank; and the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth, on his left foot, close to al-Ṯurayyā.
They therefore called the bright stars on the She-Camel’s back al-Kaff (“the Hand”); the nebulous patch at the tip of Perseus’s hand al-Miʿṣam (“the Wrist”); the second star, on the right elbow, together with the third, on the right shoulder, al-Sāʿid (“the Forearm”); the bright seventh star, on the right side, al-Mirfaq (“the Elbow”); the eighth, also on this side, al-Maʾbiḍ (“the Inner Elbow”); the ninth, likewise on this side, Ibrat al-Mirfaq (“the Tip of the Elbow”); the tenth, twenty-second, and twenty-third al-ʿAḍud (“the Upper Arm”); the twenty-fourth, on the left shank, al-Mankib (“the Shoulder”); and the two closely paired stars next to al-Ṯurayyāal-ʿĀtiq (“the Upper Shoulder”).
Some authors of books on anwāʾ related that the two bright stars close to al-Ṯurayyā lie on al-Mankib, and that al-ʿĀtiq is a star between al-Ṯurayyā and these two. This is an error on their part, for between al-Ṯurayyā and these two stars there is no star that could be counted among the six magnitudes. There are some exceedingly faint stars clustered together immediately adjoining al-Ṯurayyā, which can be discerned only with difficulty, but they are not in the position of al-ʿĀtiq—unless the gap between these two stars and al-Ṯurayyā is itself al-ʿĀtiq.
قال الصوفي يصف كفي الثريا وسطر النجوم الممتد للكف الجذماء:
«والعرب تُسمِّي الكواكب التي في الرأس من الأول إلى السادس: الكَفَّ الجَذْمَاءَ، يريدون به كف الثُّرَيَّا؛ وذلك أنهم وجدوا سطرين من كواكب يمتدان من عند الثُّرَيَّا: أحدهما نحو الشمال فيمر على أكثر كواكب ممسك رأس الغول حتى ينتهي إلى الكواكب النيِّرة التي على ظهر النَّاقَةِ، وهي كوكبة ذَاتِ الكُرْسِيِّ، فشبهوا النيِّرة التي على ظهر النَّاقَةِ بأنامل مخضوبة، فسموا هذه اليد: الكَفَّ الخَضِيبَ، والآخر يمتد من عند الثُّرَيَّا نحو الجنوب، فيمر على الأربعة المصطفة التي على موضع القطع من الثَّوْرِ، وينقطع عند هذه الستة على رأس قِيطُسَ، فشبهوا هذا السطر والكواكب التي على الرأس بيد جذماء لقصرها، ولأن امتدادها دون امتداد السطر الشمالي، وشبهوا الثُّرَيَّا برأس بين يدين.»
ثم وصف سطر النجوم الممتدة بين الكف الخضيب والثريا قائلًا:
«والعرب شبّهت السطر الذي عليه الأول السحابي الذي على طرف اليد اليمنى [من صورة بَرْشَاوُشَ] والثاني الذي على مِرْفَقه الأيمن مع الثالث الذي على منكبه الأيمن والسابع النيِّر الذي على الجنب الأيمن، والتاسع والعاشر اللذين في هذا الجنب، والثالث والعشرين الذي على الركبة اليسرى، والرابع والعشرين الذي على الساق اليسرى، والخامس والعشرين والسادس والعشرين اللذين على الرجل اليسرى القريبين من الثُّرَيَّا مع كوكبة ذَاتِ الكُرْسِيِّ التي على ظهر النَّاقَةِ بيَدٍ للثُّرَيَّا ممدودة. فسمّت النيِّرَةَ التي على ظهر النَّاقَةِ: الكَّفَ، واللطخة السحابية التي على طرف يد بَرْشَاوُشَ: المِعْصَمَ، والثاني الذي على المِرْفَق الأيمن مع الثالث الذي على المنكب الأيمن: السَّاعِدَ، والسابع النيِّر الذي على الجنب الأيمن: المِرْفَقَ، والثامن الذي على هذا الجنب أيضًا: المَأبِضَ، والتاسع في هذا الجنب أيضًا: إبْرَةَ المِرْفَقِ، والعاشر والثاني والعشرين والثالث والعشرين: العَضُدَ، والرابع والعشرين الذي على الساق اليسرى: المَنْكِبَ، والاثنين المتقارنين اللذين يليان الثُّرَيَّا: العَاتِقَ.
وحكى قوم من مؤلفي كتب الأنواء أن النيِّرين القريبين من الثُّرَيَّا هما على المَنْكِبِ، وأن العَاتِقَ هو كوكب بين الثُّرَيَّا وبين هذين الاثنين، وذلك غلط منهم لأنه ليس بين الثُّرَيَّا وبين هذين الكوكبين كوكب يجوز أن يُعَد من الأقدار الستة. وهناك كواكب مجتمعة خفية جدا ملاصقة للثُّرَيَّا لا يدركها البصر إلا بجهد، وليست في موضع العَاتِقِ إلا أن تكون الفرجة التي بين هذين الاثنين وبين الثُّرَيَّا العَاتِقَ.»
Ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ṯaqafī
Ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ṯaqafī (d. 403 AH / 1013 CE), ed. al-Qaysī and al-Dulaymī (1996)[10] (p. 83)
English
Arabic
Ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ṯaqafī said:
When you face al-Ṯurayyā, you see a line of stars to your right and left, extending northwards from it in a curve until it reaches al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb (“the Henna-Dyed Hand”). Al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb consists of five[11] irregularly arranged stars. This line is called Yad al-Ṯurayyā al-Yumnā al-Mabsūṭa (“the Outstretched Right Hand of al-Ṯurayyā”). In this representation, it resembles a human hand extended upwards, not held entirely upright but bent somewhat. Al-Ṯurayyā has another hand of the same form, extended southwards, called al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ (“the Amputated Hand”) because it is short and does not extend far. They say that al-Ṯurayyā is the head between the two hands.
In its right hand—the complete one—are stars that are the brightest within it. Among them is al-ʿĀtiq (“the Upper Shoulder”), the closest to al-Ṯurayyā; then al-Mankib (“the Shoulder”); then al-Mirfaq (“the Elbow”). Beneath al-Mirfaq is a small star called Ibrat al-Mirfaq[11] (“the Tip of the Elbow”), positioned like the corresponding part of a human elbow. There, too, is al-Maʾbiḍ (“the Inner Elbow”), resembling the inner bend of a human elbow. The portion between al-Mirfaq and al-Mankib is called ʿAḍud al-Ṯurayyā (“the Upper Arm of al-Ṯurayyā”).
Beyond al-Mirfaq is al-Miʿṣam (“the Wrist”), which resembles a patch of cloud. The portion between al-Mirfaq and al-Miʿṣam is called al-Sāʿid (“the Forearm”); the diminutive form al-Suwayʿid (“the Little Forearm”) is also used. Then, beyond al-Miʿṣam, comes al-Kaff (“the Hand”), namely al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb, which, as I told you earlier, consists of five irregularly arranged stars.
قال ابن عاصم الثقفي
«وإذا استقبلت الثريا نظرت إلى سطر من كواكب عن يمينك ويسارك قد امتدت من لدنها في الشمال على انعطاف حتى اتصلت بالكَفِّ الخَضِيبِ، والكَفُّ الخَضِيبُ كواكب خمسة[11] مـختلفة النظم، ويُسَمَّى هذا السطر: يَدَ الثُّرَيَّا اليُمْنَى المَبْسُوطَةَ، كأنها في التمثيل يد الإنسان قد مدَّها صعدًا ولم ينصبها كل النصب، ولكن عطفها بعض العطف، ولها يدٌ أخرى على هذه الصفة ممدودة نحو الجنوب تسمى: الكَفَّ الجَذْماءَ، لقصرها وأنه لا امتداد لها، ويقولون: الثُّرَيَّا الرأس فيما بين اليدين. وفي يدها اليمني - وهي التامة - كواكب، وهي أنور ما فيها، فمنها: العَاتِقُ، وهو أقربها إلى الثُّرَيَّا، ثم المَنْكِبُ بعده، ثم المِرْفَقُ، وتحت المِرْفَقِ كوكب صغير يقال له: إبْرَةُ المِرْفَقِ[11] بمنزلة مرفق الإنسان، وهناك أيضًا: المَأْبِضُ، مثل مأبض الإنسان، ويقال لما بين المِرْفَقِ والمَنْكِبِ: عَضُدُ الثُّرَيَّا، وبعد المِرْفَقِ المِعْصَمُ، وهو كاللطخة من السحاب، ويقال لما بين المِرْفَقِ والمِعْصَمِ: السَّاعِدُ، ويصغر أيضا فيقال: السُّوَيْعِدُ، ثم الكَفُّ بعد المِعْصَمِ، وهي الكَفُّ الخَضِيبُ التي أعلمتك قبل أنها خمسة كواكب مختلفة النظم.»
Al-Marzūqī
Al-Marzūqī (d. 421 AH / 1030 CE), ed. al-Dulaymī (2002)[12], (vol. 2, p. 344):
English
Arabic
Al-Marzūqī said:
There is a line of stars extending northwards in a curve [until it reaches al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb (“the Henna-Dyed Hand”). Al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb consists of five irregularly arranged stars. This line is called Yad al-Ṯurayyā al-Yumnā al-Mabsūṭa (“the Outstretched Right Hand of al-Ṯurayyā”). It has another hand of the same form, extended southwards,][13] called al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ (“the Amputated Hand”) because of its shortness. They call al-Ṯurayyāthe head between the two hands. In the right hand are stars that are its brightest, among them[13]al-ʿĀtiq (“the Upper Shoulder”), which is the closest to al-Ṯurayyā; then al-Mankib (“the Shoulder”); then al-Mirfaq (“the Elbow”)[; and beneath al-Mirfaq is][13] a small star called Ibrat al-Mirfaq (“the Tip of the Elbow”). There, too, is al-Maʾbiḍ (“the Inner Elbow”).
In the human body, ibrat al-mirfaq is the end of the forearm bone from which the cubit is measured. The other extremity, which bends when you draw your forearm towards you, is called al-qabīḥ. As the poet said:
Where the ibra meets the qabīḥ.
The inner hollow between them, into which the forearm folds, is called al-maʾbiḍ; the same term is also used for the corresponding part of the knee. [The portion between al-Mirfaq and al-Mankib is called ʿAḍud al-Ṯurayyā (“the Upper Arm of al-Ṯurayyā”). Beyond al-Mirfaq is al-Miʿṣam (“the Wrist”), which resembles a patch of cloud.][13] The portion between al-Mirfaq and al-Miʿṣam is called al-Sāʿid (“the Forearm”); the diminutive form al-Suwayʿid (“the Little Forearm”) is also used. Then, beyond al-Miʿṣam, comes al-Kaff (“the Hand”), namely al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb, the hand of al-Ṯurayyā.
قال المرزوقي:
«وهناك سطرٌ من كواكب امتدّت في الشَّمال على انعطاف [حتى اتصلت بالكَفِّ الخَضِيبِ، والكَفُّ الخَضِيبُ كواكب خمسة مختلفة النظم، ويُسَمَّى هذا السطر: يَدَ الثُّرَيَّا اليُمْنَى المَبْسُوطَةَ، ولها يدٌ أخرى على هذه الصفة ممدودة نحو الجنوب][13] تُسَمَّى: الكَفَّ الجَذْمَاءَ لقصرها، ويقولون للثُّرَيَّا: الرّأس فيما بين اليدين، وفي اليمنى كواكب هي أنورها، فمنها[13]العَاتِقُ وهو أقربها إلى الثُّرَيَّا، ثم المَنْكِبُ بعده، ثم المِرْفَقُ[، وتحت المِرْفَقِ][13] كويكب صغير يقال له: إبْرَةُ المِرْفَقِ، وهنالك أيضًا: المَأْبِضُ. فأما إبْرَةُ المِرْفَقِ من الإنسان فهو طرف عظم السَّاعد وهو الذي يذرع منه الذراع والطرف الآخر الذي يُثْنَى إذا قبضت ذراعك إليك يقال له: القبيح، قال:
حَيْثُ تَلاقِي الإبْرَةُ القَبِيحَا
ويقال لباطنهما الذي ينثني عليه الساعد: المَأْبِضُ، وكذلك هو في الركبة، [ويقال لما بين المرفق والمنكب: عضد الثريا، وبعد المرفق المعصم، وهو كاللطخة من السحاب،][13] ويقال لما بين المِرْفَقِ والمِعْصَمِ: السَّاعِدُ، ويُصَغَّرُ أيضًا، فيقال: السُّوَيْعِدُ. ثم الكَفُّ بعد المِعْصَمِ، وهي الكَفُّ الخَضِيبُ، كَفُّ الثُّرَيَّا.»
Star identifications
The identifications based on the anwāʾ descriptions are proposed by Khalid al-Ajaji. Those based on al-Ṣūfī’s description follow the commentary in al-Ajaji’s edition of al-Ṣūfī’s Kitāb al-Kawākib (2021), in the sections on Cetus and Perseus.[9]
Name
Description in anwāʾ sources
Identification from anwāʾ descriptions
Identification from al-Ṣūfī’s description
Ṯurayyā
Well known
Pleiades
Pleiades
al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ
A group of scattered stars extending to al-Ṯurayyā, lying below al-Šaraṭān, with al-Baqar to its right; see the discussion below.
λ, α, γ, δ, ξ2, μ Cet with ο, ξ, 4, 5 Tau as the connection to al-Ṯurayyā.
same
al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb
Five white stars in the Milky Way, opposite al-Ḥūt (“the Fish”).
β, α, γ, δ, ε Cas
same
al-Miʿṣam, Wašm al-Miʿṣam
It is a patch resembling a patch of cloud
Double Cluster NGC 869 and NGC 884
same
al-Ḏirāʿ, al-Sāʿid, al-Suwayʿid
Three faint stars following al-Miʿṣam.
ι, γ, η Per
γ, η Per
al-Maʾbiḍ
Two stars close together, separated by about a cubit to the eye, following al-Ḏirāʿ.
σ, ψ Per
σ Per
al-Mirfaq
A white star.
α Per
α Per
Ibrat al-Mirfaq
A small star beneath al-Mirfaq.
δ Per
φ Per
ʿAḍud al-Ṯurayyā
Consists of stars arranged in an elongated formation between al-Mirfaq and al-Ṯurayyā, faint, like the stars of al-Ḏirāʿ.
ν, ε, ξ Per
δ, ν, ε Per
al-Mankib
Two stars resembling al-Maʾbiḍ.
ο, ζ Per
ξ Per or ο, ζ Per
al-ʿĀtiq
A star that is not bright, next to al-Ṯurayyā.
HR 1188
ο, ζ Per or a gap between these stars and the Pleiades.
Discussion
The following passages describe the positions of al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ and al-Baqar and their relationship to al-Ṯurayyā:
Al-Ṯurayyā has two hands. One is called al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ (“the Amputated Hand”). It lies below al-Šaraṭān, and to its right is al-Baqar (“the Oryxes”); they are scattered stars extending to al-Ṯurayyā.
قال ابن قتيبة، رحمه الله:
«للثُّرَيَّا كفان، يقال لإحداهما: الكَفُّ الجَذْمَاءُ، وهي أسفل من الشَّرَطَيْنِ، وعن يمينها البَقَرُ، وهي كواكب متفرقة تتصل بالثُّرَيَّا.»
As for al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ, it lies below al-Šaraṭān. To its right are scattered stars called al-Baqar, extending to al-Ṯurayyā.
وقال الثقفي:
«فأما الكف الجذماء فهي أسفل من الشرطين، وعن يمينها كواكب متفرقة يقال لها: البقر تتصل بالثريا.»
Ibn Qutayba’s description leaves some uncertainty about the referent of its final clause, “they are scattered stars extending to al-Ṯurayyā.” This description may refer either to al-Baqar, the nearer antecedent, or to al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ, the principal subject of the passage. In the latter reading, the references to al-Šaraṭān and al-Baqar describe the position of the hand, after which the final clause returns to the hand itself. His separate statement that stars called al-Baqar lie opposite al-Dabarān provides a further positional description to consider.[8]
The corresponding passages in al-Ṯaqafī and al-Marzūqī must also be considered. Al-Ṯaqafī’s wording more directly attaches the connection to al-Baqar, which he describes as scattered stars to the right of al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ.[10] Al-Marzūqī, quoting ibn al-Aʿrābī, likewise places al-Baqar to the right of and below al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ, describing them as connected to al-Ṯurayyā.[12] These passages prevent the final clause in ibn Qutayba’s account from being assigned unequivocally to the hand itself.
Nevertheless, the descriptions of the complete figure provide grounds for understanding al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ as connected to al-Ṯurayyā. Al-Ṯaqafī describes a northern line of stars extending from al-Ṯurayyā to al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb, followed by another hand “of the same form,” extending southwards and called al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ.[10] Al-Ṣūfī is more explicit: the southern line extends from al-Ṯurayyā, passes through the four stars at the truncated end of Taurus, and terminates at the six stars on the head of Cetus. He states that this line and the stars on the head together were likened to an amputated hand because their extension is shorter than that of the northern line.[9] Thus, in his account, the southern hand comprises both the terminal group and the line connecting it to al-Ṯurayyā.
The interpretation adopted here also takes account of the figure’s coherence. The designation “a hand of al-Ṯurayyā” is more readily understood if the hand is linked to the central figure, rather than treated as an isolated group. In the reconstruction presented here, no separate group in this region provides an alternative connection to al-Ṯurayyā. This supports the reconstruction, although it does not establish the grammatical referent of the final clause in ibn Qutayba’s sentence.
Al-Ṯaqafī’s wording should also be assessed in light of his stated editorial method. Although he frequently draws on ibn Qutayba, he does not always reproduce his wording verbatim. In his preface, he describes his work as bringing together what his predecessors had dispersed, making accessible what they had left remote, abridging what they had treated at length, and treating fully what they had neglected.[10] This declared method allows for compilation, condensation, and reformulation. His version may therefore preserve an interpretation of the earlier description rather than its exact wording; the preface alone, however, does not establish that this particular passage was reformulated.
The two readings imply competing identifications of the same connecting line. In the reconstruction presented here, only one line of stars in this region provides the connection to al-Ṯurayyā: it must belong either to al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ or to al-Baqar. The descriptions cannot therefore be reconciled simply by treating both groups as independently connected to al-Ṯurayyā.
The interpretation adopted here assigns this line to al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ. This follows al-Ṣūfī’s explicit description of the southern line and the stars on the head of Cetus as together forming the amputated hand.[9] It also accords with al-Ṯaqafī’s description of a southern hand extending from the central figure, parallel in conception to the northern hand.[10] On this reading, ibn Qutayba’s final clause describes al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ, while the references to al-Šaraṭān and al-Baqar locate it in the sky.[8] The passages that instead attach the connection to al-Baqar preserve a competing account, rather than an additional connection.
IAU Working Group Star Names
In 2026, the following names were proposed for stars belonging to the historical constellation al-Ṯurayyā:
“AlSaid” from al-Sāʿid, or “AlSuwayid” from al-Suwayʿid for ι Per, with τ Per as an alternative.
“AlMabid” from al-Maʾbiḍ for σ Per, with ψ Per as an alternative.
“Aladud” from ʿAḍud al-Ṯurayyā for ν Per.
WGSN decided in ... 202x to name ... ...
Weblinks
Reference
↑Hyde, Thomas. Tabulæ Long[itudinis] ac Lat[itudinis] Stellarum Fixarum. Oxford: Henry Hall, 1665.
↑Ideler, Ludwig. Untersuchungen über den Ursprung und die Bedeutung der Sternnamen. Berlin, 1809.
↑Al-Ṣūfī, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. ʿUmar (903–986 CE). Description des étoiles fixes. Translated with notes by H. C. F. C. Schjellerup. St. Pétersbourg: Commissionnaires de l’Académie Impériale des sciences, 1874.
↑Allen, Richard Hinckley. Star Names — Their Lore and Meaning. Dover edition, 1963.
↑Kunitzsch, Paul. Untersuchungen zur Sternnomenklatur der Araber. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1961.
↑محمد مرتضى الزبيدي (توفي 1205 هـ)، تاج العروس من جواهر القاموس.
Al-Zabīdī, Muḥammad Murtaḍā (d. 1205 AH / 1790 CE), Tāj al-ʿarūs min jawāhir al-qāmūs.
↑ 8.08.18.28.38.4أبو محمد عبد الله بن مسلم ابن قتيبة الدينوري المتوفى سنة 276هـ - 889م، كتاب الأنواء في مواسم العرب، دائرة المعارف العثمانية، حيدر أباد، الهند، 1375 هـ - 1956م.
Ibn Qutayba al-Dīnawarī, Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh b. Muslim (d. 276 AH / 889 CE). Kitāb al-anwāʾ fī mawāsim al-ʿArab. Hyderabad, India: Dāʾirat al-Maʿārif al-ʿUthmāniyya, 1375 AH / 1956 CE.
↑ 9.09.19.29.3كتاب الكواكب لأبي الحسين عبد الرحمن بن عمر الرازي المعروف بالصوفي (291-376)، تحقيق خالد بن عبد الله العجاجي.
Al-Ṣūfī, Abū al-Ḥusayn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. ʿUmar (d. 986 CE). Book of the Stars. Critical edition with commentary by Khalid al-Ajaji. Digital edition, 2021. Digital edition.
↑ 10.010.110.210.310.410.5عبد الله بن حسين بن عاصم الثقفي (توفي 403 هـ)، الأنواء والأزمنة، تحقيق: د. نوري حمودي القيسي، د. محمد نايف الدليمي، دار الجيل، بيروت، لبنان، 1416 هـ.
Ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ṯaqafī, ʿAbd Allāh b. Ḥusayn (d. 403 AH / c. 1013 CE). Al-Anwāʾ wa-al-azmina. Edited by Nūrī Ḥammūdī al-Qaysī and Muḥammad Nāyif al-Dulaymī. Beirut: Dār al-Jīl, 1416 AH / 1996 CE.
↑ 11.011.111.211.3Dark red text marks corrections to corrupt readings in the printed edition of al-Ṯaqafī’s text. The edition reads ḫafiyya (خفية, “faint”) in place of ḫamsa (خمسة, “five”). The reading ḫamsa is supported by the later wording of the same passage and by al-Marzūqī’s account; moreover, the stars in question are bright, not faint. The edition also reads Ibrat al-Mankib (إبرة المنكب, “the Tip of the Shoulder”) in place of Ibrat al-Mirfaq (إبرة المرفق, “the Tip of the Elbow”).
↑ 12.012.112.2الإمام أبو علي أحمد بن محمد بن الحسن المرزوقي (توفي سنة 421 هـ)، الأزمنة والأمكنة، تحقيق د. محمد نايف الدليمي، عالم الكتب، بيروت، لبنان، 1422 هـ.
Al-Marzūqī, Abū ʿAlī Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan (d. 1030 CE). Al-Azmina wa-al-amkina (“Times and Places”). Edited by Muḥammad Nāyif al-Dulaymī. Beirut: ʿĀlam al-Kutub, 1422 AH / 2002 CE.
↑ 13.013.113.213.313.413.513.613.7Al-Marzūqī, Al-Azmina wa-al-amkina, ed. al-Dulaymī, vol. 2, p. 344. Text in square brackets is missing from the printed edition and has been supplied from the corresponding passage in ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ṯaqafī’s text. The other text marked in dark red corrects the printed reading fīhā (فيها, “in it”) to fa-minhā (فمنها, “among them”), following ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ṯaqafī.
