Among the six standard planispheric astrolabes in the astronomical instrument collection of the Malek National Museum in Tehran, Iran, four are either bad copies or forgeries; however, the remaining two astrolabes (identified as nos. 2064 and 2067) seem to be original and are dated 1051 AH and 1121 AH. This paper will provide a detailed description of them, which includes a discussion of matters related to establishing their precision. My analysis draws some rather interesting conclusions regarding Safavid science, especially regarding the technical proficiency and precision of Safavid-era scientists, something that is often denied inasmuch as many historians have maintained that the Safavid period represents a time of scientific decline.
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