| The Kamal Board | |
| Arabs and the Chinese instrument for determining WHEN you had arrived at a certain latitude. |  |
| This instrument was used in the 18th and 19th centuries. | |
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| The Kamal Board | |
| Arabs and the Chinese instrument for determining WHEN you had arrived at a certain latitude. | |
| This instrument was used in the 18th and 19th centuries. | |
To use the device, the user places a knot between their teeth and holds the
kamal out until the string is taut. Then the user places the bottom edge on the
horizon. If the North Star just touches the top edge, then the navigator knows
the ship has arrived at the latitude that corresponds with the knot selected.
If the North Star lies below the top edge, the navigator must continue sailing North;
if the North Star lies above the top edge, the navigator sails South.
What this means is that the Kamal has to be calibrated BEFORE use. A knot
must be placed on the string while the navigator is AT each intended destination.
The kamal is held up and moved closer or further away from the navigator's eye until
the North Star and horizon touch the top and bottom edges respectively. The position
of the string between the user's teeth is marked and a knot placed in that location.
However it is also true that the string was marked with knots spaced in increments of
one finger's width. One finger's width is called an "issabah" in Arabic; a "chih" in Chinese,
and both are approximately 1 degree, 36 minutes, and 25 seconds.