Iran has a long and rich tradition in many branches of astronomy, including gnomonics. Until a few decades ago, sundials were used in mosques and madrasas (traditional religious schools) to show the times of the day, especially to determine the times of the five daily ritual prayers. Nowadays in Iran, there is a noticeable interest in astronomy both on academic and amateur levels. Some modern sundials have been constructed in educational and religious centers. For a short report on “Sundials in Iran”, see Compendium, vol. 5, Dec. 1998, pp. 24-25.

The first analemmatic sundial of Iran has been constructed in a beautiful park named “Bûstân-e Mellat” (lit., National Park) in the city of Rasht, center of the green province of Gîlân (long. 49˚, 36΄ E; lat. 37˚, 16΄ N) situated on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. Gîlân is the birth-place of Kûshyâr ibn Labbân, the Iranian astronomer who flourished around 1000 AD (see “Kûshyâr ibn Labbân” in Dictionary of Scientific Biography, vol. 7, 1981, pp. 531-33).

The calculations and design of this analemmatic sundial was carried out by Mohammad Bagheri, an Iranian member of NASS. The construction and mounting of the sundial was encouraged by Thâqeb Astronomical Society of Gîlân, and supported by the municipality and the city council of Rasht. Like many European cities, Rasht being surrounded by the Caspian and the Alburz mountain range, has mostly cloudy or rainy weather. However, on March 2, 2002, when the inauguration ceremony was being held in the presence of the official and academic authorities of the province and scores of astronomy enthusiasts, the sky was clear and the sun was shining. So, the curious participants in the gathering could check how the sundial works. There was also an exhibition of photos of different types of sundials from all over the world in the Park in a building which is the seat of the astronomical society.

There is a plan to construct several sundials of different types in this park in order to make it a scientific tourist attraction. We also plan to make Thâqeb Astronomical Society of Gîlân the main center for research and activity in gnomonics. We appeal hereby to all dialists and related institutions (observatories, planetariums, astronomical societies, sundial societies, etc.) to contribute to these goals by kindly sending their ideas, designs, and sundial kits through the address mentioned below.