Manazil-ul-Qamar

 In Islamic astronomy, the Lunar Mansions, known as “Manazil-ul-Qamar” or Dairat-ul-Burooj in Arabic, are a system of lunar divisions used to track the Moon’s position along its monthly journey across the sky. The concept of Lunar Mansions originated from ancient Arab and Islamic traditions and was developed to aid in timekeeping, navigation, and astronomical observations.

The Lunar Mansions divide the path of the Moon into 28 segments, each corresponding to a specific area of the sky. These segments are based on the Moon’s approximate daily motion relative to the stars, resulting in each Mansion spanning approximately 12 to 13 degrees of celestial longitude along the ecliptic.

The Lunar Mansions (Manāzil al-Qamar) form an ancient system of dividing the sky into 28 segments based on the Moon’s motion, which also underpins the Universal Hijri Calendar. As the Moon traverses the ecliptic over the course of a solar year, it appears to pass through these lunar sectors in succession, completing twelve full cycles around the Earth, one for each Hijri month.

It is interesting to know that, though observational data shows the movement of the moon in the belt of constellations, however, precise calculations suggest that the sun traverses the same path over the year (365.25 days app.) apparently—the sun lodges in each mansion for approximately 13 days.

This interactive simulation visualizes the Sun’s apparent motion along the ecliptic throughout the solar year, as observed from Earth. The elliptical path represents the ecliptic plane, along which the Sun appears to travel due to the Earth’s orbit. Surrounding the central Earth are the 28 Manāzil al-Qamar (lunar mansions), traditional markers used in Islamic astronomy to divide the Moon’s monthly journey. As the simulation progresses, the Sun moves along the orbit, illustrating its changing position relative to these celestial landmarks over time. This provides an intuitive, visual understanding of both the Sun’s annual path and the connection between solar motion and classical lunar mansion systems.

No.	Arabic Name	English Name	Greek Name	Constellation	Declination	Ascension	Brightness	Distance (LY)
1	Al-Fara Al-Moakhar	Al-Pherg	Eta Piscium	Pisces	15 N	1.5 H	3.83	350
2	Batn al-Hut	Alrescha	Alpha Piscium	Pisces	3 N	2 H	4.33	139
3	Al-Sharatan	Sheratan	Beta Arietis	Aries	21 N	2 H	2.64	59.6
4	Al-Botayn	Botein	Alpha Arietis	Aries	20 N	3 H	4.35	168
5	Al-Thuraya	Pleiades	Pleiades	Taurus	24 N	4 H	2.87	400
6	Al-Debaran	Aldebaran	Alpha Tauri	Taurus	17 N	4.5 H	0.95	65.1
7	Al-Heq’ah	Meissa	Lambda Orionis	Orion	10 N	5.5 H	3.33	1300
8	Al-Hen’ah	Alhena	Gamma Geminorum	Gemini	16 N	6.5 H	1.92	109
9	Al-Dhira’a	Alzirr	Xi Geminorum	Gemini	13 N	7 H	3.35	58.7
10	Al-Tarf	Alterf	Lambda Leonis	Leo	22 N	9.5 H	4.32	329
11	Al-Nathrah	Alminliar	Kappa Leonis	Leo	26 N	9.4 H	4.46	201
12	Al-Jabhah	A-Jieba	Gamma Leonis	Leo	20 N	10.5 H	2.28	130
13	Adh-Dhubrah	Zosma	Delta Leonis	Leo	20 N	11 H	2.56	58.4
14	Al-Sarfah	Denebola	Beta Leonis	Leo	15 N	11.5 H	2.11	35.9
15	Al-Awwa	Zavijava	Beta Virginis	Virgo	2 N	12 H	3.6	35.65
16	Al-Simak	Spica	Alpha Virginis	Virgo	10 S	13.5 H	1.04	260
17	Al-Zubanan	Zubenelgenubi	Alpha & Beta Librae	Libra	10 S	15 H	2.8	75
18	Al-Ghafr	Acrab	Beta Scorpii	Scorpius	20 S	16 H	2.5	470
19	Al-Iklil	Dschubba	Delta Scorpii	Scorpius	22 S	16 H	2.3	444
20	Al-Qalb	Antares	Alpha Scorpii	Scorpius	26 S	16.5 H	0.96	550
21	Al-Shaulah	Shaula	Lambda Scorpii	Scorpius	37 S	17.5 H	1.62	700
22	Al-Na’yem	Kaus	Sagittarii	Sagittarius	35 S	18 H	1.8	143
23	Al-Baldah	Albaldah	Pi Sagittarii	Sagittarius	21 S	19 H	2.88	440
24	Sa’ad al-Dhabih	Dabih	Beta Capricorni	Capricornus	15 S	20 H	3.05	328
25	Sa’ad Al-Bala’a	Dorsum	Theta Capricorni	Capricornus	17 S	21 H	4.07	162
26	Sa’ad Al-Saud	Sadalsuud	Beta Aquarii	Aquarius	5 S	21.5 H	2.87	540
27	Sa’ad Al-Akhbiayh	Sadachbia	Gamma Aquarii	Aquarius	1 S	22.5 H	3.85	160
28	Al-Fara Al-Moqaddam	Second Star of Thunderbolt	Gamma Piscium	Pisces	3 N	23 H	3.7	138

#	Arabic Name	Transliteration	Approx. Dates	Segment (°)
1	الْفَرْعُ الْمُؤَخَّرُ	Al-Faraʿ al-Moʾakhkhar	20 Mar – 1 Apr	0 – 12.857
2	بَطْنُ الْحُوتِ	Batn al-Ḥūt	2 Apr – 14 Apr	12.857 – 25.714
3	الشَّرَطَانُ	Al-Sharatan	15 Apr – 27 Apr	25.714 – 38.571
4	الْبُطَيْنُ	Al-Buṭayn	28 Apr – 10 May	38.571 – 51.428
5	الثُّرَيَّا	Al-Thurayyā	11 May – 23 May	51.428 – 64.285
6	الدَّبَرَانُ	Ad-Debarān	24 May – 5 Jun	64.285 – 77.142
7	الْهَقْعَةُ	Al-Haqʿah	6 Jun – 18 Jun	77.142 – 90
8	الْهَنْعَةُ	Al-Hanʿah	19 Jun – 1 Jul	90 – 102.857
9	الذِّرَاعُ	Al-Dhirāʿ	2 Jul – 14 Jul	102.857 – 115.714
10	النَّثْرَةُ	Al-Nathrah	15 Jul – 27 Jul	115.714 – 128.571
11	الطَّرْفُ	Al-Ṭarf	28 Jul – 9 Aug	128.571 – 141.428
12	الْجَبْهَةُ	Al-Jabhah	10 Aug – 22 Aug	141.428 – 154.285
13	الزُّبْرَةُ	Adh-Dhubrah	23 Aug – 4 Sep	154.285 – 167.142
14	الصَّرْفَةُ	Al-Ṣarfah	5 Sep – 17 Sep	167.142 – 180
15	الْعَوَّاءُ	Al-ʿAwwāʾ	18 Sep – 30 Sep	180 – 192.857
16	السِّمَاكُ	Al-Simāk	1 Oct – 13 Oct	192.857 – 205.714
17	الْغَفْرُ	Al-Ghafr	14 Oct – 26 Oct	205.714 – 218.571
18	الزُّبَانَان	Al-Zubānān	27 Oct – 8 Nov	218.571 – 231.428
19	الْإِكْلِيلُ	Al-Iklīl	9 Nov – 21 Nov	231.428 – 244.285
20	الْقَلْبُ	Al-Qalb	22 Nov – 4 Dec	244.285 – 257.142
21	الشَّوْلَةُ	Al-Shaulah	5 Dec – 17 Dec	257.142 – 270
22	النَّعَائِمُ	An-Naʿāyim	18 Dec – 30 Dec	270 – 282.857
23	الْبَلْدَةُ	Al-Baldah	31 Dec – 12 Jan	282.857 – 295.714
24	سَعْدُ الذَّابِحِ	Saʿd adh-Dhābiḥ	13 Jan – 25 Jan	295.714 – 308.571
25	سَعْدُ بُلَعَ	Saʿd Bulaʿ	26 Jan – 7 Feb	308.571 – 321.428
26	سَعْدُ السُّعُودِ	Saʿd as-Suʿūd	8 Feb – 20 Feb	321.428 – 334.285
27	سَعْدُ الْأَخْبِيَةِ	Saʿd al-Akhbiyah	21 Feb – 5 Mar	334.285 – 347.142
28	الْفَرْعُ الْمُقَدَّمُ	Al-Faraʿ al-Muqaddam	6 Mar – 19 Mar	347.142 – 360