Ḥawādith: An Inventory of Celestial and Natural Phenomena from Historical Sources

Recording natural phenomena was a common practice among historians of the ancient and medieval world. Medieval historical chronologies often included reports of natural phenomena occurring on Earth, in the atmosphere, or in the sky. Providing firsthand observations of rare natural phenomena, these records offer valuable information about such occurrences as the various phases of climate change on Earth, the regularity of earthquakes in different regions, and the orbits of comets.Ḥawādith is the first systematic attempt to compile digital records of celestial and natural phenomena drawn from the historical writings of various cultures. This project aims to present these records in a digital platform, enabling scholars to study them, verify their accuracy, and investigate their implications on other historical questions. In the first phase of the Ḥawādith project, records from the historical sources from the Islamic world, written in various languages, including Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Turkish, were collected. The dates of events were recorded both in the common era and the original calendar systems. English translations of the records were also included in the database.