Taqi al-Din
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Taqi al-Din Muhammad ibn Ma'ruf al-Shami al-Asadi (Arabic: تقي الدين محمد بن معروف الشامي السعدي, Turkish: Takiyuddin) (c. 1526–1585) was a major Turkish[1] Muslim scientist, astronomer, engineer, inventor and philosopher. He is the author of several texts on astronomy, astrology, optics, and clocks. One of his books, Al-Turuq al-samiyya fi al-alat al-ruhaniyya (The Sublime Methods of Spiritual Machines) (1551), described the workings of a rudimentary steam engine and steam turbine, predating the more famous discovery of steam power by Giovanni Branca in 1629.[2] Taqi al-Din is also known for the invention of a 'Monobloc' six cylinder pump in 1559, for his construction of the Istanbul observatory of al-Din in 1577, and for his astronomical activity there until 1580.
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[edit] Biography
Taqi al-Din was born in the early 16th century in either Syria or Egypt, and was educated in Cairo. He became a Muslim theologian for a time, publishing several books, and in 1571 he moved to Istanbul to become the official astronomer for Sultan Selim II of the Ottoman Empire. When Selim II died, Murad III became the new sultan, and al-Din convinced Murad to fund the building of a new observatory. Completed in 1577, this would become known as the Istanbul observatory of al-Din, a pre-telescopic observatory built to rival the ones in Europe (specifically the Royal Danish Astronomical Observatory built for Tycho Brahe). Taqi al-Din had hoped to update the old astronomical tables describing the motion of the planets, sun, and moon.
Within months of the observatory's completion, however, al-Din witnessed a comet and, thinking the comet was an omen, predicted an Ottoman military victory. This prediction was incorrect, and because of this the Sultan decided to destroy the observatory. It was razed in 1580.
[edit] Engineering
[edit] Steam turbine
In 1551, Taqi al-Din invented an early steam turbine as a prime mover for a self-rotating spit. In his book, Al-Turuq al-samiyya fi al-alat al-ruhaniyya (The Sublime Methods of Spiritual Machines), completed in 1551 AD (959 AH), Taqi al-Din wrote:[2]
"Part Six: Making a spit which carries meat over fire so that it will rotate by itself without the power of an animal. This was made by people in several ways, and one of these is to have at the end of the spit a wheel with vanes, and opposite the wheel place a hollow pitcher made of copper with a closed head and full of water. Let the nozzle of the pitcher be opposite the vanes of the wheel. Kindle fire under the pitcher and steam will issue from its nozzle in a restricted form and it will turn the vane wheel. When the pitcher becomes empty of water bring close to it cold water in a basin and let the nozzle of the pitcher dip into the cold water. The heat will cause all the water in the basin to be attracted into the pitcher and the [the steam] will start rotating the vane wheel again."
[edit] Monobloc pump with six-cylinder engine
In 1559, Taqi al-Din invented a 'Monobloc' pump with a six cylinder engine. It was a hydropowered water-raising machine incorporating valves, suction and delivery pipes, piston rods with lead weights, trip levers with pin joints, and cams on the axle of a water-driven scoop-wheel.[3]
[edit] Astronomy
[edit] Istanbul observatory of al-Din
In 1577, Taqi al-Din built the Istanbul observatory of al-Din, which consisted of two large structures perched on a hill overlooking the European section of Istanbul and offering a wide view of the night sky. Much like a modern institution, the main building was reserved for the library and the living quarters of the staff, while the smaller building housed a collection of astronomical instruments built by al-Din. These included a giant armillary sphere and an astronomical clock for measuring the position and speed of the planets. With these instruments, al-Din had hoped to update the old Zij astronomical tables describing the motion of the planets, sun, and moon.
[edit] Instruments
Taqi al-Din wrote an important treatise on astronomical instruments entitled the Observational Instruments of the Emperor's Catalogue, which describes the astronomical instruments used in the Istanbul observatory of al-Din. These included ancient instruments such as the armillary sphere, paralactic ruler and astrolabe; medieval Muslim instruments such as the universal astrolabe, azimuthal and mural quadrants, and sextants; and several instruments he invented himself, including the mushabbaha bi'l manattiq, a unique sextant with cords for the determination of the equinoxes similar to what Tycho Brahe later used, and a wooden quadrant for measuring azimuths and elevations. His most important astronomical instrument, however, is the "observational clock", which in his In the Nabik Tree of the Extremity of Thoughts, he describes as "a mechanical clock with three dials which show the hours, the minutes, and the seconds." He used this for astronomical purposes, specifically for measuring the right ascension of the stars. This is considered one of the most important innovations in 16th century practical astronomy, as previous clocks were not accurate enough to be used for astronomical purposes.[4]
[edit] Observations
Taqi al-Din made use of his new "observational clock" to produce a zij (named Unbored Pearl) and astronomical catalogues more accurate than those of his contemporaries, Tycho Brahe and Nicolaus Copernicus. Taqi al-Din was also the first astronomer to employ a decimal point notation in his observations rather than the sexagesimal fractions used by his contemporaries and predecessors. He also made use of Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī's method of "three points observation". In The Nabk Tree, Taqi al-Din described the three points as "two of them being in opposition in the ecliptic and the third in any desired place." He used this method to calculate the eccentricity of the Sun's orbit and the annual motion of the apogee, and so did Tycho Brahe and Copernicus shortly afterwards, though Taqi al-Din's values were more accurate, due to his his observational clock and other more accurate instruments.[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Douglas, A. V. (1963). "Tenth International Congress-History of Science". Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada 57: p. 1.
- ^ a b Hassan, Ahmad Y. Taqi al-Din and the First Steam Turbine. History of Science and Technology in Islam. Retrieved on 2008-03-29.
- ^ Routledge Hill, Donald. "Engineering". Encyclopedia of the History of Arabic Science 2: pp. 751-795. London and New York: Routledge.
- ^ a b Tekeli, Sevim (1997). "Taqi al-Din". Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Kluwer Academic Publishers.
[edit] References
- Bernard, Lewis. What Went Wrong? : The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East. ISBN 0-06-051605-4.
- King, David A.. "Taki al-Din". Encyclopaedia of Islam (2nd Ed.) 10: pp. 132-3.
- King, David A. (1986). A Survey of the Scientific manuscripts in the Egyptian National Library 5. Winona Lake, IN, USA: American Research Center in Egypt, pp. 171-2.
- Hassan, Ahmad Y (1976). Taqi al-Din and Arabic Mechanical Engineering. Institute for the History of Arabic Science, Aleppo University.
- Gautier, Antoine (December 2005). "L'âge d'or de l'astronomie ottomane". L'Astronomie 119.
[edit] External links
- Discoveries of Muslim scholars
- History of Science and Technology in Islam
- Science and Technology in the Ottomans
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Din, Taqi al- |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | تقي الدين محمد بن معروف الشامي السعدي (Arabic); Din, Taqi Muhammad ibn Ma'ruf al-Shami al-Asadi al- (full name) |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | astronomer and inventor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | c. 1526 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | either Syria or Egypt |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1585 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
