Everything about Taqi Al-din totally explained
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 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. 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.
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.
Engineering
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:
Astronomy
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.
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.
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.
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