Taqi Al-Din and the astronomers in the observatory

This page depicts Taqi al-Din ibn Ma’ruf (Damascus, 1525 – Istanbul, 1585) together with a group of astronomers in his observatory in Istanbul. This illustrious scientist was in the service of two successive Ottoman sultans, Selim II and Murad III. He wrote a treatise in which he argued that contemporary astronomic tables were obsolete and petitioned for the development of new tables. At this instigation, Murad III decided in 1575 to build an astronomical observatory in Istanbul, on the European side of the Bosphorus, on the summit of the hill in the Topkhane quarter. The observatory, which was completed in 1577, occupied two buildings: one housed a library and accommodation for staff; the second contained numerous measuring and observational instruments belonging to Taqi al-Din. The complex rivalled its European counterparts, notably, Tycho Brahe’s observatory (1576, Uraniborg, Denmark). The Istanbul observatory operated until 1580 when Murad III ordered its demolition, perhaps following an erroneous prediction byTaqi al-Din, who having observed a comet had concluded that the Ottoman army would gain a victory, which had not happened.

The scene takes place inside a building (shown in cross-section, in a convention already employed in manuscripts of the Arabic school from the end of the 12th century), probably set within a garden to judge from the cypresses and the flowering branches in the background. In front of a library, containing many works, the scientists are working around a large table on which many calculating and observational instruments have been placed, including, an astrolabe[1], a quadrant, a sextant, a chronometer and so on.  These instruments are described, and their use detailed, in a treatise written by Taqi al-Din in 1580[2]. In the foreground, stand other astronomers, including one who is examining a globe.

The study of astronomy was a constant preoccupation of Arabic sciences from the beginning of the Islamic period. The Observatory of al-Shammasiyah (Baghdad, circa 828), which no longer exists, was the earliest example of such buildings.

The construction of observatories, invariably at royal command, continued throughout the centuries. Sources indicate that a Seljuk observatory was constructed, under Malik Shah (1072-1092). The Maragha observatory (Azerbaidjan), constructed in the 13th century in the Ilkhanid period, operated under the direction of Nasir al-Din Tusi, author of the tables criticised by Taqi al-Din. Thereafter, Ulugh Beg’s observatory was constructed at Samarkand (Iran, 1429)[3].

The very detailed depiction of all the elements of the scene (the architectural frame, furniture, instruments and so on) characterise Ottoman painting from the second half of the 16th century. The same attention to detail and pursuit of an almost documentary accuracy is apparent in most works of the period. The Ottoman appreciation of naturalism is evident, in particular, in works narrating the contemporary history of the Ottoman dynasty through its celebrations[4], views of towns[5], its armed conquests and so on. The vegetal imagery present in the upper area of the composition is inspired by the Iranian painting tradition, whose influence became apparent in the nakkashane of the Palace from 1514, when artists from Tabriz joined the royal painting workshop. The influence of the Safavid school of Shiraz, to which the painter of this page belongs, is notable in Turkish miniatures from the 1520s and is recognisable in its insistence on realism, tempered by a decorative treatment of certain elements (for example, vegetation[6], and architectural detail), as is the case here.

[2] Quadrant in wood, Alat i-rasadiya li zij al-Shahinshahiy, (Observational instruments for the tables of Shahinshah), by Taqiy al-Din ibn Ma’ruf, Turkey, 1580, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, département des Manuscrits orientaux, suppl. Turc 1126, f.11a. Age d’or des sciences arabes, p.96 n°21.

[3] Two excavations in the C20th (1908 and 1941) have unearthed enormous measuring instruments including a giant marble sextant and enabled a plan of the circular ensemble on three levels to be reconstructed.

[4] Procession with the architectural model for the Suleymaniye, Surname of Murad III, Istanbul, Turkey, 1582, Istanbul, Library of Topkapi Sarayi Müzesi, inv. H 1344, f. 90b-191a.

[5] View of Lepanto, Turkey, circa 1540-1550,  Topkapi Sarayi Müzesi, Turkey, inv. 17/378.

[6] Khamseh, Nizami, Iran, Shiraz and Qazvin, 1560-1561, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Mss or. Suppl. persan 1956, f. 274b-275a.