İhsan Fazlıoğlu: "Mustafa b. Ali el-Muvakkıt (Ali al-Muwaqqit)" (En/İng.)
From: Thomas Hockey et al. (eds.). The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers, Springer Reference. New York: Springer, 2007, pp. 33-34 Courtesy of http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-30400-7_35
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ʿAlī al‐Muwaqqit: Muṣliḥ al‐Dīn Muṣṭafā ibn ʿAlī al‐
Qusṭanṭīnī al‐Rūmī al‐Ḥanafī al‐Muwaqqit
İhsan Fazlıoğlu
Born probably Istanbul, (Turkey)
Died Istanbul, (Turkey), 1571
Muṣṭafā ibn ʿAlī was one of the most important figures of 16th‐century Ottoman astronomy. He was
nicknamed al‐muwaqqit (the timekeeper) because of his theoretical and practical studies of
astronomical timekeeping (ʿilm al‐mīqāt) and work on astronomical instruments, and is considered
to be the founder of the Ottoman tradition of ʿilm al‐mīqāt and practical astronomy. To a great
extent Muṣṭafā ibn ʿAlī continued the movement of the Turcification of Graeco–Hellenic and
classical Islamic astronomy literature that was started by Muḥammad al‐Qunawī. He also wrote
books in the field of mathematical geography.
Born in Istanbul in the early 16th century, Muṣṭafā ibn ʿAlī was educated in the wake of the reigns
of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror and Sultan Bāyazīd II (reigned: 1481–1512), during which time
the sciences were nurtured. He took courses from the leading scholars of the time, including
Mīram Čelebī who continued the tradition of astronomy established by his great grandfather ʿAlī
Qūshjī, his friends, and students. In addition, Muṣṭafā ibn ʿAlī inherited the previous achievements
of ʿilm al‐mīqāt (timekeeping) from Muḥammad al‐Qunawī, who had relied upon the work of
Khalīlī, and Ibn al‐Shāṭir before him. As the muwaqqit (timekeeper) of the Sultan Selīm I Mosque
in Istanbul, Muṣṭafā ibn ʿAlī came to be known as the Koca Saatçi (grand timekeeper). His precise
calculations for determining time were accepted as a primary source not only within the Ottoman
State but also, according to Ewliyā čelebi, in Western Europe. After 1560, he was appointed
Müneccimbası (head astronomer), replacing Yusūf ibn ʿUmar, and thus became well known as
“Müneccimbası Muṣṭafā čelebi.” Upon his death in 1571, Muṣṭafā ibn ʿAlī was replaced by Taqī al‐
Dīn.
It is evident from the prefaces of his books that Muṣṭafā ibn ʿAlī began writing at a rather early age
during his tenure as timekeeper of the Yavuz Sultan Selīm Mosque. One of his early works was
Iʿlām al‐ʿibād fī aʿlām al‐bilād (in Turkish) on mathematical geography. Written in 1525, it was
presented to Sultan Süleymān I and included astronomical and geographical information such as
the distances to Istanbul (as the crow flies) of 100 major cities stretching from China to Morocco,
their longitudes and latitudes, their qiblas (directions toward Mecca), and their shortest and
longest days. It is clear from the introduction that the author regarded Istanbul as the center of the
world, and that he chose cities that were along the lines of the Ottoman army conquest from
Istanbul. Given that the book was presented to Sultan Süleymān, it could well be that it was produced for practical needs of the state. There are over 30 copies of the work in the Istanbul
manuscript libraries, so it must have been widely read. (Süleymaniye Library, Hacı Mahmud MS
5633 is the author's copy.)
Muṣṭafā ibn ʿAlī's second work on geography, entitled Tuḥfat al‐zamān wa‐kharīdat al‐awān (in
Turkish), deals with cosmography, astronomy, and geography; a distinguishing feature of the work
is its extensive application of mathematics to geography. Also written in 1525, it is clearly meant to
complement his Iʿlām al‐ʿibād fī aʿlām al‐bilād. The Introduction provides general information about
the science of geography and its sources. Chapter One offers detailed information about planetary
orbs ( falaks), planets, and stars; Chapter Two deals with the Earth, seas, islands, rivers, and
mountains; Chapter Three takes up the seven climes as well as distances, longitudes, and latitudes
of 150 cities within these seven climes; and Chapter Four discusses zawāl time. Muṣṭafā ibn ʿAlī
relied on earlier Islamic works, namely Jaghmīnī's al‐Mulakhkhaṣ fī ʿilm al‐hayʾa al‐basīṭa (An
introduction to astronomy), Qāḍīzāde al‐Rūmī's commentary on Jaghmīnī's work, Damīrī's (died:
1405) para‐zoological encyclopedia Ḥayāt al‐ḥayawān, and Qazwīnī's (died: 1283) cosmological
work ʿAjāʾib al‐makhlūqāt.
The fact that Muṣṭafā ibn ʿAlī dedicated most of his important books to Sultan Süleymān and his
grand viziers, and that he wrote almost all his works on astronomy and geography in Turkish rather
than Arabic, indicate that he took the needs of the Ottoman state bureaucracy and society into
account. A vast amount of the Graeco–Hellenic and Islamic astronomical corpus was transferred
into Turkish. Indeed, Muṣṭafā ibn ʿAlī made a conscious effort to transform Turkish into a language
of science. Out of his 24 astronomical works, 21 are in Turkish and the other three in Arabic. (See
OALT, Vol. 1, pp. 177–179.) By writing in Turkish he was able to reach a greater audience (i. e.,
beginning students of astronomy and timekeepers) as indicated by the number of extant
manuscripts and late copies. Using Turkish was also an advantage when referring to Ottoman
geographical locations, especially in Istanbul, the Balkans, and Anatolia.
Many of Muṣṭafā ibn ʿAlī's books deal with astronomical instruments. His Faraḥ Fazā, dedicated to
Sultan Süleymān's Grand Vizier Ibrāhīm Pasha, examines the construction and use of the horary
quadrant (al‐rubʿal‐āfāqī) that he claims as his invention (Veliyüddîn Efendi MS 2282/3). Muṣṭafā
ibn ʿAlī's Kifāyat al‐qanūʿ fī al‐ʿamal bi‐ʾl‐rubʿ al‐maqṭūʿ (On the quadrant, in Arabic) clarifies and
makes accessible the Iẓhār al‐sirr al‐mawḍūʿ by the famous astronomer‐muwaqqit Sibṭ al‐Maridīnī
(died: 1506) who incorporated the traditions of Khalīlī and Ibn al‐Shāṭir.
In 1529, Muṣṭafā ibn ʿAlī wrote Kifāyat al‐waqt li‐maʿrifat al‐dāʾir wa‐ faḍlihi wa‐ʾl‐samt (in Turkish).
Some 120 copies of the work, also known as Risāla fī al‐muqanṭarāt, are extant; it deals with
various aspects of geometry, trigonometry, and astronomy and also mentions an astronomical
instrument called rubʿ al‐muqanṭarāt (astrolabic quadrant). Muṣṭafā ibn ʿAlī's Tashīl al‐mīqāt,
written in 1529, discusses mathematical and astronomical features of timekeeping and specifically
the usage of the astronomical instrument al‐rubʿ al‐mujayyab (sine quadrant). The book has five
separate versions indicating that this work was updated. If we consider all five redactions as one
work, there are presently about 100 copies that were widely used.
Another work written in 1529 is Muṣṭafā ibn ʿAlī's Risālah‐i jayb‐i āfāqī (in Turkish) in which he
mentions the construction, usage, and mathematical properties of an astronomical instrument
called al‐mujayyab al‐āfāqi. There are currently 50 known copies. His Ḥall dāʾirat muʿaddil al‐nahār
(in Turkish), written in 1531 at the request of Grand Vizier Ayās Pasha, shows how to use this
instrument according to the latitude of Istanbul (Nuruosmaniye MS 4891/4, author's copy). The
Risālat al‐asṭurlāb al‐Selīmī (in Turkish), his most voluminous work, was written in 1544 and was
based on the Zīj (astronomical handbook) of Ulugh Beg. In it, Muṣṭafā ibn ʿAlī examines the
construction, mathematical properties, and usage of the astrolabe. His other works deal with
various other instruments and aspects of timekeeping.
In his astronomical corpus, Muṣṭafā ibn ʿAlī al‐Muwaqqit utilized a high level of geometry,
trigonometry (especially spherical trigonometry), and numerical analysis; however, he writes in a
simple language and presents easy and practical solutions. These features were instrumental in his
textbooks and handbooks being used over many years in Muwaqqithânes (timekeeping institutions
attached to mosques) and madrasas (schools) throughout a wide geographical area.
Selected References
Atāî, Nevi‐zāde (1989). Hadāʾik al‐hakāʾik. Istanbul, p. 286. Gag‐ ri Yayinlari.
Bağdadlı, İsmail, Pasa (1945). Īḍāḥ al‐maknūn. Vol. 1. Istanbul: Milli Eg‐itim Bakanlig‐i Yayinlari, pp. 103,
203.
——— (1955). Hadiyyat al‐ʿārifīn. Vol. 2. Istanbul: Milli Eg‐itim Bakanlig‐i Yayinlari, p. 435.
Brockelmann, Carl. Geschichte der arabischen Litteratur. 2nd ed. Vol. 2 (1949): 217; Suppl. 2 (1938): 216.
Leiden: E. J. Brill.
Bursalı, Mehmed, Tahir (1923). Osmanlı Müellifleri. Vol. 3. Istanbul, 1342 H, pp. 300–301
İhsanoğlu, Ekmeleddin, et al. (1997). Osmanlı Astronomi Literatürü Tarihi (OALT) (History of astronomy
literature during the Ottoman period). Vol. 1 (no. 82). Istanbul: IRCICA, pp. 161–179.
——— (2000). Osmanlı Coğrafya Literatürü Tarihi (OCLT) (History of geographical literature during the
Ottoman period). Vol. 1. Istanbul: IRCICA, pp. 49–52.
Kātib Čelebī, Kashf al‐ẓunūn ʿan asāmī al‐kutub wa‐ʾl‐funūn. Vol. 1 (1941), cols. 118, 366, 407, 519; Vol. 2
(1943), col. 1501. Istanbul: Milli Eg‐itim Bakanlig‐i Yayinlari.
King, David A (1995). “Rubʿ” (quadrant). In Encyclopaedia of Islam. 2nd ed. Vol. 8, pp. 574–575.
Leiden:
E.J.Brill.
Taeschner, Franz (1923). “Die geographische Literatur der Osmanen.” Zeitschrift der Deutschen
Morgenländischen Gesellschaft N. F. 2, 77: 31–80, esp. 46.
Toderini, Giambatista (1789). De la littérature des Turcs. Translated into French from the Italian by l'abbé de
Cournand. 3 Vols. Paris, Vol. 1, 145–146, 153. (Originally published as Letteratura turchesca. Venice, 1787.)
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