Taqi al-Din : a great Ottoman inventor

Taqi al-Din Muhammad ibn Ma'ruf al-Shami al-Asadi

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.[7] Taqi al-Din is also known for the invention of a six-cylinder 'Monobloc' pump in 1559, the invention of a variety of accurate clocks (including the first mechanical alarm clock, the first spring-powered astronomical clock, the first watch measured in minutes,[8] and the first clocks measured in minutes and seconds)[9] from 1556 to 1580, the invention of an early telescope some time before 1574,[4] his construction of the Istanbul observatory of al-Din in 1577, and his astronomical activity there until 1580.

Taqi al-Din was born in 1521 in Damascus, Syria, and was educated in Cairo, Egypt. He became a Qadi (judge in Islamic law), Islamic theologian, muwaqqit (religious timekeeper) at a Mosque and teacher at a Madrasah for some time, while publishing a number of scientific books during this time. 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 on the basis that it would help in making accurate astrological predictions. The project began in 1575,[2] and was completed in 1577, at nearly the same time as Tycho Brahe's observatory at Uraniborg. This would become known as the Istanbul observatory of al-Din, an observatory built to rival Ulugh Beg's Samarkand observatory. At the new observatory, Taqi al-Din updated the old Zij astronomical tables, particularly Ulugh Beg's Zij-i-Sultani, describing the motions of the planets, sun, moon and stars.[3]HYPERLINK "_cite_note-Fazlioglu-9_related.html"[10]

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 saw no other use for the observatory and decided to destroy it in order to reserve his funds for his war efforts. The observatory was razed in 1580.[2]

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It is quite amazing how Islam can mix spirituality, politics, group ceremonies and science where the religious leaders can also scientists and politicians.  

This information was taken completely from the website www.amazines.com

Luc Rolland

(Turkish Takiyuddin) (1526–1585) was a major Ottoman TurkishHYPERLINK "_cite_note-0_related.html"[1] or ArabHYPERLINK "_cite_note-Soucek-1_related.html"[2] Muslim polymath a scientist, astronomer and astrologer, engineer and inventor, clockmaker and watchmaker, physicist and mathematician, botanist and zoologist, pharmacist and physician, Islamic judge and Mosque timekeeper, Islamic philosopher and theologian, and Madrasah teacher. He was the author of more than 90 books on a wide variety of subjects, including astronomy, astrology, clocks, engineering, mathematics, mechanics, optics and natural philosophy,[3]HYPERLINK "_cite_note-Topdemir-3_related.html"[4] though only 24 of those works have survived.[4] He was widely regarded by his contemporaries in the Ottoman Empire as "the greatest scientist on earth".[5]HYPERLINK "_cite_note-5_related.html"[6]