al-Farghani (c 860-c 920)

Akhmad al-Farghani was one of the Pleiad scientists, a member of the House of Wisdom established by Khaliph AL-Ma'mun in the 9th century. This large scientific center was also known as the al-Ma'mun Academy. It was first in Mery, then in Baghdad that the scientists whom he invited from Khoresm, Sogdiana, Shash, Farab, Khorosan conducted their scientific. The two observatories were equipped with the most modem equipment for that era It was there that astronomers from the al-Ma'mun Academy calculated the Earth's circumference, the degree length of the Earth's meridian, investigated the stars, compiled the "zibjes" (tables) and wrote scientific reports. AI-Farghani was also invited to work with these scientists. During his work in Egypt, he created the famous "Cairo Nilemeter", a measuring device for the water in the Nile. This invention has preserved its scientific value to this day, used for the construction of the Aswan Dam.

Akhrnad Farghani's major works known to us today consist of three titles: The Book About Sky Movements and the Science of Star Codes", 'Thirty Elements", 'Theoretical Computations or Spheres". This treatise was one of the first works on astronomy in Arabic. Owing to Farghcini's the Ma'mun Academy's research works on astronomy became known in the West. Fargl'ani the great oriental scientist, decided "after checking" Ptolemeus' data-precision, specifj/ing and correcting previous astronomic data, proved the spherical shape of the earth based on the observation of heavenly bodies and forecasted the solar eclipse of 812.

In the 12th century "The Book About Sky Movements..." was translated into Latin twice, and in the 13th century it was translated into Kastil and old French. In 1669 Jacob Helios the Dutch expert in Arabic and mathematics, made another Latin translation and published this work in its original state. - adapted from Historische Persönlichkeiten in der Geschichte von Usbekistan

Books from Alibris: Arabic Astronomy