Commentary on Gulam Sinan's Risaletu'l-Fethiya

Abstract

Some of the scholars, who were left without a patron due to the assassination of Ulugh Beg (d. 1449), the founder of the Samarqand Madrasa and Observatory, by his son, migrated to Anatolian lands. Scholars including Fat'Allah al-Shirwani (d. 1486) and 'Ali al-Qushji (d. 1474) carried the Samarqand astronomical tradition to these lands. 'Ali al-Qushji, who served as a scholar at the Sahn-i Thaman and Ayasofya Madrasas, trained many students in what can be considered a short period of time and helped theoretical astronomy gain momentum in Ottoman lands. Among these students was Gulam Sinan (d. 1506-7). Gulam Sinan commented on his teacher's work, which he had written under the title al-Risala al-Fathiyya during his tenure as a professor. This commentary, which Gulam Sinan wrote under the title Fath al-Fathiyya, is one of the two extant commentaries of al-Risala al-Fathiyya. The work is important not only because it is a commentary on one of the first theoretical astronomical works written in the Ottoman Empire, but perhaps more importantly because it conveys detailed testimonies about the teacher-student relationship of the period and how the lessons were taught. This approach, which has few examples in the history of science, makes this work very important. The main purpose of this article is not to explain the theoretical issues covered in the work, even if they are mentioned due to the subject. The focus of the study is on Gulam Sinan's relationship with his teacher 'Ali al-Qushji, which sometimes led to arguments and disagreements. In addition, through references to other names and books, an attempt was made to reveal the sources from which a classical period Ottoman astronomer drew.