Born : 11th
century
Died : 12th
century
Main interests :
Astronomy, Mathematics.
Abū al-Fath Abd al-Rahman Mansūr al-Khāzini or simply
al-Khāzini (أبوالفتح عبدالرحمن
منصور الخازنی (Persian), flourished 1115–1130) was an astronomer of
Greek origin from Seljuk Persia. His astronomical tables written under the
patronage of Sultan Sanjar (Zīj al-Sanjarī, 1115) is considered to be one of
the major works in mathematical astronomy of the medieval period. He provided
the positions of fixed stars, and for oblique ascensions and time-equations for
the latitude of Marv in which he was based. He also wrote extensively on
various calendrical systems and on the various manipulations of the calendars.
He was the author of an encyclopedia on scales and water-balances.
Life
Al-Khazini was an emancipated slave in Marv, which was
then one of the most important cities of Khorasan. He got his name from his
master (Abu‘l Husayn ‘Alī ibn Muhammad al-Khāzin al-Marwazī) who was the
treasurer of Marv. The term khāzin was simply the title of the royal treasurer
since the early Islamic period. His master made provisions so that al-Khazini
could obtain a first-class education. Some believe that al-Khazini was a pupil
of Omar Khayyam. While this is not known, he wrote about Khayyam, in particular,
he gave a description of the water-balance invented by him (and improved upon
by Al-Isfizari). And according to some sources, he collaborated with him on the
reformation of the Persian calendar in 1079.
Al-Khazini was known for being a humble man. He refused
thousands of Dinar for his works, saying he did not need much to live on
because it was only his cat and himself in his household. Al-Khazini was one of
only about twenty astronomers of the Islamic era who performed original
observations. His works reached Byzantium in the 14th century, in particular,
they were studied by George Chrysococces and later by Theodore Meliteniotes.
Achievements
Al Khazini seems to have been a high government
official under Sanjar ibn Malikshah and the sultan of the Seljuk Empire. He did
most of his work in Merv, where they are known for their libraries. His
best-known works are "The Book of the Balance of Wisdom",
"Treatise on Astronomical Wisdom", and "The Astronomical Tables
for Sanjar".
"The Book of the Balance of Wisdom" is an
encyclopedia of medieval mechanics and hydrostatics composed of eight books
with fifty chapters. It is a study of the hydrostatic balance and the ideas
behind statics and hydrostatics, it also covers other unrelated topics. There
are four different manuscripts of "The Book of the Balance of Wisdom"
that have survived. The balance al-Khazini built for Sanjar's treasury was
modeled after the balance al-Asfizari, who was a generation older than
al-Khazini, built. Sanjar's treasurer out of fear destroyed al-Asfizari's
balance; he was filled with grief when he heard the news. Al-Khazini called his
balance "combined balance" to show honor towards Al-Asfizari. The
meaning of the balance was a "balance of true judgment". The job of
this balance was to help the treasury see what metals were precious and which
gems were real or fake. In "The Book of the Balance of Wisdom"
al-Khazini states many different examples from the Koran ways that his balance
fits into religion. When al-Khazini explains the advantages of his balance he
says that it "performs the functions of skilled craftsmen", its
benefits are theoretical and practical precision.
The "Treatise on Astronomical Wisdom" is a
relatively short work. It has seven parts and each part is assigned to a different
scientific instrument. The seven instruments include: a triquetrum, a dioptra,
a "triangular instrument," a quadrant, devices involving reflection,
an astrolabe, and simple tips for viewing things with the naked eye. The
treatise describes each instrument and their uses.
"The Astronomical Tables for Sanjar" is said
to have been composed for Sultan Sanjar, the ruler of Merv and his balance was
made for Sanjar's treasury. The tables in "The Astronomical Tables for
Sanjar" are tables of holidays, fasts, etc. The tables are said to have
the latitudes and longitudes of forty-three different stars, along with their
magnitudes and (astrological) temperaments. It is said that al-Khazini's
observations for this work were probably done in Merv in various observatories
with high quality instruments.
Sumber
Labels:
Mathematician
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