Notes on the history of geophysics in the Ottoman Empire

Abstract

Abstract. In Anatolia, the history of geophysical sciences may go back to antiquity (600 BC), namely the period when Thales lived in Magnesia (Asia Minor). In the modern sense, geophysics started with geomagnetic works in the 1600s. The period between 1600 and 1800 includes the measurement of magnetic declination, inclination and magnetic field strength. Before these years, there is a little information, such as how to use a compass, in the Kitab-i Bahriye (the Book of Navigation) of Piri Reis, who is one of the most important mariners of the Ottoman Empire. However, this may not mean that magnetic declination was generally understood. The first scientific book relating to geophysics is the book Fuyuzat-i Miknatissiye that was translated by Ibrahim Müteferrika and printed in 1731. The subject of this book is earth's magnetism. There is also information concerning geophysics in the book Cihannuma (Universal Geography) that was written by Katip Celebi and in the book Marifetname written by Ibrahim Hakki Erzurumlu, but these books are only partly geophysical books. In Istanbul the year 1868 is one of the most important for geophysical sciences because an observatory called Rasathane-i Amire was installed in the Pera region of this city. At this observatory the first systematic geophysical observations such as meteorological, seismological and even gravimetrical were made. There have been meteorological records in Anatolia since 1839. These are records of atmospheric temperature, pressure and humidity. In the Ottoman Empire, the science of geophysics is considered as one of the natural sciences along with astronomy, mineralogy, geology, etc., and these sciences are included as a part of physics and chemistry.

Physical earth and its sciences in Istanbul: a journey from pre-modern (Islamic) to modern times

“…Before the Newtonian era, science in Islamic and Western geographies was mainly driven by Aristotelian science. This F. Ozcep: Physical earth and its sciences in Istanbul paper is a continuation of works by Ozcep and Ozcep (2014) and Ozcep (2018).…”

“…Science in the Ottoman Empire came into existence in the pre-modern period as a mixture of natural history and natural philosophy. This mixture was based on the scientific traditions and institutions of Seljuk Turks (İhsanoglu, 2004;Ozcep and Ozcep, 2014). These scientific activities were performed on a large scale by scholars of different Islamic countries such as Egypt, Syria, Iran and Turkistan.…”

“…The first geology book in the Ottoman Empire was written by Mehmet Ali Fethi, Ilmü Tabakatülarz. Some of these books are given in the following (Ozcep and Ozcep, 2014 There are many books related to earthquakes (the causes of the earthquake occurrence) in the Ottoman Empire. In these types of books, generally classical Aristotelian views on earthquakes were debated.…”

“…This research is the only original research attempt of the Earthquake Department. During these years, Agamennone published many papers in Italian and French in scientific journals from 1896 to 1899 (Ozcep and Ozcep, 2014).…”