Did you know that a Turkish scholar discovered the rotation of the earth exactly 600 years before Galilei? What about the fact that the same scholar made studies on the law of gravity long before Newton? Let’s examine together the Turkish scholar who discovered gravity, whose work is insistently studied by Western scholars.
Abu Reyhan Muhammad Bin Ahmad Al-Biruni (973-1051)
Biruni, who was interested in various branches of science such as astronomy, mathematics, physics, medicine, geography, history, geodesy, geology and pharmacy and had important studies in this field, was born in 973 in Khwarezm, which is located in the region along the Ceyhun River, which is now within the borders of Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Biruni, who is said to have been patronized in the palace of Khwarezmshahs, attracted attention with his intelligence when he was still very young and started his first observation studies at the age of 11 and measured the meridian height of the Sun by dividing a dial into half-degree angles before he turned 17.
Bîrûnî, who left lasting works to the world of science in different fields of science, is best known as a mathematician. The greatest mathematician of his century, Bîrûnî was the first to propose that the radius be accepted as a unit in trigonometric functions, and added the secant, cosecant and cotangent functions to functions such as sine and cosine. These inventions of al-Biruni were only discovered and used by the Western World two centuries later.
Al Biruni – Different States of the Moon
In the field of chemistry, Biruni calculated the specific gravities of 23 solids and six liquids very close to their current values.
Biruni, who also left many works in the world of medicine, managed to deliver a woman by caesarean section during his time. “Kitabu’s Saydane”, a book on medicinal herbs and certain medicines, was Biruni’s last work and was written in 1050. In this book, the healing properties of about three thousand plants and how they are used are written.
One of the most important works of Biruni in the field of astronomy is “Masudî fi’l Heyeti ve’n-Nujum”, which he presented to Sultan Masud in 1010. Although this work of Biruni has survived to the present day, some of the scholar’s works in the field of astronomy are unfortunately lost.
It is important for the history of science that he discussed the views of Aristotle and Ptolemy and emphasized the possibility of the Earth rotating on its axis in his work titled Kanun. However, it is assumed that Bîrûnî could not come to a definite conclusion on this subject, and it is thought that these works are among the lost works.
Biruni’s works, which totaled 196 works, were translated into various languages in medieval Europe, but only 27 of them have survived to the present day.
While examining Biruni’s productivity and scholarly identity, the issue that should probably be pointed out in terms of industrial rights is about the protection and publicity of ideas and works. The fact that many of the inventions and discoveries of this famous Turkish scholar are not well known on a global scale, as they were discovered much earlier than their western counterparts, and the fact that the location of some of his works is unknown is a national loss.
The importance of artifacts and discoveries today was not much different in the past. The only thing that was different was the lack of awareness and consciousness about preservation. As we examine historical identities, we see that artifacts and discoveries can have an impact that can change the lives of millions of people.
So be you, protect all your inventions and discoveries without delay!
Because intellectual property, the ownership of the idea, is much more valuable and vital than any kind of property ownership.
