Theoretical astronomy in the early modern Ottoman empire: Ali al-Qushji's «Al-Risala al-Fathiyya»

This dissertation aims to demonstrate the importance of Al-Risāla al-Fatḥiyya (The Treatise of Conquest) in the history of theoretical astronomy (ʿilm al-hayʾa) in Islamic societies, especially in the Ottoman context. It was written by ʿAlī al-Qūshjī (d. 879/1474), one of the eminent scholars of his period, and dedicated to the Ottoman Sultan Meḥmed II to honor his victory over the Āq Qoyūnlū ruler Uzun Ḥasan in the Otlukbeli War in 878/1473. Originally from Samarqand, Qūshjī was trained by leading Timurid scholars, and became a prominent member of the Samarqand observatory and madrasa, two prestigious institutions built by Ulugh Beg, the then governor of Transoxiana. During this period, Qūshjī also contributed to the preparation of Zīj-i Ulugh Beg, one of the most important astronomical tables produced in the pre-modern world. Towards the end of his life, upon the invitation of the Sultan, Qūshjī emigrated to Istanbul, where he died after a short sojourn.The literature on the history of Islamic astronomy and Ottoman science has assumed the significance of Qūshjī’s scientific activities and works, but only a small amount of research has dealt with them. Although the Fatḥiyya was one of Qūshjī’s last works, which he continued to revise until his death, modern literature has made little effort to situate it within its historical, local, and scientific contexts. This situation stems, in part, from the lack of a critical edition of this work. As a contribution to studies on Qūshjī and the Fatḥiyya, this dissertation deals with them in two main parts. Part 1 includes three chapters. Chapter 1 offers a literature review of Qūshjī studies that deals not only with astronomy but, more generally, with his scholarly output that has attracted attention in modern scholarship. Chapter 2 addresses Qūshjī’s intellectual biography, introducing his educational background and scholarly activities with reference to the intellectual, political, and social dynamics of the localities in which he flourished. Chapter 3 attempts to scrutinize the Fatḥiyya with respect to the historical, local, and scientific contexts within which it was written. It also analyses the evolution of the Fatḥiyya, especially in regard to Qūshjī’s other hayʾa work, Risālah dar hayʾah, that was written earlier in Persian. Additionally, this chapter investigates how Qūshjī was engaged with earlier authoritative hayʾa works in his Fatḥiyya project. Part 2 includes four chapters: a description of the manuscripts and editorial procedures; an Arabic edition of the Fatḥiyya; an English translation; and a commentary on the Fatḥiyya

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