Islamic astronomy observations were designed mostly to obtain more accurate values for astronomy parameters. This called for instruments of increased precision. Eventually, increased size meant that these instruments were no longer portable and this marked the beginning of observatories.
In Cairo in 1120 the construction of an observatory was begun on the order of a vizier of the Fatimid caliph Mansur al-Amir bi Ahkam Allah (33; r.1101-1130). When the vizier was murdered the following year the work continued under his successor but in 1125 the caliph ordered his death and the observatory was destroyed. Conflicts had apparently arisen between the vizier and the caliph and it did not help that the superstitious populace believed that trying to understand the motions of the planets was delving into realms of magic.
In 1253 Hulagu Khan (c.46; r.1256-65) began his attack on the Islamic Empire. He founded the Il-Khanid Dynasty (1256-1335) in Iran. Under his leadership the Mongols destroyed the two greatest centres of Islamic power, Baghdad (1258) and Damascus (1260), causing a shift of Islamic influence to the Mamluk Sultanate (1250-1517) in Cairo. Hulagu made al-Tusi one of his personal advisers. Al-Tusi persuaded Hulagu, who was addicted to astrology, to build an observatory at Maragha and construction began in 1259. In 1271 a team (the Maragha School) completed the Ilkhanic Tables. Three years later al-Tusi left Maragha for Baghdad and his departure from the observatory marks the end of its creative period, though observations continued into the next century.
In the fourteenth century Tamerlane (68; r.1369-1405) conquered much of western and Central Asia. Ulugh Beg (55; r.1411-49), Tamerlane’s grandson, ruled the province of Transoxiana, a region between the Oxus (=Amu Darya) and Jaxartes (=Syr Darya) rivers, the principal city of which was Samarkand in Uzbekistan. Ulugh Beg’s interest in astronomy dates from when at an early age he visited the remains of the Maragha Observatory. The construction of his observatory at Samarkand began in 1420. Its great achievement was a set of astronomy tables that included a catalogue of over 1000 stars. Many of the star positions had been established by the Samarkand astronomers themselves. Ulugh Beg was murdered in 1449 and observing ended soon after. In 1571 Taqi al-Din (1526-1585) moved to Istanbul to become the official astronomer of the Ottoman sultan Selim II (50; r.1566-74). When Selim II died, al-Din persuaded the new sultan Murad III (49; r.1574-1595) to fund the building of a new observatory in Istanbul. Construction began in 1575 and the building was finished just in time for observations of the bright comet of 1577. Thinking that this was an omen, Taqi al-Din predicted an Ottoman military victory. When this prediction proved to be incorrect the sultan decided to destroy the observatory and it was eventually razed in 1580.
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