Ali Kuşçu

Scholar and writer (b. ?, Samarqand - d. 1474, İstanbul). He was the son of Muhammed El- Kuşçu who was the falconer to Maveraünnehir Emir Uluğ Bey. He received private lessons in mathematics and astronomy in Samarqand and Kirman. He was praised by his master Uluğ Bey when he presented him the Risale-i Hall-u Eşkalü'l-Kamer (Pamphlet of Shapes of the Moon) a book about the phases of the moon. He was appointed to the observatory, which was in Samarqand, when his other teacher Bursalı Kadızade Rumi died. He completed the catalogue Zic-i Uluğ Bey (The Star Map of Uluğ Bey) with his teachers.

He was deeply respected when he went to the palace of Akkoyunlu Sultan Uzun Hasan after Uluğ Bey had been assassinated (1449). He settled in İstanbul on the invitation of Fatih Sultan Mehmet whom he had met when he was the Ambassador of Akkoyunlu. He was appointed to the Haghia Sofia Madrasah Muslim School where he taught mathematics and astronomy. In addition, he left behind important works of research on Islamic theology, the words and deeds of the Prophet Muhammed, analyzing the Holy Koran and Arabian grammar.

MAIN WORKS:

Zic-i Uluğ Bey Şerhi (Explanation of the Star Map of Uluğ Bey), Risaletü'l-fi'l Hey'et (Pamphlet of Astronomy, 1457; was translated into Turkish from Persian by Seyyid Ali bin Hüseyin, 1548), Mahbub ü'l-Hamail fi Keşfi'l-Mesâil (Questions of Discovery in the Amulets of the Beloved), Unkudu'z-Zevahir fi Nazmu'l-Cevahir (The Self in the Brilliance of the String of Garlands).

REFERENCE: Abdülhak Adnan Adıvar / Tarih Boyunca İlim ve Din içinde (Osmanlı Türklerinde İlim, 1943, s. 47-49), A. Süheyl Ünver / Ali Kuşçî: Hayatı ve Eserleri (1948), İsmail Hakkı Uzunçarşılı / Osmanlı Devleti’nin İlmiye Teşkilâtı (1965, s. 7, 20, 31, 321), Müjgân Cunbur / Ali Kuşçu Bibliyografisi (1974), Muammer Dizer / Ali Kuşçu (1988), Cengiz Aydın / TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (c. 2, 1989, s. 408-410), TDOE – TDE Ansiklopedisi 1 (2002), Musa Yıldız / Bir Dilci Olarak Ali Kuşçu ve Risâle fî’l-İsti‘âre’si, (2002, s.10-14), İhsan Işık / Ünlü Bilim Adamları (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 2, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013).