A RARE OTTOMAN ASTRONOMICAL MANUSCRIPT BY ISMAIL BIN MUSTAFA AL-JANARI, 1190 AH (1776 CE)
Description
A rare and elegant Ottoman-era manuscript titled “Tuhfat Bahigi Rsiny”, translated and written by al-Ḥakīm Ismail bin Mustafa al-Janari, by order of Sultan Mustafa Khan during his explorations in Paris.
The work, originally translated from French, delves into celestial mechanics and the science of the stars, featuring detailed astronomical charts and calculation tables. An inscription within the manuscript records that one of the tables was completed by the poor Noor Rabia, daughter of the author, stating that she finished her work “on the 9th of Rajab 1190 AH (September 1776 CE)”, and humbly invoking God’s mercy for her father: “May God forgive him.”
This distinguished and historically significant manuscript embodies the fusion of Ottoman scholarship and European scientific influence in the late 18th century — a true jewel of Islamic astronomical heritage.
