El-Cezeri’nin Müziksel Ögeler İçeren Mekanik Cihazları: STEAM Yaklaşımına İlham Veren Örnekler

Abstract

Bu çalışma, 12. yüzyılın önde gelen bilim insanlarından El-Cezeri'nin Kitab fī Maʿrifat al-Ḥiyal al-Handasiyya adlı eserinde, müziksel unsurları içeren mekanik cihazları, STEAM yaklaşımı çerçevesinde incelemektedir. Araştırma yöntemi olarak belge analizi kullanılmış ve veri kaynaklarının seçimi için amaçlı örnekleme yöntemlerinden ölçüt örnekleme yöntemi uygulanmıştır. Tanımlanan kriterlere göre, mekanik sistemlerine aktif olarak entegre edilmiş müziksel bir fonksiyona sahip dört mekanik cihaz seçilmiştir. Veriler, tümdengelimci içerik analizi kullanılarak analiz edilmiş ve cihazların yapısal özellikleri, müziksel unsurları, ilgili STEAM disiplinleri ve müziksel kullanım amaçlarıyla ilgili temalar oluşturulmuştur. Bulgular, El-Cezeri'nin mekanik tasarımlarının sadece teknik olarak gelişmiş olmakla kalmayıp, aynı zamanda zaman tutma, eğlence ve otomatik çalışma için müziği etkili bir şekilde kullanan çok fonksiyonlu sistemler olduğunu göstermektedir. Bu cihazlar; mühendislik, hidrodinamik, matematik, astronomi, görsel sanatlar ve müziğin entegre kullanımını göstermektedir. Özellikle, müzik aletlerinin otomatik olarak çalmasını sağlayan mekanizmalar, programlanabilir sistemlerin erken örneklerini temsil etmektedir. Genel olarak, sonuçlar STEAM yaklaşımının temel ilkelerinin yüzyıllardır var olduğunu göstermektedir. Sanatın, özellikle müziğin, tarihsel olarak STEAM disiplinleriyle bütünleştiği ve STEAM eğitiminin tarihsel kökenlerini vurguladığı görülmektedir.

Keywords

• El-Cezeri
• Mekanik
• STEAM Yaklaşımı
• Tarih
• Müzik Eğitimi

Al-Jazari's Mechanical Devices Featuring Musical Elements: Examples That Inspire a STEAM Approach

Abstract

This study examines mechanical devices incorporating musical elements in Kitab fī Maʿrifat al-Ḥiyal al-Handasiyya by El-Cezeri, one of the leading scientists of the 12th century, within the STEAM framework. Document analysis was employed as the research method, and criterion sampling, a purposive sampling method, was used to select the data sources. In accordance with the defined criteria, four mechanical devices that include a musical function actively integrated into their mechanical systems were selected. The data were analysed using deductive content analysis, and themes were developed related to the devices’ structural characteristics, musical elements, associated STEAM disciplines, and the purposes of musical use. The findings indicate that El-Cezeri’s mechanical designs are not only technically advanced but also multifunctional systems that effectively employ music for timekeeping, entertainment, and automatic operation. These devices demonstrate the integrated use of engineering, hydrodynamics, mathematics, astronomy, visual arts, and music. Notably, the mechanisms that enable musical instruments to play automatically represent early examples of programmable systems. Overall, the results suggest that the fundamental principles of the STEAM approach have existed for centuries and that art, particularly music, has historically been integrated with STEAM disciplines, highlighting the historical roots of STEAM education.

Keywords

• Al-Jazari
• History
• Mechanic
• STEAM Approach
• Music Education

References

1. Ali, N. A., & Tofiq, J. N. (2022). Abu’l–‘Izz al-Jazari and his role in the advancement of the science of mechanics (1136-1206). JAWI, 5(2), 149-170. https://ejournal.radenintan.ac.id/index.php/jawi/article/view/14882
2. Al-Jazari, B. (1974). The book of knowledge of ingenious mechanical devices (D. R. Hill, Trans.). Dordrecht: Reidel. (Original work published in 1206) https://archive.org/details/cover_20200113_2057/page/n129/mode/2up?view=theater&q=diameter
3. Ayvacı, H. Ş., & Ayaydın, A. (2018). Bilim, teknoloji, mühendislik, sanat ve matematik (STEAM) (4. bs.). İçinde S. Çepni (Ed.), Kuramdan uygulamaya STEAM eğitimi (p. 115-133). Pegem Akademi.
4. Beyler, F. (2023). El-Cezerî’nin bilimsel mirasıyla ilgili Rusça çalışmalarda metodolojik sorunlar. Bingöl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 25, 160-169. https://doi.org/10.29029/busbed.1252005
5. Bromberg, C., & Alfonso-Goldfarb, A. M. (2016). Music and mathematics: a case study in the history of science. Circumscribere International Journal for the History of Science, 18, 32-49. https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB854514897
6. Bülbül, S., & Öztürk, G. (2024). El Cezeri’nin minyatürlerinden 20. yüzyıla kadar sibernetik sanatın incelenmesi. Art-E Sanat Dergisi, 17(33), 373-402. https://doi.org/10.21602/sduarte.1472042
7. Cârciumaru, R. D. (2023). Major contributions of prominent Muslim scholars during the Golden Age of Islam. PANGEEA, 23, 226–232. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=1217668
8. Çepni, S. (2018). Araştırma ve proje çalışmalarına giriş (8. bs.). Celepler Matbaacılık Yayın ve Dağıtım.

9. Chen, Y. H., Ceccarelli, M., & Yan, H. S. (2018). A historical study and mechanical classification of ancient music-playing automata. Mechanism and Machine Theory, 121, 273-285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mechmachtheory.2017.10.015
10. Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Pearson Education.
11. Çırak, B., & Yörük, A. (2015). Mekatronik biliminin öncüsü İsmail El-Cezeri. Siirt Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi (4), 175-194. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/susbid/issue/17333/181012
12. Dirik, M. (2020). Al-Jazari: The ingenious inventor of cybernetics and robotic. Journal of Soft Computing and Artificial Intelligence, 1(1), 47-58. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/jscai/issue/54043/749176
13. El-Cezerî, B. (2002). El-Cami' beyne'l-'ilm ve'l-'amel en-nafi' fi es-sinaa'ti'l-hiyel (S. Tekeli, M. Dosay, & Unat, Trans.). Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi. (Original work published in the 12th century).
14. Faris, W. F., & Elmoselhy, S. (2017). The true inventor of some early mechanical engineering devices and mechanisms. Al-Shajarah: Journal of the International Institute of Islamic Thought & Civilization, 22(1), 29-64. https://doi.org/10.31436/shajarah.v22i1.587
15. Flick, U. (2018). An introduction to qualitative research (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
16. Hakimov, N., Karimov, N., Reshetnikov, I., Yusufjonova, N., Aldasheva, S., Soatova, N., Eshankulova, S., & Bozorova, D. (2024). Mechanical marvels: Innovations in engineering during the Islamic golden age. Archives for Technical Sciences, 31(2), 159-67. https://doi.org/10.70102/afts.2024.1631.159
17. Hassaan, G. A. (2014). Innovation of mechanical machinery in medieval centuries, part IV: Mechanisms, gear trains and cranes. Innovation, 2(4). https://l24.im/0whW
18. Huang, H. (2020). Music in STEAM: Beyond notes. The STEAM Journal, 4(2), 5. https://doi.org/10.5642/steam.20200402.05
19. Jeoung-Myoung, K. (2023). Automata technology in the medieval Islamic world and its influence on Korea. Journal of Oriental Studies, 105(2), 102-108. https://doi.org/10.26577/JOS.2023.v105.i2.011
20. Kaplan, K. (2023). The relation between Al-Jazari of the East and Leonardo da Vinci of the West. Ortaçağ Araştırmaları Dergisi, 6(1), 300-311. https://doi.org/10.48120/oad.1264652
21. Khorasanizadeh, M. (2022). Review and analysis of Coomaraswamy's artistic view about the book of al-Jazari. Journal of Islamic Crafts, 6(1), 29-40. http://jih-tabriziau.ir/article-1-169-en.html
22. Krzyzaniak, M. (2012). Prehistory of musical robots. Journal of Human-Robot Interaction, 1(1), 78-95.
23. Lim, B., & Khan, A. (2016). Avicenna: Leading physician and philosopher-scientist of the Islamic Golden Age. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
24. Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
25. Nadarajan, G. (2007). Islamic automation: A reading of Al-Jazari’s The book of knowledge of ingenious mechanical devices (1206). In O. Grau (Ed.), Media art histories (pp. 163–178). MIT Press.
26. Ness, S. R., Trail, S., Driessen, P. F., Schloss, W. A., & Tzanetakis, G. (2011, October). Music Information Robotics: Coping Strategies for Musically Challenged Robots. In ISMIR (pp. 567-572).
27. Nidzom, M. F., Taqiyuddin, M., Mabruroh, H. A., Sudarsono, A. L., & Safari, M. (2020). Telaah robotika Ibnu Ismail Al-Jazari. Al-Fikra: Jurnal Ilmiah Keislaman, 19(2). https://ejournal.uin-suska.ac.id/index.php/al-fikra/article/view/11815
28. Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
29. Quyash, M., Chaqmaq, S., & Ahadi, N. (2025). An overview of the Renaissance’s Consequences on European History. Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies. https://cognizancejournal.com/vol5issue3/V5I318.pdf
30. Rolling Jr, J. H. (2016). Reinventing the STEAM engine for art+ design education. Art Education, 69(4), 4-7. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/00043125.2016.1176848?needAccess=true
31. Romdhane, L., & Zeghloul, S. (2009). Al-Jazari (1136–1206). In M. Ceccarelli (Ed.), Distinguished figures in mechanism and machine science: Their contributions and legacies, Part 2 (pp. 1-21). Springer. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-90-481-2346-9_1
32. Rose, S., Spinks, N., & Canhoto, A. I. (2015). Qualitative content analysis. In S. Rose, N. Spinks, & A. I. Canhoto (Eds.), Management Research: Applying the Principles (pp. 1-9). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315819198
33. Rosenthal, F. (1976). [Review of the book The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices, by I. al-Jazari & D. R. Hill]. Journal of the American Oriental Society, 96(1), 183–185. https://doi.org/10.2307/599851
34. Shneiderman, B. (2003). Leonardo’s laptop: Human needs and the new computing technologies. The MIT Press.
35. Sill, C. R. (2013). A survey of androids and audiences: 285 BCE to the present day. [The Degree of Master of Arts, Simon Fraser University]. https://summit.sfu.ca/item/12906
36. Tavşancıl, E., & Aslan, A. E. (2001). İçerik analizi ve uygulama örnekleri. Epsilon.
37. Türkiye National Palaces Administration Archive. (2024a). In Abu’l-Izz Abu Bakr Ismail ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari, Kitab fi Ma‘rifat al-Hiyal, miniature no. 5b. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
38. Türkiye National Palaces Administration Archive. (2024b). Abu’l-Izz Abu Bakr Ismail ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari, in Kitab fi Ma‘rifat al-Hiyal, miniature no. 30b. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
39. Türkiye National Palaces Administration Archive. (2024c). Abu’l-Izz Abu Bakr Ismail ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari, in Kitab fi Ma‘rifat al-Hiyal, miniature no. 88b. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
40. Türkiye National Palaces Administration Archive. (2024d). Abu’l-Izz Abu Bakr Ismail ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari, in Kitab fi Ma‘rifat al-Hiyal – Miniature no. 98b. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
41. Unat, Y. (2002). El-Cezerî'nin makine yapımında yararlı bilgiler ve uygulamalar adlı eseri. İçinde H. C. Güzel, K. Çiçek, & S. Koca (Eds.), Türkler (Cilt 7, ss. 569–575). Yeni Türkiye Yayınları.
42. Ülgen, P. (2008). El-Cezeri ve tasarladığı su saatleri. Fırat Üniversitesi Orta Doğu Araştırmaları Dergisi, 5(2), 115-127. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/1670494
43. Yassi, Y. (2017). Al-Jazari’s water clocks: An archaeological reconstruction and comparative analysis of the peacock clock and the dragon clock. Nuncius, 32(1), 1-24. https://brill.com/view/journals/nun/32/1/article-p1_1.xml
44. Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2021). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri (12. bs.). Seçkin Yayıncılık.
45. Yin, R. K. (2016). Qualitative research from start to finish (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press.