Salih Zeki’s Methodology in Âsâr-ı Bâkiye

Year 2005, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 23 - 31, 01.12.2005

Yavuz Unat

Abstract

History of science studies both the historical development of science and
the instruments used by scientists. Two factors were decisive in the emergence
of History of science: The accumulation of scientific knowledge from 16th
century onwards, and the Enlightenment. History of Science, as an academic
discipline, was founded by George Sarton (1884-1956) at Harvard University in
1936. In Turkey, Aydın Sayılı (1913-1993), a student of George Sarton paved
the way for the institutionalization of this discipline. History of science studies
in Turkey started at the turn of the 20th century: Salih Zeki (1864-1921) and
Adnan Adıvar (1882-1955) were the first scholars who researched in the field. 

The present article aims to study the methodology used by Salih Zeki in
Asâr-ı Bâkıye, one of the major works he compiled, to highlight the contribution
of “Oriental scholars” to mathematical sciences. Published in 1913 in Istanbul,
the first two volumes of Asâr-ı Bâkiye reflect Salih Zeki’s studies based on
Islamic mathematical manuscripts as well as on the histories of mathematics
published in the West. Thus, Salih Zeki who combined the knowledge he
deduced from original mathematical works with that of the studies made by
European historians of mathematics, can be considered as a pioneer in the
Turkish historiography of science.

Keywords

History of mathematics, History of science, Salih Zeki, Asâr-ı Bâkiye

Asâr-ı Bâkiye ve Yazılış Yöntemi

Abstract

History of science studies both the historical development of science and the instruments used by scientists. Two factors were decisive in the emergence of History of science: The accumulation of scientific knowledge from 16th century onwards, and the Enlightenment. History of Science, as an academic discipline, was founded by George Sarton (1884-1956) at Harvard University in 1936. In Turkey, Aydın Sayılı (1913-1993), a student of George Sarton paved the way for the institutionalization of this discipline. History of science studies in Turkey started at the turn of the 20th century: Salih Zeki (1864-1921) and Adnan Adıvar (1882-1955) were the first scholars who researched in the field. 

The present article aims to study the methodology used by Salih Zeki in Asâr-ı Bâkıye, one of the major works he compiled, to highlight the contribution of “Oriental scholars” to mathematical sciences. Published in 1913 in Istanbul, the first two volumes of Asâr-ı Bâkiye reflect Salih Zeki’s studies based on Islamic mathematical manuscripts as well as on the histories of mathematics published in the West. Thus, Salih Zeki who combined the knowledge he deduced from original mathematical works with that of the studies made by European historians of mathematics, can be considered as a pioneer in the Turkish historiography of science.

Keywords

Bilim tarihi, Matematik tarihi, Salih Zeki, Asâr-ı Bâkiye.

References

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