| From: Thomas Hockey et al. (eds.). The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers, Springer Reference. New York: Springer, 2007, p. 18 |
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Courtesy of 
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Aḥmad Mukhtār:
Ghāzī Aḥmad Mukhtār Pasha
Salim Aydüz
Born Bursa, (Turkey),
1839
Died Istanbul, (Turkey),
21 January 1919
Aḥmad
Mukhtār was a soldier and a statesman (rising to the rank of Turkish
general and receiving the title “Ghāzī” or warrior) who also wrote
many works in the fields of mathematics and astronomy. He is known especially
for his studies on reforming the Islamic calendar as well as the making and
use of astronomical instruments.
Aḥmad
Mukhtār stemmed from a family prominent in the silk trade; after the
death of his father, he was educated in various military schools, and the
military became his lifelong career. Aḥmad Mukhtār established close ties with the Ottoman
court, which led to his tutoring Prince Yūsuf ʿIzz
al‐Dīn (1865) and accompanying Sultan ʿAbd al‐ʿAzīz
to Europe in 1867. He served the state for 55 years and rose to high rank,
becoming president of the Senate in 1911 and Grand Vizier for a brief period
in 1912. Aḥmad Mukhtār remained in
the Senate until 1918 just before his death. Because of his military success,
he was granted numerous titles, including Ghāzī and Pasha.
Aḥmad
Mukhtār contributed much to the field of astronomy, especially with regard
to reforming the Islamic (hijra) calendar. When he was in Egypt between
1882 and 1908 as Ottoman High Commissioner, he wrote his Iṣlāḥ al‐Taqwīm (written
in both Turkish and Arabic) that dealt with the fiscal problems caused by
the discrepancies between the Hijra and Gregorian calendars. Aḥmad Mukhtār advocated a
uniform Hijra solar (Shamsī) year for all Muslims. In accordance
with his new calendar system, the work contains a tabulation of conversions
between lunar‐hijra, Gregorian, and solar‐hijra
New Year's days until 2212. The work was also translated into French. Other
works dealing with the calendar include Taqwīm al‐sinīn,
which lists in tabulated form the daily equivalents between the lunar and
Gregorian calendars, covering the hijra years 1256 to 1350 (circa
1840–1931), and Taqwīm‐i sāl, which provides general
information about the calendar in the Ottoman Empire. He also wrote other
works dealing with calendars, some of which are in Arabic.
Another
astronomical work, entitled Rīyāḍ al‐mukhtār mirʾāt
al‐mīqāt wa‐ʾl‐adwār, deals with
timekeeping. Written in Istanbul, the work contains information on instruments
and their categorization. Other subjects include measurement of time, information
about latitude and longitude, and an evaluation of calendars. Majmūʿah‐i
ashkāl is a supplement at the end of the book containing figures
and tables. Aḥmad Mukhtār also wrote a work on the definition and
use of an astronomical instrument called al‐Basīṭa.
Finally,
another important work of Mukhtār Pasha should be mentioned here. Entitled
Sarāʾir al‐Qurʾān fī taqwīn wa‐ifnāʾ
wa‐Iʿādat
al‐akwān and published in Istanbul in 1917, it was written
in order to reconcile religious issues with scientific discoveries and discusses
how to reconcile Qurʾānic verses with the latest developments in
science. This work was one of the first during the modern period to address
these issues and was later translated into Arabic from Turkish.
Selected References
Ahmad, Feroz (1993). “Mukhtār
Pasha.” In Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd ed. Vol. 7, pp. 525–526.
Leiden: E. J. Brill.
Ahmet Cevdet, Paşa
(1986). Tezâkir. Vol. 4, pp. 264–269. Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu.
Baysun, M.
Cavid (1979). “Muhtar Paşa.” In Diyanet
İslâm Ansiklopedisi. Vol.
8, pp.‐516–532. Istanbul: Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı
Bursalı, Mehmed, Tāhir (1923). Osmanlı Müellifleri.
Vol. 3. Istanbul: Matbaa‐i Âmire,
1342 H, pp. 299–300.
İhsanoğlu,
Ekmeleddin, et al. (1997). Osmanlı Astronomi
Literatürü Tarihi (OALT)
(History of astronomy literature during the Ottoman period ).
Vol. 2. Istanbul: IRCICA, pp. 701–706.
İnal,
İbnülemin Mahmut
Kemal (1965). Osmanlı Devrinde
Son Sadrıazamlar. Vol. 3. Istanbul, Millî Egitim Basimevi,
pp. 1805–1868.
İzgi,
Cevat (1997). Osmanlı Medreselerinde
İlim. Vol. 1. Istanbul: İz
Yayıncılık, p. 456.
Kaḥḥālah, ʿUmar, Riḍā
(1985). Muʿjam al‐muʾallifīn.
Vol. 2. Beirut: Muʾassasat
al‐Risala, p. 173
Ottoman Archive
of the Prime Minister (Istanbul). Sicill‐i Ahval Series,
n. XXII, 91.