Home > Istanbul observatory of al-Din

In 1574, Murad III became the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. The empire's chief astronomer, Taqi al-Din, petitioned the Sultan to finance the building of a great observatory to rival those in Europe, specifically the one used by Tycho Brahe. The Sultan approved, and construction was completed in 1577.

This observatory consisted of two large structures perched on a hill overlooking the European section of Istanbul and offering a wide view of the night sky. Much like a modern institution, the main building was reserved for the library and the living quarters of the staff, while the smaller building housed a collection of instruments built by al-Din. These included a giant armillary sphere and a clock for measuring the position and speed of the planets. With these instruments, al-Din had hoped to update the old astronomical tables describing the motion of the planets, sun, and moon.

Within months of the observatory's completion, however, al-Din witnessed a comet and, thinking the comet was an omen, predicted an Ottoman military victory. This prediction was incorrect, and because of this the Sultan decided to destroy the observatory. It was razed in 1580Events Michel de Montaigne publishes first Essay. September 26 Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe 1580- 1764 First session if Jewish Waad ( Sejm of 4 countries) in Lublin, Poland. 70 delegates of Jewish local kahals met to discuss issue of taxati.