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Al-Din was born in the early 16th century in either Syria or Egypt, and was educated in Cairo, Egypt. He became a Muslim theologian for a time, publishing several books, and in 1571Events January 11 Austrian nobility is granted Freedom of religion. January 23 The Royal Exchange opens in London. Crimean Tartars from the Ottoman Empire seize and burn Moscow, capitol of Russia . Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School founded in Horncastle Oc he moved to IstanbulMunicipality's Logo Istanbul ( Turkish spelling: İstanbul) is the largest city in Turkey. Until 1930 this city was commonly known by its original Greek name Constantinople by westerners; some writings named it Stambul especially in the 19th century. to become the official astronomer for SultanA sultan Arabic ) is an Islamic monarch ruling under the terms of shariah''. The title carries moral weight and religious authority, as the ruler's role was defined in the Quran. The sultan however was not a religious teacher himself. In the Byzantine Emp Selim IISelim II ( May 28, 1524 December 12, 1574) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1566 until his death. He was a son of Suleiman the Magnificent and his favourite Aleksandra Lisowska (also Hurrem or Roxelana). He was the first sultan entirely devoid of of the Ottoman EmpireOsmanlı İmparatorluğu Devlet-i Aliye-i Osmaniye The Ottoman Coat of Arms Imperial motto: unknown The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital İstanbul ( Constantinople) Sovereigns Sultans. When Selim II died, Murad IIIMurad III ( July 4, 1546 January 15, 1595) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death. He was the eldest son of Selim II, and succeeded his father. His accession marks the definite beginning of the decline of the Ottoman power, which h became the new sultan, and al-Din convinced Murad to fund the building of a new observatory. Completed in 1577, this would become known as the Istanbul observatory of al-Din, a telescope and observatory built to rival the ones in Europe (specifically the Royal Danish Astronomical Observatory built for Tycho Brahe). 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 1580.