Readings on the Heritage of Science

This reading group is designed to provide an in-depth examination of the Ottoman and Islamic scientific traditions through Turkish sources. Through the works of pioneers in the field, such as Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, Aydın Sayılı, and Sevim Tekeli, the development of scientific institutions, astronomy and mathematics studies, knowledge production networks, and the scientific contributions of Ottoman thinkers will be comprehensively addressed. Participants are expected to develop a conceptual framework by reading the Islamic scientific heritage using original sources.

Texts to be Read:

Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu – Ottoman Scientific Heritage

Miri Shefer-Mossensohn – Science in the Ottoman Empire: Cultural Creation and Knowledge Exchange

Sevim Tekeli – Mathematics and Astronomy Studies in the Ottoman Empire

Aydın Sayılı – Scientific Institutions in the Medieval Islamic World

Taşköprülüzâde Ahmed Efendi – Ottoman Scholars (Selections from the Şekaiku’n-Nu‘mâniyye)

Each text will be examined in detail, chapter by chapter. The reading program will begin with the first work, and once the analysis is complete, a schedule will be set for the analysis of the next work.

Sessions will be conducted online via the Zoom platform.

December 6, 2025 - Saturday
8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Instructor: Eric Rahmun - Team Leaders

Text: Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu – The Ottoman Scientific Heritage

Content: Introduction, the reading group's working method, background information on the selected work, and an introductory assessment will be provided.
To mentally prepare participants; to establish the concepts and context necessary to understand the history of Ottoman science.
December 27, 2025 - Saturday
8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Instructor: Eric Rahmun - Team Leaders

Text: Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu – The Ottoman Scientific Heritage

Sections to be Read:
Volume 1: The Formation, Development, and Issues of the Heritage

Content:
To provide an understanding of the intellectual and institutional foundations upon which the Ottoman scientific tradition rests; To prepare participants for the transition to scientific disciplines, this session will address the Ottoman scientific mindset, the sources upon which knowledge production was based, educational institutions, the functioning of the madrasa system, and early scientific centers. It will emphasize that the Ottoman scientific heritage is not merely a technical accumulation but also a complex of mindsets and institutions.

Saturday, February 7, 2026
8:00 PM - 9:30 PM Instructor: Eric Rahmun - Team Leaders

Text: Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu - Ottoman Scientific Heritage

Sections to be Read:
Volume 2: Important Scholars and Works

Content:
To demonstrate both the breadth and depth of the Ottoman scientific heritage and to highlight unique contributions across disciplines, this session will explore the Ottomans' unique contributions to the basic sciences. Examples will be examined across disciplines, and the Ottoman scientific production style will be evaluated based on the works of great scholars. February 28, 2026 - Saturday

8:00 PM - 9:30 PM

Instructor: Eric Rahmun - Team Leaders

Text: Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu - Ottoman Scientific Heritage

Sections to be Read:
Volume 2: – Scholars and Works
Volume 1: – Modernization and Transformation

Content:
This session will examine the late Ottoman scholars, their works, and the transformation of scientific production to assess the late Ottoman scientific tradition in a historical context and to understand the contemporary aspects of this heritage. The impact of the modernization process on scientific institutions and the intersection of classical scientific structures and modern science will be discussed.