A Princely Pandect on Astronomy

This book presents an English-language translation of Risala-yi Müiniya, or the Müiniya Epistle. Risala-yi Müiniya is one of the earliest known works of Näir al-Din usi (1201-1274), an intellectual luminary of the 13th century CE. The work is notable for the choice of T u¯si's native Persian as the language of the text. In addition, T u¯si organized his volume into a four-part structure, which went on to become a popular template for the Islamic astronomers who succeeded him.

This book helped ensure the patronage of T u¯si's courtly patrons during his decades-long stay with the Ismäilis, as well as the continuation of his remarkable career under the first Ilkhanid rulers of Persia. This translation helps make this notable treatise accessible to English language readers. It is among a handful of English translations of major astronomical works dealing with hay'a/cosmography in the Islamic world.

Subsequently T u¯si was to pen his own commentary on the work (the all-i Mushkilat-i Müiniya, or A solution to the difficulties of the Müiniya) and he used this occasion to discuss his celebrated mathematical formulation "the T u¯si Couple" (a concept that he merely hinted at in the Risala-yi Müiniya).

Auteur

Kaveh Niazi received a Ph.D in applied physics from the University of California, Berkeley (1995) as well as a Ph.D in the history of science from Columbia University, New York, in 2011. He is the author of "Qut b al-Din Shirazi and the Configuration of the Heavens" (Springer, 2014). His research interests include the history of astronomy, geology, and engineering in the Islamic era.

Texte du rabat

This book presents an English-language translation of Risala-yi Mu iniya, or the Mu iniya Epistle. Risala-yi Mu iniya is one of the earliest known works of Näir al-Din usi (1201-1274), an intellectual luminary of the 13th century CE. The work is notable for the choice of T u¯si's native Persian as the language of the text. In addition, T u¯si organized his volume into a four-part structure, which went on to become a popular template for the Islamic astronomers who succeeded him.

This book helped ensure the patronage of T u¯si's courtly patrons during his decades-long stay with the Ismäilis, as well as the continuation of his remarkable career under the first Ilkhanid rulers of Persia. This translation helps make this notable treatise accessible to English language readers. It is among a handful of English translations of major astronomical works dealing with hay'a/cosmography in the Islamic world.

Subsequently T u¯si was to pen his own commentary on the work (the all-i Mushkilat-i Mu iniya, or A solution to the difficulties of the Mu iniya) and he used this occasion to discuss his celebrated mathematical formulation "the T u¯si Couple" (a concept that he merely hinted at in the Risala-yi Mu iniya).

Contenu

Preface

Part I. Introduction

Chapter 1 T usi's hay a

Chapter 2 T usi as a Young Scholar

Chapter 3 On the Structure and Contents of Risala-yi Müiniya

Part II. Edition and Translation of Risala-yi Müiniya

Chapter 4 Book One: On the Introduction to this Science

Chapter 5 Two: On the Configuration of the Celestial Bodies

Chapter 6 Book Three: On the Configuration of the Earth and the Difference in the State of its Regions Due to the Difference in the State of the Celestial Bodies

Chapter 7 Book Four: On the Distances and Bodies

Part III. T usi's Commentary on Risala-yi Müiniya

Chapter 8 The Chapters. Appendices

Glossary

Bibliography

Index