Welcome! Khush kelibsiz! Kosh keldiniz! Kosh keldynyzder!Khush omaded! Hoş geldiniz! !ترحيب Great people don't die. Because their intellectual, emotional and spiritual Universe is so rich, voluminous, multifaceted that after their physical death we feel not only their influence, but also an invisible presence. We correlate our actions with them, consult, learn. And so from distant ages great teacher Beruni addresses us today.

Abu Rayhan Beruni(Biruni; Abu Rayhan Muhammad Ibn Ahmad al-Biruni) (973–1048). 75 years old Outstanding Uzbek scientist-encyclopedist. Born September 4, 973 in ancient capital Khorezm - the city of Kyat. Very little is known about the early years of Beruni's life, except that he was an orphan. About his origin, he wrote: "... I do not really know my genealogy. After all, I do not really know my grandfather, and how can I know my grandfather, since I do not know my father!" As a child, for a large nose, he received the nickname "Burunly" ("nosy"). But, in addition to his expressive appearance, from childhood, Beruni was distinguished by a penetrating mind, an excellent memory and an irresistible desire for knowledge. The hypothesis about the origin of Beruni from the urban lower classes (already almost established in the scientific literature) was rightly questioned by the largest researcher of the life and work of Beruni P.G. Bulgakov. Such a hypothesis, according to P.G. Bulgakov, does not explain how Beruni, as a child, found himself in the palace chambers of the Irakid dynasty, where, by his own admission, he was treated like his own son and where he received an excellent education; why he "rapidly approached the figure of the Khorezmshah himself."

Beruni's childhood and youth passed in the house cousin Khorezmshah Abu Abdallah from the local dynasty of Irakids - one of the outstanding mathematicians of Khorezm of that time - Abu Nasr Mansur ibn Ali ibn Iraq (he owns one of the first proofs of the sine theorem for flat and spherical triangles).
Abu Nasr was sincerely attached to his pupil, and this attachment he retained for the rest of his life, continuing to patronize him touchingly and give instructions, even when the scientific fame of the student far exceeded his own. Over the years, mentorship gave way to cooperation, and the spiritual closeness of these two people, who put the selfless service of truth above all earthly blessings, will determine the amazing similarity of their human paths - fate, which separated them often and for a long time, will eventually bring both into exile, where both will end their lives. life without seeing native land.

The inquisitive Beruni from childhood tried to expand the information about the world he received from the teacher. In his work "Pharmacognosy in Medicine", he wrote that by nature from his youth he was endowed with an excessive greed for acquiring knowledge. As evidence of this, Beruni gives the following example: when he was about seven years old, a Greek settled in their district, to whom he brought various grains, seeds, fruits, plants, etc., asked what they were called in his language, and wrote down the names. Then the Greek introduced Beruni to another knowledgeable person by the name of Masihi, who recommended books necessary for him to read and explained incomprehensible things. Beruni wrote his first work "The Chronology of Ancient Peoples", in which he collected and described all the calendar systems known in his time, used by various peoples, when he was a little over twenty years old.

The similarity of Beruni's earthly path with the fate of his other greatest contemporary, Abu Ali Ibn Sina, with whom, by the way, they actively exchanged letters, discussing the natural philosophical views of Aristotle, is also surprising.
Like Ibn Sina, fate sometimes exalted Beruni, then beat him to the ground: years of a quiet life, filled with scientific research and palace honors, were replaced by years of poverty and exile.
Beruni several times had to endure the loss of all his manuscripts, and start everything from scratch in a new place. But the strength of mind and the desire for scientific research did not allow Beruni to give up even in hopeless situations.

Since 1017, after the conquest of Khorezm by Sultan Mahmud Gaznevi, Beruni lived in Ghazna at the court of Sultan Mahmud and his successors Masud and Maudud. Under the compulsion of the Sultan, Beruni participated in Mahmud's campaigns in India, where he lived the second half of his life. There are many legends about the circumstances of his move to Ghazna. Did he voluntarily go to the capital of Sultan Mahmud in search of a good income, or was he forcibly taken there in custody and in shackles, like a dangerous criminal? Most researchers are inclined to the second version: when the capital of the Khorezm principality was destroyed in 1017, the great scientist was captured and "as a captive-hostage, he, along with other prominent Khorezmians, was taken to Ghazna" and was even imprisoned there. After his release in Ghazna, the scientist led a secluded life, and only work remained his only joy.
Only for two days a year - on New Year's Day and on the holiday of Mihrjan - he devoted himself to the care of acquiring supplies of food and clothing, and on the remaining days of the year he devoted himself entirely to science.

There is a legend that once Sultan Mahmud himself decided to test the logic and knowledge of Beruni. To do this, he arranged an audience in the great hall of his palace, which had four doors. And he ordered him to guess through which of them he would enter the hall. Beruni immediately asked for paper and ink, and, having written a note containing the answer, he hid it under the pillow on which the sultan usually sat. He ordered to break part of the wall in the hall and entered this gap. Taking out a note from Beruni from under the pillow, he found in it the answer that the Sultan should enter the hall through a hole in the wall.
Enraged, Mahmud ordered the scientist to be immediately thrown out the window, but Beruni ordered ahead of time to prepare a ramp under the window, along which he rolled down without any harm to himself.

In old age, Beruni lost his sight, but before last minute of his life, he considered a cheerful spirit to be the main "mechanism" for continuing life. Dying on December 9, 1048 in Ghazna, Beruni was in full consciousness and, although he was weak, he spoke in scientific topics. Saying goodbye to his friends, he asked the latter: “Oh yes, I wanted to ask everyone, what did you tell me once about the methods of counting unrighteous profits?” The amazed friend exclaimed: “Is this what to talk about now!”. Biruni, already losing his voice, whispered: “Oh, you! I think that it is better to leave the world having learned the answer to this question than to leave ignorant ... ".

Beruni was an encyclopedically literate person, with diverse interests. Arabic, grammar and style Beruni learned himself. In addition, he knew nine languages ​​of the East (in addition to Khorezmian and Arabic), including Sanskrit and Hindi, as well as Greek and Latin.

In total, he wrote 45 works in various disciplines: medicine, pharmacology, pharmacognosy, history, geography, mathematics, astronomy, geodesy, philology, mineralogy. He calculated the radius of the Earth, set the angle of inclination of the ecliptic to the equator, described lunar eclipses with a change in the color of the Moon during them, as well as solar eclipses, having analyzed the nature of the solar corona, expressed the idea of ​​the fiery nature of the stars and the sun, in contrast to the planets.

As a reward for compiling star tables, the Sultan sent Beruni as a gift of an elephant loaded with silver. But the scientist returned the gift to the treasury, saying: “I don’t need silver, I have the highest wealth - knowledge”.

Capital labor Beruni "Pharmacognosy in medicine"("Kitab as-Saydana fit-t-tibb") has great importance and at present. In this book, he details described about 880 plants, their separate parts and selections; brought them accurate descriptions, streamlined the terminology. The description of plants is accompanied by drawings with their images. "Saidana" ("Pharmacognosy") also contains rich material on the distribution of medicinal plants and their ranges.

Beruni collected and explained about 4500 Arabic, Greek, Syrian, Indian, Persian, Khorezmian, Sogdian, Turkic, and other plant names. These synonyms are still used in modern pharmacognosy when deciphering ancient treatises.

For European science "Saidana" ("Pharmacognosy") was unknown until 1902.

Beruni's aphorism: "A scientist acts consciously even when he spends money."

Another aphorism: « No nation is spared from ignorant people and leaders, still moreignorant».

Abu Raykhan Biruni (September 4, 973, the city of Kyat, Khorezm, - December 9, 1048) - a great scientist from Khorezm, author of numerous major works on history, geography, philology, astronomy, mathematics, geodesy, mineralogy, pharmacology, geology, etc. Biruni mastered almost all the sciences of his time. According to information, a posthumous list of his works, compiled by his students, took 60 finely written pages.

Biruni is called an encyclopedic scientist, thereby emphasizing the vastness of his knowledge and discoveries that this person made in various fields of science: in mathematics and astronomy, chemistry and physics, geology and mineralogy, geography and cartography, history and ethnography, philosophy and linguistics. The scientific heritage of al-Biruni is about 150 works. His research covers both practical measurements of the coordinates of cities, and the development of methods for solving abstract geometric problems.

In addition to his native Khorezmian language, al-Biruni spoke Arabic, Persian, Greek, Latin, Turkish, Syriac, as well as Hebrew, Sanskrit and Hindi. This knowledge contributed to the development of principles for translating natural science terminology from one language into another.

Geodesy and cartography and much more ...

Being both a theoretician and a practitioner, Biruni insisted on testing the already existing knowledge by experience, testing, experiment. In his work "Geodesy", he wrote that "it is necessary for the observer to be attentive, to carefully review the results of his work, to double-check himself." What explains such universality of Biruni in knowledge and research methods? Most likely, it all started from childhood, from the homeland. Biruni grew up among artisans, to which his parents probably belonged. Therefore, it was natural for the future scientist to turn to solving practical problems related to the needs of life.

The scientist grew up in Kyat, which at that time was in its heyday. Trade routes to the north and south passed through Kyat, and for this reason people from different countries who brought with them new knowledge about the world.

Curious by nature, Biruni absorbed new information. In his old age, in his Pharmacognosy in Medicine, he wrote: “By my nature, from my youth I was endowed with an excessive greed for acquiring knowledge in accordance with (my) age and circumstances. As evidence for this, (the following) is enough: a Greek settled (at that time) in our land, and I brought (to him) grains, seeds, fruits and plants, etc., asked what they were called in his language, and wrote them down. Life itself has become a university for Biruni.

Knowing the world from early youth, he was already a young man closely connected with the scientific circles of ancient Khorezm. So, his teacher was the famous astronomer and mathematician Abu Nasr Mansur. Together with his teacher at the age of 17, he participated in the calculation of the geographical latitude of the city of Kyata. Soon the first scientific work was followed by the following. By the age of 22, he was already the author of several works, one of which, "Cartography", was devoted to the compilation of maps and methods for sweeping volume on a plane.

At the age of 27, Biruni published the essay "Chronology of Ancient Peoples", where he collected and described all the calendar systems known in his time, used by various peoples of the world. Based on the study of the chronology of different peoples, the scientist proposed general principles for compiling calendars, including agricultural ones.

The relatively calm life that Biruni has led so far has been disturbed by political events. The period of the late 10th - early 11th centuries for Khorezm was a time of wars and upheavals. The stronger state of the Ghaznavid dynasty, with its capital in Ghazni (modern Afghanistan), sought to seize the lands of Khorezm. The ongoing changes had a significant impact on the life of Biruni.

In 1017, the ruler of Khorasan and Afghanistan, Mahmud, conquered Khorezm, and Biruni, along with other prisoners, was sent to Ghazni, where he lived for 13 years. Despite difficult conditions, Biruni continued scientific work. The scientist became a real decoration of the court of Mahmud of Ghazni, while remaining a prisoner. During the period of captivity, he wrote a number of works on geography, astronomy and geology and other sciences. So, Biruni found that light travels faster than sound.

Geology

In the field of hydrogeology, he was the first to offer a correct explanation for the formation of natural springs and artesian wells. Probably during these years he measured the densities of metals and precious stones. He invented a special conical device for these measurements - a vessel filled with water. Pieces of metal, the density of which was determined, were lowered into a vessel, from which water was poured out through a curved tube in a volume equal to the volume of the metal under study. From point of view modern science Biruni's results turn out to be very accurate. By the way, this method of measurement, known as "volumetric", is successfully used to this day in field (expeditionary) studies in soil science, engineering geology, soil science and other sections of geological and soil sciences. In 1038, al-Biruni wrote "Mineralogy, or the Book of Briefs for the Knowledge of Jewels", in which the specific gravity of many minerals is determined and detailed information is given on more than fifty minerals, ores, metals, alloys, etc. He also compiled "Pharmacognosy" - book on medical drugs.

Unfortunately, they became known in Europe very late. In the middle of the 19th century, a manuscript of al-Khazini called "The Book of the Scales of Wisdom" was found. This book contains extracts from the work of Biruni "On the relationship between metals and precious stones in volume", containing a description of the Biruni device and the results obtained by it. The study of the density of substances was associated with the study of the properties of water.

Biruni pointed out that its properties are influenced by the seasons and the state of the air, and that the density of water depends on the content of impurities in it and on temperature.

Ethnography

During the period of forced stay in Ghazni, Biruni had to participate in the campaign of Mahmud to India. The spirit of a scientist and openness to new knowledge more than once helped Biruni to get used to new conditions. In India, a scientist studies the local culture, customs, language, religion and science.

In the work “India”, completed in 1030, al-Biruni gave a detailed description of the life, culture and science of the Indians, outlined their religious and philosophical systems. Al-Biruni used a comparative method in his work: “I give the theories of the Indians as they are, and in parallel with them I touch on the theories of the Greeks in order to show their mutual closeness,” he wrote. At the same time, he referred to Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Galen and other Greek authors, compared Indian and Islamic thought, especially singling out the teachings of the Sufis as the closest to the Indian theories of Samkhya and yoga. When comparing the customs of different peoples, he mentioned the features of the life of the Slavs, Tibetans, Khazars, Turks, etc.

Biruni, while in India, also studied Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language, which allowed him to read Indian books in the original and gain first-hand knowledge.

Astronomy

By the time India ended, Biruni's position had changed. Mahmud's son Masud ascended the throne. He favorably treated Biruni and patronized him. The scientist dedicated to Masud a large work on astronomy and spherical trigonometry, known as the Canon of Masud, which describes the picture of the world. Here Biruni appears as a great astronomer ahead of his time. The plan of this work is close to the standard plan of the Arab zijs, but unlike them, detailed experimental and mathematical proofs of all the stated provisions are given here; a number of provisions of his predecessors, for example, the assumption of Sabit ibn Korra about the connection between the movement of the apogee of the Sun and the prelude of the equinoxes, al-Biruni refutes, in many issues comes to new conclusions. he asserted the same fiery nature of the Sun and stars, in contrast to the dark bodies - planets, the mobility of stars and their huge size compared to the Earth, the idea of ​​gravitation. Al-Biruni created the first model of the Earth (globe), was able to prove with the help of mathematical calculations that the Earth is round and on the other part of the earth there is a mainland (America) and people live there (later his works on astronomy were used by Galileo Galilei as a basis and could completely prove the shape of the Earth is a sphere).

Al-Biruni made observations on a wall quadrant with a radius of 7.5 m built by an-Nasawi in Rey, performing them with an accuracy of 2 degrees. He established the angle of inclination of the ecliptic to the equator, Biruni almost accurately determined the radius of the Earth (more than 6000 km), based on the concept of its spherical shape, described the change in the color of the Moon during lunar eclipses and the solar corona solar eclipses. Biruni expressed reasonable doubts about the validity of the geocentric system of the world of Ptolemy, arguing that it is not the Sun that revolves around the Earth, but the Earth, like other planets, revolves around the Sun, made a number of remarks about the movement of the Earth around its axis. He explained the phenomenon of morning and evening dawn as a consequence of the glow of dust particles in the rays of the Sun hidden behind the horizon. Biruni improved the main astronomical instruments used at that time (astrolabe, quadrant, sextant).

The results and achievements of Biruni in the field of astronomy remained unsurpassed for several centuries.

Mathematics

Al-Biruni paid much attention to mathematics, especially trigonometry: in addition to a significant part of the "Canon of Mas'ud", he dedicated to her the works "On the determination of chords in a circle using a broken line inscribed in it" (here, a number of theorems belonging to Archimedes that have not been preserved in Greek manuscripts), “On Indian Rashiks” (the so-called triple rule is discussed in this book), “Sphere”, “The Book of Pearls on the Plane of the Sphere”, etc. The treatise “Shadows”, several treatises on the astrolabe and other astronomical instruments, a number of works on geodesy.

No matter what political and social changes took place around, no matter what position Biruni found himself in, he remained a researcher, a scientist until the end of his days. He always kept a fresh look at nature and was open to new knowledge. In whatever country he lived and worked, everywhere he established a living connection with people, observed their manners and customs, without showing hostility or intolerance towards people of a different religion.

Despite the fact that no more than one-fifth of Biruni's works have survived to this day, we can get an idea about this great scientist from them. We see a man - the creator of original theories, a thoughtful observer, a brilliant experimenter and linguist.

Biruni was dying in full consciousness and, saying goodbye to all his friends, asked the latter: “What did you once explain to me about the methods of counting unrighteous profits?” "How can you think about it in such a state?" he exclaimed in astonishment. “I think that leaving this world knowing the answer to this question is better than leaving it ignorant…” Biruni answered.

Biruni studied the world, nature, the eternal, without indulging in the vain and the temporal, and time worked for him.

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Abu Reyhan Muhammad ibn Ahmed al-Biruni (Abu Arrayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni) (973-1048) is a Central Asian scholar and encyclopedist. Born on the outskirts of the city of Kyat, the capital ancient state Khorezm (now part of Uzbekistan). Living under the dominance of the Muslim religion, which was hostile to science, he boldly opposed the religious worldview. Biruni believed that everything in nature exists and changes according to the laws of nature itself, and not according to divine command. These laws can only be comprehended with the help of science. For his progressive views, Biruni was persecuted and forced to leave his homeland and live in exile three times.

Scientific works of Biruni cover various areas knowledge: astronomy and geography, mathematics and physics, geology and mineralogy, chemistry and botany, history and ethnography, philosophy and philology. The main works (over 40) are devoted to mathematics and astronomy, which was of great practical importance for economic life Khorezm - for irrigated agriculture and trade travel. The most important tasks of astronomy were the improvement of the calendar and methods of orientation on the Earth according to heavenly bodies. It was necessary to be able to determine as accurately as possible the positions in the sky of the Sun, Moon, stars, and also to measure with the greatest possible accuracy the so-called basic astronomical constants - the inclination of the ecliptic to the equator, the length of the solar and sidereal years, etc.

Each nation has distinguished itself in the development of some science or practice.

Al-Biruni

And this, in turn, required the development of mathematics, in particular plane and spherical trigonometry, on the one hand, and the improvement of tools for accurate observations, on the other. The results and achievements of Biruni in all these areas remained unsurpassed for several centuries: the largest wall quadrant is a goniometric tool that made it possible to measure the position of the Sun with an accuracy of 2`; the most accurate determination of the inclination of the ecliptic to the equator and the secular change of this value; a new method for determining the radius of the Earth - by the degree of lowering the horizon when viewed from a mountain. Biruni almost accurately determined the radius of the Earth (more than 6000 km), based on the concept of its spherical shape.

Biruni accepted and developed the progressive ideas of ancient Greek and ancient Indian philosophers on some general problems of astronomy: he asserted the same fiery nature of the Sun and stars, in contrast to the dark bodies - planets; the mobility of stars and their enormous size compared to the Earth; the idea of ​​gravity. Biruni expressed reasonable doubts about the validity of Ptolemy's geocentric system of the world.

When studying the history of Islam, it is hard not to be surprised by the scientific and intellectual achievements of Muslims in the past. During the golden age, Muslims were at the forefront of almost all sciences - from medicine, mathematics to philosophy, art and physics - making new discoveries and developing existing ones. When we talk about the giants of Islamic science, names such as Ibn Sina, Ibn al-Haytham, Ibn Khaldun come to mind. and al-Farabi.

One of these great personalities, who are usually referred to as the greatest scientists of all time, is the Persian Muslim polymath Abu Rayhan al-Biruni. He lived from 973 to 1048 and spent most of his life in Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. During his illustrious career, al-Biruni became an expert in numerous fields of science, including history, physics, mathematics, astronomy, linguistics, comparative religion, and earth science. Despite the political problems that existed in the Muslim world during his lifetime, he managed to become one of the greatest scientists in the history of mankind.

early life

Al-Biruni was born in 973. in the province of Khorasan, located in northeastern Persia. Like many other children of that time, he began to study from an early age, studied Arabic and Persian, basic Islamic disciplines, as well as natural Sciences. Also in early age he began to show interest in mathematics and astronomy, which he was helped to comprehend by prominent astronomers of the time.

When he was in his twenties, he left his home in search of knowledge. For three years he traveled all over Persia, learning from scientists in numerous sciences. In 998, he finally settled in Jurjan (modern Gorgan), going to work for the local ruler Shams al-Maali Qabus. For the next ten years, he lived in this small northern Iranian city, doing research, writing books and expanding his knowledge base.

During this time, he wrote a monumental work devoted to the analysis of the historical chronology of ancient civilizations, along with the study of the development and fall of empires. This book predetermined his future as a scientist in numerous sciences. This book was more than just a work of history, as it brought together history, science, astronomy, and cultural studies in order to interpret the events of the past. During his activity in Jurjan, Al-Biruni became one of the most prominent minds of his time.

Period of life in Ghazni

Al-Biruni was able to bring some of his greatest works to life only after moving to Ghazni, where he was under the patronage of Sultan Mahmud. At that time, Ghazni was major city located on the territory modern Afghanistan. Mahmud's empire extended far beyond present-day Afghanistan, however, was within present-day Iraq, Pakistan, and India. In this powerful empire, al-Biruni had the necessary resources and opportunities to manifest his potential.

Al-Biruni was greatly benefited by the fact that Sultan Mahmud regularly organized military expeditions to India in order to protect his possessions in this territory. Mahmud constantly took al-Biruni with him on all his military campaigns, which made it possible for the latter to regularly immerse himself in the linguistic, cultural and religious environment of India.

With the ability to easily adopt new ideas, al-Biruni for a short time managed to learn Sanskrit, which was the language of Hindu worship. This opened the door for him to the Indian literary heritage, which he studied and compared with writings from other parts of the world. He translated books from Sanskrit into Arabic and Persian, and also translated works from Arabic into Sanskrit. He strongly believed that civilizations should seek to explore, not destroy, each other.

With his ability to read ancient Hindu texts, al-Biruni was able to compile an encyclopedia of ancient Indian history known as Kitab Tarikh al-Hind - The Book of Indian History. In fact, much of what is known today about ancient india taken directly from this work by al-Biruni. "Tarih al-Hind" not only tells the reader about ancient India, but is also proof that al-Biruni was able to combine so many different sciences in order to have a complete understanding of the prerequisites historical events. The book is the key to Indian philosophy, geography and culture - it is in these areas that al-Biruni plunged in order to better understand Indian history. Thus, "Tarih al-Hind" can rightly be considered one of the world's first books on anthropology, dedicated to the study of human societies and the features of their development.

Scientific discoveries

Being a connoisseur of Indian history, al-Biruni also managed to find time for scientific achievements. During his travels, he had the opportunity to see with his own eyes various geographical phenomena and create theories about how they are interconnected. Analyzing various types of soil particles in the Ganges River, from its source to the Bay of Bengal, al-Biruni formulated theories about erosion and the formation of landforms, emphasizing the role of water in this process.

In yet another study, he unearthed fossils of ancient marine animals in the Himalayas that separate India from the rest of the world. It seems unlikely that sea snails and other molluscs would travel thousands of miles inland and up the slopes of these mountains, so al-Biruni concluded that the Himalayan mountains must have once been under the ocean and found themselves on existing location after millions of years. This was direct scientific evidence of the modern understanding of plate tectonics - the movement and displacement of continents in time.

Al-Biruni also became a pioneer in the field of geology, collecting and analyzing hundreds of metals and gems. He gave a description of their properties, composition and indicated the places where they can be found. His writings on gemstones have served as the primary source for understanding these minerals for centuries.

Al-Biruni's remarkable career continued at the beginning of the 11th century. During this period, he conducted research on the following issues:

How the earth rotates on its axis

How wells and springs bring water to the surface

Combination of statics and dynamics in the study of mechanics

Recording the latitude and longitude of thousands of cities, allowing him to determine the direction to Mecca for each city

The optical character of shadows, especially their use in calculating prayer times

Separation of scientific astronomy from astrology based on superstition

For 75 years of his life, al-Biruni managed to radically change the understanding of numerous areas of science. By the time of his death in 1048, he was the author of over 100 books, many of which have not survived to this day. His intellect and deep knowledge of different areas sciences, as well as his ability to combine them into one whole for a better understanding of each of them, puts him on a par with the greatest Muslim scientists of all time. His life is proof of the ability of Muslim scholars of the past to expand the frontiers of knowledge and establish new frontiers in the sciences. She also serves a prime example how the best scientists can rise above political problems, wars and general instability, while continuing to bring revolutionary research to life and make wonderful discoveries.

Bibliography:

Ajram K. Miracle of Islamic Science. Cedar Rapids: Knowledge House Publishers, 1992.

Dallal Ahmad. Islam, science and the challenges of history. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2010.

Khan Muhammad. 100 famous Muslims. Leicestershire, UK: Cube Publishing Limited, 2008.

Morgan M. (2007) Forgotten history. Washington DC: National Geographic Society.

Translation by Azat Khurmatullin especially for

Abu Reyhan Muhammad ibn Ahmed al-Biruni (Abu Arrayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni) (973-1048) is a Central Asian scholar and encyclopedist. Born on the outskirts of the city of Kyat, the capital of the ancient state of Khorezm (now part of Uzbekistan). Living under the dominance of the Muslim religion, which was hostile to science, he boldly opposed the religious worldview. Biruni believed that everything in nature exists and changes according to the laws of nature itself, and not according to divine command. These laws can only be comprehended with the help of science. For his progressive views, Biruni was persecuted and forced to leave his homeland and live in exile three times.

Biruni's scientific works cover various fields of knowledge: astronomy and geography, mathematics and physics, geology and mineralogy, chemistry and botany, history and ethnography, philosophy and philology. The main works (over 40) are devoted to mathematics and astronomy, which was of great practical importance for the economic life of Khorezm - for irrigated agriculture and trade travel. The most important tasks of astronomy were the improvement of the calendar and methods of orientation on the Earth by the celestial bodies. It was necessary to be able to determine as accurately as possible the positions in the sky of the Sun, Moon, stars, and also to measure with the greatest possible accuracy the so-called basic astronomical constants - the inclination of the ecliptic to the equator, the length of the solar and sidereal years, etc.

Each nation has distinguished itself in the development of some science or practice.

Al-Biruni

And this, in turn, required the development of mathematics, in particular plane and spherical trigonometry, on the one hand, and the improvement of tools for accurate observations, on the other. The results and achievements of Biruni in all these areas remained unsurpassed for several centuries: the largest wall quadrant is a goniometric tool that made it possible to measure the position of the Sun with an accuracy of 2`; the most accurate determination of the inclination of the ecliptic to the equator and the secular change of this value; a new method for determining the radius of the Earth - by the degree of lowering the horizon when viewed from a mountain. Biruni almost accurately determined the radius of the Earth (more than 6000 km), based on the concept of its spherical shape.

Biruni accepted and developed the progressive ideas of ancient Greek and ancient Indian philosophers on some general problems of astronomy: he asserted the same fiery nature of the Sun and stars, in contrast to the dark bodies - planets; the mobility of stars and their enormous size compared to the Earth; the idea of ​​gravity. Biruni expressed reasonable doubts about the validity of Ptolemy's geocentric system of the world.

In the very first work "The Chronology of Ancient Peoples" (1000), Biruni collected and described all the calendar systems known in his time, used by various peoples of the world. Astronomical studies are presented by him in the "Book of Interpretation of the Basic Principles of Astronomy" and in other scientific works.

A scientist acts consciously even when spending money.

Al-Biruni

Al-Biruni photo

Al-Biruni - quotes

A scientist acts consciously even when spending money.