Notes on the history of geophysics in the Ottoman Empire

摘要

In Anatolia, the history of geophysical sciences may go back to antiquity(600 BC), namely the period when Thales lived in Magnesia (Asia Minor). Inthe modern sense, geophysics started with geomagnetic works in the 1600s.The period between 1600 and 1800 includes the measurement of magneticdeclination, inclination and magnetic field strength. Before these years,there is a little information, such as how to use a compass, in the Kitab-iBahriye (the Book of Navigation) of Piri Reis, who is one of the mostimportant mariners of the Ottoman Empire. However, this may not mean thatmagnetic declination was generally understood. The first scientific bookrelating to geophysics is the book Fuyuzat-i Miknatissiye that wastranslated by Ibrahim Müteferrika and printed in 1731. The subject ofthis book is earth's magnetism. There is also information concerninggeophysics in the book Cihannuma (Universal Geography) that was writtenby Katip Celebi and in the book Marifetname written by Ibrahim HakkiErzurumlu, but these books are only partly geophysical books. In Istanbul theyear 1868 is one of the most important for geophysical sciences because anobservatory called Rasathane-i Amire was installed in the Pera region ofthis city. At this observatory the first systematic geophysical observationssuch as meteorological, seismological and even gravimetrical were made.There have been meteorological records in Anatolia since 1839. These arerecords of atmospheric temperature, pressure and humidity. In the OttomanEmpire, the science of geophysics is considered as one of the naturalsciences along with astronomy, mineralogy, geology, etc., and these sciencesare included as a part of physics and chemistry.