The workshop entitled “Theoretical and Practical Aspects of Scientific Activity: Ottoman Calendars (1550-1710)” was held on March 21, 2022, at the General Assembly Hall of Istanbul University Faculty of Letters. This workshop was part of the TUBITAK-1003 Projects Support Program titled “A Comparative Study on the Theoretical and Practical Aspects of Scientific Activity in the Ottoman Empire: Annual and Perpetual Calendars (1550-1710)”. And it is in collaboration with the French Institute of Anatolian Studies (IFEA).
The workshop was opened by Dr. Gaye Danışan from the Department of History of Science, Faculty of Letters, Istanbul University, and Florence Somer from the French Institute of Anatolian Studies. Then, under the theme “Circulation of Knowledge: Sources, Scholars, and Networks,” the first session was chaired by Prof. Dr. Feza Günergun from the History of Science Department of Istanbul University. The presentations in this session were Dr. Gaye Danışan’s “Ottoman Calendars and Their Value as Sources in the Writing of the History of Science,” Feyza Betül Aydın’s “What Do the Notes Written on Calendars Tell Us?” and Dr. Hasan Karataş’s (from Istanbul Technical University Department of Sociology) “Reflections on Scientific Studies in the Zeyniyye Order: The Case of Sheikh Vefâ.”
The second session was organized under the theme “Calendar: Astronomy, Economy, and Religion,” chaired by Hüseyin Ölmez, Research Assistant at Istanbul University, Department of Arabic Language and Literature. In this session, Dr. Taha Yasin Arslan from the Department of History of Science at Istanbul Medeniyet University discussed “The Use of Astronomical Rulers as Calendars in the Ottomans,” Prof. Dr. Fuat Aydın from the Department of Philosophy and History of Religions at Sakarya University discussed “Jewish and Christian Liturgical Calendars In the Ottoman Astrology Notebooks,” and Dr. Azize Fatma Çakır discussed “The Problem of Timekeeping (Zaman-ı Zabt) in Ottoman Finance.”
The third session was organized around the theme of “Interaction: Earth, Sky, and Creation” and was chaired by Dr. Meltem Kocaman from the Department of History of Science at Istanbul University. In the session, Dr. Feray Coşkun from the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Özyeğin University presented “The Formation of the Universe, Earth’s Balance, and Meteorological Events in Ottoman Cosmographies,” Dr. Gaye Danışan and Florence Somer presented “Planetary Iconography: From Sassanid Buddhist Central Asia to Ottoman Anatolia,” and S. Ceren Özdemir, a researcher in the aforementioned project, presented “Lunar and Solar Eclipses in Ottoman Calendars.”
In the fourth session titled “Theoretical and Practical Perspectives: Time, Health, and Mentality,” Dr. Saltuk Duran from Istanbul Technical University chaired the session. In this session, Dr. Mustafa Yavuz from the History of Science Department at Istanbul Medeniyet University discussed “The Theoretical Background of Islamic Medicine,” Nilgün Durusüt, who is continuing her master’s studies in the History of Science Department at Istanbul University, presented “A Database Study on Calendars,” Ahmet Tunç Şen from the History Department at Columbia University discussed “Can Science Arise from an Astrologer (Munajjim)?” and a collaborative study by G. Danışan, A. F. Çakır, F. B. Aydın, S. C. Özdemir, and N. Durusüt titled “Health and Disease in Ottoman Calendars: Mixtures (Hıltlar), Seasons, and Health” was presented.
After the sessions of the workshop, Gaye Danışan organized an event titled “European and Ottoman Volvelles: A Comparative Study on the History, Structure, and Use.” In this event, the difficulties faced by a study on Ottoman volvelles and the use of volvelles were discussed, and the participants were presented with replicas of Ottoman and European volvelles.
The workshop ended with an evaluation session chaired by Gaye Danışan between 18:00-19:30. In this session, Gaye Danışan and the workshop participants discussed interdisciplinary working methods regarding Ottoman calendars.
See for the workshop summary booklet:
https://osmanlitakvimleri.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/calistay-ozet-kitabi.pdf
For detailed information see:
Danışan, G. (2022). Volvel Atölyesi: Osmanlı Takvimleri (1550-1710) Çalıştayı, İstanbul, 21 Mart 2022, Osmanlı Bilimi Araştırmaları, 23/2: 453-459.
https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/iuoba/issue/71064/1111725
Duran, S. (2022). Theoretical and Practical Aspects of Ottoman Scientific Activities: Annual and Perpetual Calendars (1550-1710) Workshop, Istanbul, March, 21, 2022, Osmanlı Bilimi Araştırmaları, 23/2: 445-451.
https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/iuoba/issue/71064/1106936