Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi

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Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi

(780-847)

 Ancient Khorezm played an important role in the development of science in the East. Historians confirm that in Khorezm the exact sciences - geometry, trigonometry, astronomy, topography, chemistry, mineralogy and other natural sciences were highly developed in the VIII-IX centuries. The high level and concentration of geographical knowledge allowed Khorezm traders to travel to distant lands. When Khorezm became part of the Arab Caliphate, Khorezmian scholars soon gained fame due to their talent and high level of encyclopedic knowledge, and became one of the founders of a number of sciences.

  The first prominent representative of the Khorezm scientific school was Muhammad Khorezmi, who, in the words of the American orientalist D. Sarton, was "one of the greatest mathematicians of all time."

  Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi (abbreviated Al-Khwarizmi) was born in Khorezm and died in Baghdad. The exact year of birth and death of the scientist is unknown. However, some sources suggest that Al-Khwarizmi was born in 780 and died in 847. Like a number of ancient scholars, Al-Khwarizmi was not limited to this or that science, but had an encyclopedic knowledge. In particular, the scientific heritage of the scientist in the field of history, mathematics, astronomy and geography is recognized by the world community as an invaluable contribution to the development of world science.

  Al-Khwarizmi's works, in particular on arithmetic and algebra, have been repeatedly translated into a number of European languages, and the scientific evidence presented in them has been widely used in mathematics and practice. Many of the calculations left by the scientist have not lost their relevance. In particular, the name Al-Khwarizmi is given in Latin books in the form Algorithmus, Algorismus, Al-Khoarismus, Alcauresmus, Alhoharitmus, etc., which in turn became the basis for a new arithmetic - algorithm. French orientalist J. Reynaud 1849These names, which were mentioned in the works of mathematics published in different periods in European countries in the XNUMXth century, proved that they were in fact directly related to the name of Al-Khorezmi, a representative of the Khorezm scientific school.

  Al-Khwarizmi's mathematics paved the way for the development of the Indian system of counting and arithmetic operations based on it. The scientist'sHand oppression and confrontation»On behalf of his famous workalgebraThe term "appeared" and began to develop as a separate science.

  The caliph of Khorezm also paid special attention to the famous scholar Al-Khwarizmi. In particular, among the ambassadors sent to Khazar was Al-Khwarizmi. As a result of this trip, the scientist was able to masterfully describe the geographical information about the countries he visited. According to experts, the first data on the geography and ethnography of Eastern Europe were laid by Al-Khwarizmi. Later, this information passed from one geographical work to another, becoming the most accurate and unchanging information.

  Al-Khwarizmi's scientific activity included the establishment of the Academy of Sciences in Baghdad in the late eighth and early ninth centuries during the reign of Mamun, the son of Harun al-Rashid.Byte al-hikma»(« House of Wise Men ») played a major role. At the Baghdad Academy on behalf of Khalifa Mamun, under the leadership of Al-Khwarizmi, more than 70; The scientist wrote a detailed description of the world and the sky.World maps», That is, they worked to create an atlas of the world. This is a collection of maps «Mamun world mapAccording to sources, its creation was completed in about 840.

  Al-Khwarizmi's book on the structure of these mapsSurat al-arzThe book was very popular in its time and was widely used not only by Baghdad scholars, but also by scholars from faraway countries. The book contains several dozen maps and comments on them.Kitabu surat al-arz». SHE IS "Earth's image book"Or in other words,"GeographyIt also means

  In the comments to this work, different parts of the world are arranged according to climates and their geographical coordinates. A total of 537 names of the most important places, including cities, then mountains (203 names), seas and islands, and finally rivers are written separately. The tables in the bookWestern outer sea»(Atlantic Ocean),«The Red Sea and the Green Sea»(Red Sea and Indian Ocean). The play also describes the Sea of ​​Azov, the Nile River and the surrounding areas, as well as a map of these areas. In essence and content, this work is a commentary attached to a large atlas.

  Considering that Al-Khwarizmi worked in Khorezm and Baghdad, it can be said that the results of his travels between these two regions became the basis for the geographical works of the scientist. In his works, the scientist also gave some information about the size of the Earth, and this was noted in the works of geographers who lived and worked in the East. In particular, Ibn al-Faqih writes that al-Khwarizmi believed that the Earth was flat, with a total surface area of ​​9 fars, and that only one-twelfth of it was inhabited. This opinion of the scientist may be based, of course, on the prevailing assumptions about the shape of the Earth at that time.

  Al-Khwarizmi's geographical heritage has been studied in depth by the Arabist K. Nallino, the Czech scholar G. Mjik and the Hungarian researcher K. Segledi. The Italian orientalist K. Nallino wrote that "no nation in Europe was capable of achieving the success of Al-Khwarizmi and creating such a work." K. Segledi, based on the Khorezmian geography, managed to reconstruct the "Khorezmian map of the Danube countries."

  Al-Khwarizmi's geographical ideas raised this science to a new level and led to the creation of a new geography in the east in the early ninth century. According to H. Hasanov, in 1894 a special commission of the Italian Academy of SciencesSurat al-arzHe thoroughly studied his work and confirmed that it was a very valuable guide of his time and, in general, had a positive impact on the development of geography. Therefore, Al-Khwarizmi can be considered not only a great geographer, but also the founder of Eastern geography, a guiding star in the field of research of all naturalists, geographers and tourists from Spain to Kashgar.