Al-Khazini

Abu al-Fath Abd al-Rahman Mansour al-Khāzini or simply Abu al-Fath Khāzini (Arabic: أبو الفتح الخازني‎, Persian: ابولفتح خازنی‎) (flourished 1115–1130) was a Muslim astronomer of Greek ethnicity from Merv, then in the Khorasan province of Persia (located in today's Turkmenistan). Merv was known for its literary and scientific achievements.

This article is about the 12th century scientist. For the 10th century astronomer and physician, see Abū Ja'far al-Khāzin.

Muslim scientist Abd al-Rahman al-Khazini
This is Al-Khazini's balance made for Sanjar's Treasury
Title	Al-Khazini
Born	11th century
Died	12th century
Ethnicity	Byzantine Greek
Era	Islamic Golden Age
Creed	Islamic astronomy
Main interest(s)	Astronomy
Influenced by Aristotle

Life

Al-Khazini was a slave in Marw. He was the pupil of Umar Khayyam. He got his name from his master al-Khanzin. His master is responsible for his education in mathematics and philosophy. Al-Khazini was known for being a humble man. He refused thousands of Dinar for his works, saying he did not need much to live on because it was only his cat and himself in his household. Al-Khazini is one of the few Islamic astronomers to be known for doing original observations. His works are used and very well known in the Islamic world, but very few other places around the world acknowledge his work.

Achievements

Al Khazini seems to have been a high government official under Sanjar ibn Malikshah and the sultan of the Seljuk Empire. He did most of his work in Merv, where they are known for their libraries. His best known works are “The Book of the Balance of Wisdom”, “Treatise on Astronomical Wisdom”, and “The Astronomical Table for Sanjar”.

“The Book of the Balance of Wisdom” is an encyclopedia of medieval mechanics and hydrostatics composed of eight books with fifty chapters. It is a study of the hydrostatic balance and the ideas behind statics and hydrostatics, it also covers other unrelated topics. There are four different manuscripts of “The Book of the Balance of Wisdom” that have survived. The balance al-Khazini built for Sanjar’s treasury was modeled after the balance al-Asfizari, who was a generation older than al-Khazini, built. Sanjar’s treasurer out of fear destroyed al-Asfizari’s balance; he was filled with grief when he heard the news. Al-Khazini called his balance “combined balance” to show honor towards Al-Asfizari. The meaning of the balance was a “balance of true judgment”. The job of this balance was to help the treasury see what metals were precious and which gems were real or fake. In “The Book of the Balance of Wisdom” al-Khazini states many different examples from the Koran ways that his balance fits into religion. When al-Khazini explains the advantages of his balance he says that it “preforms the functions of skilled craftsmen”, its benefits are theoretical and practical precision.

The "Treatise on Astronomical Wisdom" is a relatively short work. It has seven parts and each part is assigned to a different scientific instrument. The seven instruments include: a triquetrum, a dioptra, a “triangular instrument,” a quadrant, devices involving reflection, an astrolabe, and simple tips for viewing things with the naked eye. The treatise describes each instrument and their uses.

“The Astronomical Table for Sanjar” is said to have been composed for Sultan Sanjar, the ruler of Merv and his balance was made for Sanjar’s treasury. The tables in “The Astronomical Table for Sanjar” are tables of holidays, fasts, ect. The tables are said to have the latitudes and longitudes of forty-three different stars, along with their temperatures and magnitudes. It is said that al-Khazini’s observations for this work were probably done in Merv in various observatories with high quality instruments.