Al-KHAZINI

Abu al-Fatah Abdul al-Rahman Mansour al-KHAZINI or simply Abu alFatah KHAZINI was a famous Muslim mechanic and hydrostatic of Greek ethnicity
from Marv, then in the Khorasan province of Persia. Al-KHAZINI was a Byzantine
Greek slave of the Seljuq Turks, who at a young age was taken to Marv after the
Seljuq victory over the Byzantine Emperor Romanus IV. Marv was known for its
literary and scientific achievements. His master, Al-KHAZIN, gave him the best
possible education in mathematical and philosophical subjects. Al-KHAZINI was
also a pupil of the famous Persian poet, mathematician, astronomer and
philosopher Omar Khayyam (1048-1131), who was living in Marv at the time.

Al-KHAZINI later became a mathematical practitioner under the patronage of the

Seljuk court, under Sultan Ahmed SANJAR. Little else is known about his life, but
it is known that he refused rewards and handed back 1000 dinars sent to him by
the wife of an Emir, and that he usually lived on 3 dinars a year.

Al-KHAZINI was a slave in Marv. He was the pupil of Umar Khayyam. He got his
name from his master Al-KHAZIN. 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 money 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.

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.[4] His best-known works are The Book
of the Balance of Wisdom, Treatise on Astronomical Wisdom, and The
Astronomical Table for Sanjar.[4]

The Book of the Balance of Wisdom is an encyclopedia of medieval mechanics

and hydrostatics composed of eight books with fifty chapters.[4] It is a study of
the hydrostatic balance and the ideas behind statics and hydrostatics, it also
covers other unrelated topics.[4] There are four different manuscripts of The
Book of the Balance of Wisdom that have survived.[4] The balance al-Khazini
built for Sanjars treasury was modeled after the balance al-Asfizari, who was a
generation older than al-Khazini, built.[4] Sanjars treasurer out of fear destroyed
al-Asfizaris balance; he was filled with grief when he heard the news.[4] AlKhazini called his balance combined balance to show honor towards Al-Asfizari.
[4] The meaning of the balance was a balance of true judgment.[4] The job of
this balance was to help the treasury see what metals were precious and which
gems were real or fake.[4] In The Book of the Balance of Wisdom al-Khazini
states many different examples from the Koran ways that his balance fits into
religion.[4] When al-Khazini explains the advantages of his balance he says that
it performs the functions of skilled craftsmen, its benefits are theoretical and
practical precision.[4]

The "Treatise on Astronomical Wisdom" is a relatively short work.[4] It has seven

parts and each part is assigned to a different scientific instrument.[4] 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.[4] The treatise describes each instrument and their
uses.[4]

The Astronomical Table for Sanjar is said to have been composed for Sultan
Sanjar, the ruler of Merv and his balance was made for Sanjars treasury.[4] The
tables in The Astronomical Table for Sanjar are tables of holidays, fasts, etc.[4]
The tables are said to have the latitudes and longitudes of forty-three different
stars, along with their temperatures and magnitudes.[4] It is said that alKhazinis observations for this work were probably done in Merv in various
observatories with high quality instruments.[4]