The mathematical sciences and medicine in Safavid Iran

Abstract

The mathematical sciences and medicine were the two scholarly domains outside the religious disciplines, which had a professional representation at the court and market place. The professional representative of the mathematical sciences was the astrologer. The highest-ranking representative of the medical field was – as in the case of astrology – the head physician at court, the hakim-bashi. Most extant Arabic and Persian texts on one or more of the mathematical sciences were written by madrasa teachers or copied by their students. Teaching the mathematical sciences at madrasas involved primarily arithmetic, algebra, geometry and astronomy. Safavid astrolabes are characterized by a number of shared features. They are usually fitted with a decorated throne. Their rete with the star pointers carries a uniquely elegant, mostly floral design. Medical works of the Safavid period provide some clues as to which books were considered relevant to the knowledge of well-educated doctors and as respectable sources for compiling different kinds of medical writings.