Two Observatories in Istanbul: from the Late Ottoman Empire to the Young Turkish Republic

Abstract

From the 17 century onward, the Ottoman Empire entered a phase of weakening, as a consequence of many factors including the dissolution of political stability, the loss of territory and decreasing revenue. In the second half of the 19 century, as an attempt to reinforce power of the central authority, the Ottomans undertook major reforms called Tanzimat. During this period, individuals started to establish professional and learned associations similar to those in the West which eventually led to the creation of a Faculty of Science and to the Ottoman University (Darulfunun, 1900). In this context of reform and opening to the West, the Imperial Observatory (Rasathane-i Amire) was founded in 1868 with the support of France. Its primary aim was to exchange data between European and Ottoman meteorological stations. The Imperial Observatory occupied several locations before reaching its final setting in Kandilli (1911), on the Asian side of the Bosphorus where other activities were developed such as sismology, astronomy, meteorology and magnetic studies. Following the spirit of the newly founded Republic in 1923, a serious reform of the academic programmes and a purging of the staff of the Ottoman University led to the establishment of the Istanbul University in the historical quarter of Beyazit (1933). The Istanbul astronomical Observatory was founded in the same year and its construction started in 1935. The university reform was largely influenced by the presence of German and other European scholars, many of them Jewish, escaping from Nazi persecution. In particular, Erwin Finlay-Freundlich from Potsdam Observatory became the first director of Istanbul Observatory. Kandilli and Istanbul University observatories are briefly presented here, stressing the main steps of their creation and their astronomical heritage.