ARABIC AND PERSIAN SOURCES ON THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE IN AZERBAIJAN

Abstract

During the Caliphate (VII-IX centuries), Azerbaijan was occupied by Arab troops, and the country became part of the Arab Caliphate, which stretched from Spain to India. The unification of different peoples into a single state and their interconnection led to the rapid development of science and culture. Caliph Harun al-Rashid and Caliph al-Mamun played an exceptional role in the flourishing of Eastern science. In about 1424 (h.827), the caliph al-Mamun founded the famous “Beytul-Hikma” (“House of Wisdom”) academy in Baghdad. In “Beytul-Hikma” scientific books in ancient Greek, Hindi, Rami, Syriac and other ancient languages of the East were translated into Arabic and distributed in the regions of the Caliphate, as well as in Azerbaijan. Thus, the renaissance period in Azerbaijan in the IX-XIV centuries can be divided into two stages: the first stage covered the IX-XIV centuries, which began with the activities of the Abbasid caliphate. During this period, the humanities developed more. The second stage covers the period of the
Elkhanids rule in Azerbaijan (the XIII-XIV centuries) and is characterized by a stronger development of the exact sciences (Medicine, Mathematics, Astronomy, Astrology, Geometry, etc.).The weakening of the Arab Caliphate after the IX century resulted to the restoration of national statehood in Azerbaijan. At that time, the creation of strong independent states in Azerbaijan, such as the Sajis, Salaris, Ravvadis, Shaddadis, Atabeys and Shirvanshahs, gave impetus to the development of science and culture. Shirvanshahs and Atabeys patronized science and culture. The most developed sciences during this period were Philosophy, Law, Literature, Linguistics, Mathematics, Astronomy, Medicine and Chemistry. In the article, we tried to provide relatively detailed information about the Arabic-speaking and Persian-speaking sources reflecting the history of science in Azerbaijan, about their authors and what fields of science they prefer. It should be noted that during the Caliphate, Azerbaijan, like many other countries, was considered one of the united Islamic countries, and many Azerbaijani scientists, in order to develop their knowledge, migrated to different parts of Islamic geography, studied Arabic and Persian languages and wrote works in these languages. Undoubtedly, these scientists are considered part of the history of Azerbaijan, and in our research it is advisable to highlight their life and work.