(c. 1250 – c. 1310) was a 13th-century

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...

and

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

from Samarkand.

Life and works

Nothing is known of al-Samarqandi's life except that he composed his most important works in the last two decades of the 7th and early decades of the 8th centuries A.H. He wrote works on

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premise ...

, philosophy, mathematics and

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

which have proved important in their own right and also in giving information about the works of other scientists of his period. Al-Samarqandi wrote a work ''Risala fi adab al-bahth'' which discussed the method of intellectual investigation of reasoning using dialectic. Such methods of enquiry were much used by the ancient Greeks. He also wrote ''Synopsis of Astronomy'', and produced a star catalogue for the year 1276–77. In mathematics, al-Samarqandi is famous for a short work of only 20 pages which discusses 35 of Euclid's propositions. Although a short work, al-Samarqandi consulted widely the works of other

Muslim mathematicians Mathematics during the Golden Age of Islam, especially during the 9th and 10th centuries, was built on Greek mathematics (Euclid, Archimedes, Apollonius) and Indian mathematics (Aryabhata, Brahmagupta). Important progress was made, such as ...

before writing it. For example, he refers to writings by

Ibn al-Haytham Ḥasan Ibn al-Haytham, Latinized as Alhazen (; full name ; ), was a medieval mathematician, astronomer, and physicist of the Islamic Golden Age from present-day Iraq.For the description of his main fields, see e.g. ("He is one of the pri ...

Omar Khayyam Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīsābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131), commonly known as Omar Khayyam ( fa, عمر خیّام), was a polymath, known for his contributions to mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, an ...

, al-Jawhari, Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, and

Athīr al-Dīn al-Abharī Athīr al‐Dīn al‐Mufaḍḍal ibn ʿUmar ibn al‐Mufaḍḍal al‐Samarqandī al‐Abharī, also known as Athīr al‐Dīn al‐Munajjim (d. in 1265 or 1262 Shabestar, Iran) was an Iranian muslim polymath, philosopher, astronomer, astrol ...

.
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samarqandi, Shams Din Hanafis Maturidis 1250 births 1310 deaths Central Asia Mathematicians of the medieval Islamic world Astronomers of the medieval Islamic world 13th-century astronomers 14th-century Iranian people 13th-century Iranian people People from Samarkand