Aydın Sayılı facts for kids

Aydın Sayılı (pronounced [ajdɯn ˈsajɯɫɯ]) was an important Turkish historian who studied science. He was born on May 2, 1913, and passed away on October 15, 1993.

Aydın Sayılı made history by becoming the very first person in the world to earn a PhD degree in the field of the history of science. His picture is even on the back of the Turkish 5 lira banknote, which was released in 2009.

Early Life and School

Aydın Sayılı was born in Istanbul on May 2, 1913. His parents were Abdurrahman and Suat Sayılı. He also had two sisters.

He finished high school at Atatürk High School in Ankara in 1933. Something amazing happened that helped his career: he met Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who was the founder of modern Turkey. Atatürk was so impressed by Aydın Sayılı that he gave him a special scholarship from the government. This scholarship allowed him to study the history of science at Harvard University in the United States.

In 1942, Sayılı earned his PhD in the history of science from Harvard University. His main teacher was George Sarton. For his PhD, Aydın Sayılı wrote about scientific places and groups in the Islamic world. This was one of the first PhD papers at Harvard to focus on Islamic studies.

His Career

Aydın Sayılı started working at Ankara University in the Department of Philosophy in 1943. He quickly moved up, becoming an associate professor in 1946 and a full professor in 1952. By 1958, he was recognized as a very respected professor.

He retired from the university in 1983. After that, in 1984, he became the head of the Atatürk Culture Centre, a role he held until 1993. He was also a member of the Turkish History Society and the International Academy of the History of Science.

Awards and Honors

Aydın Sayılı received many awards for his important work:

• In 1973, the Polish government gave him the Copernicus Medal. This was for his studies about the famous Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.
• In 1977, he received the TÜBİTAK Service Award.
• In 1980, he was chosen to be part of a special group at UNESCO, which is the United Nations organization for education, science, and culture.
• In 1981, Istanbul University gave him the Excellent Service Award.
• In 1990, UNESCO honored him again with an award for all his amazing work throughout his life.

Works

Aydın Sayılı wrote many books and articles. His works have been published in Turkish, English, Arabic, and Persian.

• The Observatory in Islam, Arno Press, June 1981. This book was part of a series called The Development of Science: Sources for the History of Science Series.
• Abdülhamid İbn-Türk'ün katışık denklemlerde mantıkî zaruretler adlı yazısı ve zamanın cebri (Logical necessities in mixed equations by ʿAbd al Ḥamîd Ibn Turk and the algebra of his time). This was a reprint of an earlier edition from 1962.

Images for kids

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  The back of the 5 Turkish lira banknote from 2009, featuring Aydın Sayılı.