Matrakçı Nasuh facts for kids

Matrakçı Nasuh (born around 1480 – died around 1564) was an amazing person from the 16th-century Ottoman Empire. He was known for many talents! People called him "Matrakçı" because he was a master of a combat sport called Matrak, which he actually invented. He was also called "Nasuh the Swordsman" because he was so skilled with weapons.

Nasuh was a true polymath, meaning he was good at many different things. He was a mathematician, philosopher, teacher, historian, geographer, cartographer, swordmaster, navigator, inventor, painter, and even a miniaturist (someone who paints tiny, detailed pictures). He was brought to Istanbul by Ottoman scouts and trained at the famous Enderun School, where he later became a teacher.

Life of Matrakçı Nasuh

Matrakçı Nasuh was born in Visoko, a town in Bosnia. He joined the Janissary corps, which was a special infantry unit of the Ottoman army. He was a very skilled swordsman and sharpshooter. He could also speak five different languages!

Even though his parents were Bosnian Muslims, Nasuh was part of the devşirme system. This system usually recruited Christian boys for the army, but in Bosnia, it sometimes included local Muslim families too.

Nasuh spent a long time studying mathematics and geometry. He wrote important books about these subjects, like Cemâlü'l-Küttâb and Kemalü'l- Hisâb. He presented these books to the Ottoman sultan Selim I. He also wrote history books, such as Mecmaü't-Tevârih and Süleymannâme. These books covered history from 1520 to 1543.

He also wrote a historical book about Suleiman I's campaign in Persia, called Fetihname-i Karabuğdan. A recent study of his math book, Umdet-ul Hisab, showed that Nasuh invented some new ways to multiply numbers. He also used a method called the lattice method at the Enderun School. This was almost 50 years before John Napier introduced it to Europe!

Besides his work in math and history, Nasuh was a talented artist. He painted amazing miniatures. These were tiny, detailed paintings, often showing panoramic views of landscapes and cities. His painting of Istanbul, for example, shows almost every street and building! This detailed style of painting later became known as the "Matrakçı style" in Ottoman art.

One of his most famous miniature collections illustrates Suleiman I's war against the Safavids. This collection shows the Ottoman army's journey from Istanbul to Baghdad and Tabriz, and their return. Nasuh included all the cities the army passed through. The only copy of this special work is kept at the Library of Istanbul University.

Nasuh was also a brave soldier and a master bladesmith (someone who makes swords). He taught students how to use different weapons at the Enderun School. The sultan gave him the honorary titles of Ustad (meaning "master") and Reis (meaning "chief"). He also wrote a book called Tuhfet-ül Guzât, which teaches about using various weapons and fighting techniques for both cavalry (soldiers on horseback) and infantry (soldiers on foot).

Matrakçı Nasuh's Mathematics

Nasuh was very famous for his skills in mathematics, especially in arithmetic and algebra. He was the first to introduce the Lattice multiplication system. This system helps you multiply numbers using a grid or lattice.

To multiply using this method, you start by multiplying two numbers in the same column from the far right of the row. If the answer is a two-digit number, the first digit goes above the grid line, and the second digit goes below it.

Matrakçı Nasuh's Works

Mathematics Books

• Cemâlü'l-Küttâb
• Kemalü'l- Hisâb
• Umdetü'l-Hisâb

History Books

• Mecmaü't-Tevârih (Sum of History)
• Süleymannâme (Book of Suleiman)
• Fetihname-i Karabuğdan (Book of the Black Bogdan Campaign)
• Beyan-ı Menazil-i Sefer-i Irakeyn-i Sultan Süleyman Han (Chronicle of Stages of the Campaign of Iraq and Persia of Sultan Suleiman Khan)

Martial Arts Book

• Tuhfet-ul Guzat (Gift of Warriors)

Gallery

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  Map of Baghdad

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  Miniaturised Map

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  Miniaturised Map

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  16th century map of Soltaniyeh city by Matrakçı Nasuh

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  16th century map of Soltaniyeh city by Matrakçı Nasuh

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  Map of Istanbul

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  Map of Istanbul

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Honors and Legacy

In his hometown of Visoko, Bosnia, Matrakçı Nasuh is seen as a "Bosnian Leonardo da Vinci". This comparison shows how talented and inventive he was, just like Leonardo. A street near the Hometown Heritage Museum Visoko is named after him: Matrakčijina (Matrakci's Street).

A TV show about Matrakçı Nasuh was made by Turkish Radio-television in 1978.

Images for kids

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  Siege of Nice (1543) by Matrakçı Nasuh

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  Wintering of the Ottoman fleet in Toulon (1543–44) by Matrakçı Nasuh

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  Matrakçı Nasuh's square lattice multiplication

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  Matrakçı Nasuh's triangular lattice multiplication