As noted earlier in this chapter, Khubilai Khan brought Persian astronomers to China. Islamic scholars were known for their scientific and mathematical pursuits. Persia and other lands of the Middle East benefited from their exposure to both Western and Indian scientific traditions. Mathematics was used to calculate the position of stars and planets, helping to create accurate calendars. Modern algebra is based on work done by Islamic scholars, and the word algebra comes from the Arabic word al-jabr, which means the joining together of disorganized parts.
Under the Mongols, Persian mathematicians mostly improved on work that had been done a few centuries earlier, rather than making new discoveries. In astronomy, however, scientists under the Mongols excelled. The first Persian to work for the Mongols was Nasir al-Din (1200-1273). Hulegu built an observatory for him at Maragha, in what is now northwest Iran. It has been called the world’s first true observatory for studying the skies. Nasir al-Din and other astronomers studied the orbits of the planets.
A scientist named Kamal al-Din (d. c. 1320) studied at the Maragha observatory, but he focused more on optics and light than on the stars and planets. He wanted to understand why humans saw rainbows. With his experiments, he learned that light passing through water at a certain angle creates the colors that make up a rainbow.
Judging THE Historians
Modern-day readers of Juvaini and Rashid al-Din must do their own historiographical examinations. Both men tried to be fair and accurate. Still, they were employed by the Mongols and could not be overly critical of them, which may have influenced what they wrote. Rashid al-Din in particular wanted to show that the Mongol rulers before Ghazan had harmed Persia, while Ghazan's reforms were helpful.
World History
