The History of Science in the Footsteps of TÜBA Member Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin
TÜBA President Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Şeker delivered a speech at the International Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin Symposium on the History of Islamic Science, to which TÜBA also contributed. Organized in cooperation with Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University (FSMVÜ) and Istanbul University (İÜ), the symposium was held for the fourth time this year under the theme “History of Islamic Geography and Maritime Studies.”
Hosted at FSMVÜ’s Ayasofya Campus, the program brought together 83 scholars from 22 countries and opened with a dedicatory statement honoring the scholarly legacy of Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin, one of the foremost figures in the history of science. TÜBA Members, university rectors, academics, researchers, and experts participated in the symposium. The opening lecture was delivered by Prof. Dr. Dionisius Agius.
The sessions—focusing on the historical development of geography and maritime studies, two foundational fields that mutually nourished one another in the Islamic world—were complemented by museum visits and evaluation meetings, forming a rich scientific agenda. Topics such as Islamic geographical thought, cartographic traditions, navigation technologies, and the applied knowledge of Muslim seafarers were discussed in depth. In addition, the Islamic Atlas Exhibition, Piri Reis’ Mediterranean Exhibition, and the Astrolabe and Astronomical Instruments Exhibition showcased historical and modern examples of maps, portolans, maritime tools, and celestial measurement instruments produced within the Islamic scientific tradition.
Fuat Sezgin Reconstructed the Global Memory of the History of Islamic Science
In his opening address, TÜBA President Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Şeker emphasized that Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin was not only a leading scholar in the history of Islamic science but also a figure who shaped global historiography of science.
Prof. Şeker continued as follows:“Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin devoted his life to uncovering the rich legacy of Islamic scientific and intellectual history and, in doing so, established a perspective that enables a renewed, global reading of the history of science. His monumental body of work not only illuminated the scholarly heritage of the past but also provided new generations with a robust academic reference framework. The symposium held here today carries great significance as it demonstrates the continuation of the path he opened.”
Referring to the symposium’s theme, Prof. Şeker underscored that reassessing the geographical and maritime heritage of the Islamic world constitutes an important field of study that reveals the scientific dynamism of Islamic civilization.
