Hoxhë Hasan Tahsini or simply Hoxha Tahsim (7 April 1811 – 3 July 1881) was an Albanian

alim Alim (''ʿAlīm'' , also anglicized as ''Aleem'') is one of the Names of God in Islam, meaning "''All-knowing one''". It is also used as a personal name, as a short form of Abdul Alim, "''Servant of the All-Knowing''": Given name * Alim ad-Din ...

, astronomer, mathematician and philosopher. He was the first rector of Istanbul University and one of the founders of the Central Committee for Defending Albanian Rights. Tahsini is regarded as one of the most prominent scholars of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

of the 19th century.

Early life

Hasan Tahsini was born in 1811 in the village of Ninat,

Konispol Konispol ( sq-definite, Konispoli) is the southernmost town in Albania. It sits one kilometer away from the Border crossings of Albania, Albanian-Greek border. The settlement is inhabited by Muslim Cham Albanians. Konispol is the modern centre of t ...

, then part of the

. His father Osman

Efendi Effendi or effendy ( tr, efendi ; ota, افندی, efendi; originally from grc-x-medieval, αφέντης ) is a title of nobility meaning '' sir'', ''lord'' or ''master'', especially in the Ottoman Empire and the Caucasus''.'' The title i ...

Rushiti was a member of the

ulama In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...

. When he was young he worked as tutor to the sons of Hayrullah Efendi, Minister of Education of the

. Hayrullah Efendi later appointed Tahsini to the staff of the Ottoman school of Paris, where Tahsini taught Turkish and religious sciences, while also being the imam of the Ottoman embassy and a student of mathematics and natural sciences at the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

. He studied in Paris for twelve years after being sent there by Resid Pasha, who was trying to create a Westernized

elite. In 1869 Tahsini returned in the

to accompany the body of

Fuad Pasha Mehmed Fuad Pasha (1814 – February 12, 1869), sometimes known as Keçecizade Mehmed Fuad Pasha and commonly known as Fuad Pasha, was an Ottoman administrator and statesman, who is known for his prominent role in the Tanzimat reforms of the ...

who had died in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...

Istanbul University

In 1870 he became the first

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the newly established Istanbul University, where he gave lectures on physics, astronomy and psychology. The government appointed Tahsini as rector as it was believed that he could establish a balance between western European and Islamic methods and ideologies. However, at that time Tahsini's scientific research and unreserved liberalism led to him being frequently attacked by conservative

circles The attacks against Tahsini began when he conducted experiments in order to illustrate the notion of

vacuum A vacuum is a space devoid of matter. The word is derived from the Latin adjective ''vacuus'' for "vacant" or " void". An approximation to such vacuum is a region with a gaseous pressure much less than atmospheric pressure. Physicists often di ...

to his students. Tahsini placed a pigeon underneath a glass bell, emptied the receptacle and the pigeon eventually suffocated proving Tahsini's theory. The conservative circles considered Tahsini's experiment as evidence of witchcraft and performance of magic. After the experiment he was declared a heretic through a fatwa, dismissed from the university, and disallowed to give lectures. The university was also closed for a period because

Jamal-al-Din Afghani Sayyid Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī (Pashto/ fa, سید جمال‌‌‌الدین افغانی), also known as Sayyid Jamāl ad-Dīn Asadābādī ( fa, سید جمال‌‌‌الدین اسد‌آبادی) and commonly known as Al-Afghani (1 ...

, another professor influenced by Tahsini, supported his theories.

Works

Tahsini wrote the first Turkish language treatise on psychology titled ''Psychology or the Science of Soul'', a work influenced by modernism and the first book whose title contained the word ''psychology''. He also wrote the first Turkish-language book on modern astronomy being also the first popular science book in Turkish. Other works of Tahsini in the Turkish language include a translation of Constantin François de Chassebœuf's ''Loi Naturelle''. Tahsini was a prominent member of the Central Committee for Defending Albanian Rights established in Istanbul, 1877. The Committee for Defending Albanian Rights appointed Tahsini along with

Sami Frashëri Sami bey Frashëri ( tr, Şemseddin Sami Bey; June 1, 1850 – June 18, 1904) or Şemseddin Sâmi was an Ottoman Albanian writer, philosopher, playwright and a p ...

Pashko Vasa Pashko is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Gramoz Pashko (1955–2006), Albanian economist and politician * Josif Pashko (1918–1963), Albanian politician * Walter Pashko (1930–2006), American painter See also * Pasco (di ...

and

Jani Vreto Jani Vreto (14 January 1822 – 9 July 1900) was an Albanian writer, printer, publisher and important figure of the Albanian National Awakening. He was responsible for setting up and overseeing the work of the first Albanian printing house in Buc ...

to create an Albanian alphabet which by 19 March 1879 the group approved Frashëri's 36 letter alphabet consisting mostly of Latin characters. Tahsini during the process had worked with Sami Frasheri, one of the most important figures of the

Albanian National Awakening The Albanian National Awakening ( sq, Rilindja or ), commonly known as the Albanian Renaissance or Albanian Revival, is a period throughout the 19th and 20th century of a cultural, political and social movement in the Albanian history where the ...

to develop a unique alphabet of the

Albanian language Albanian ( endonym: or ) is an Indo-European language and an independent branch of that family of languages. It is spoken by the Albanians in the Balkans and by the Albanian diaspora, which is generally concentrated in the Americas, Europ ...

. According to Tahsini the alphabet was developed in such way that each letter required the least hand movements to be written.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tahsini, Hasan 1811 births 1881 deaths Albanian writers People from Konispol Albanian educators French–Turkish translators Activists of the Albanian National Awakening Scientists from the Ottoman Empire Educators from the Ottoman Empire University of Paris alumni Cham Albanians Albanian imams