Journal of Research on History of Medicine

Journal of Research on History of Medicine

Hakim Unsuri al-Khattabi al-Gilani al-Lahijani, An Iranian Physician and Astronomer in Ottoman Court and His Heritage

Document Type : Conference Paper

Authors
Seyyed Hadi Tabatabaei 1
Hamed Arezaei 2
1 Department of History of Medicine, School of Persian Medicine, Iran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of History of Medicine, School of Persian Medicine, Iran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
10.30476/rhm.2025.51268
Abstract
One of the less known physicians in ottoman emperor was a great Iranian scientist, Hakim Unsuri al-Khattabi al-Gilani al-Lahijani who was originally from Gilan region of Iran and worked as a chief astronomer and great physician of three ottoman kings. He wrote some books and treatises in astronomy and medicine and they remain as a manuscript today. All of his treatises are composed in Arabic and Persian. Due to his position in court as an important scientist and educator of princes, studying and analyzing his books will enhance our understanding of the mutual influence between Iranian and Ottoman medicine. In this article we will introduce this physician and his treatises through both new and old written sources and manuscripts.
Keywords
History of Medicine
Iran
Ottoman
Hakim Unsuri al-Gilani
  1. Ihsanoğlu, E., (ed.), 2023. The Ottoman scientific heritage: the compendium of notable scholars. Vol. 2, Part 1. London: Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation.
  2. Mohammadi, Z., Shojaeinia, F., and Zarghamian Azad, B., 2024. Backgrounds and effects of Safavid physicians’ migration to the Ottoman Empire. Tārīkh-i pizishkī, 16, pp. 1–14. doi: 10.22037/mhj.v16i.42290.
  3. Unsuri al-Gilani, 1479. Jāmeʿ al-qiṣmayn al-sulṭānī fī al-ʿalāqa bayn al-nujūm wa-l-ṭibb. [Manuscript]. No. 2414/2. Held at: Istanbul: Ayasofya Library.
  4. Unsuri al-Gilani, n.d. Alvāḥ al-ṣiḥḥa. [Manuscript]. No. 3559. Held at: Istanbul: Fatih Library.
  5. Unsuri al-Gilani, 1502 AD. Ḥifẓ al-ṣiḥḥa. [Manuscript]. No. 3561. Held at: Istanbul: Fatih Library.

 

Journal of Research on History of Medicine
Volume 14, Suppl. 1
The 2nd History of Medicine Meeting: Entangled Histories: Contribution of Iran and Türkiye to the Development of Medical Sciences; 2025 Oct 7-10; Shiraz, Iran
October 2025
Pages 61-64