Over the course of Ottoman history, the Ottomans managed to build a large collection of libraries complete with translations of books from other cultures, as well as original manuscripts. A great part of this desire for local and foreign manuscripts arose in the 15th Century. Sultan Mehmet II ordered Georgios Amiroutzes, a Greek scholar from Trabzon, to translate and make available to Ottoman educational institutions the geography book of Ptolemy. Another example is Ali Qushji -an astronomer, mathematician and physicist originally from Samarkand- who became a professor in two madrasas, and influenced Ottoman circles as a result of his writings and the activities of his students, even though he only spent two or three years before his death in Istanbul. COUNT 5
QSN1 In what century did the Ottoman's start to desire foreign manuscripts? ANS1 15th Century QSN2 Which sultan ordered a Greek scholar to do translations of work by Ptolemy? ANS2 Sultan Mehmet II QSN3 Who did an Ottoman sultan order to translate work by Ptolemy? ANS3 Georgios Amiroutzes QSN4 How many years did Ali Qushji spend in Istanbul? ANS4 two or three years QSN5 Where was Ali Qushji from? ANS5 originally from Samarkand