The role of Egypt in the development of Ottoman Science (1300-1550)

Ottoman intellectual life covers a long period in Islamic civilization. However, this area has not yet been sufficiently studied. Many important Ottoman scholars traveled to Cairo in order to study in there. Dâvûd el-Kayseri, Molla Fanari and Alauddin er-Rûmî are the first to come to mind among these scholars. The early Ottoman scholar type is connected to the Razi school and to the Akbari tradition. Finding the origins of the Razi school in the Egyptian environment, where the narrative sciences came to the fore, is an important key to understanding the Ottoman scholars who traveled to there. In Egypt, Şeyhûniyye Madrasa-Hankâh was one of the most important places where scholars of Anatolian origin gathered. The students of Bâbertî and Mübârekşâh were brought up here in a scientific understanding of Razi school and brought this school to the Ottomans. Besides the Akbari tradition, The Zayniyye sect of Egyptian origin was also widespread among scholars. Among famous scholars like Ibn al-Jazari and Molla Gurani, who were not of Anatolian origin, took lessons in Cairo and became influential in the Ottoman environment. The fact that Yavuz Sultan Salim brought scholars and craftsmen to Istanbul after the conquest of Egypt became part of a biased historical narrative in the modern era. However, the scholars who came to Istanbul did not stay here for long, but returned during the reign of Kanuni.