Maktabah-Al-Ula

Hezarfen Ahmed Celebi was an Ottoman aviator, scientist, and inventor from Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), He is one of the first people to fly in history. Hezarfen achieved an unpowered flight with bird-like wings attached to his body between 1623 and 1640. Information regarding his legendary flight was limited in the writings of Evlia Celebi‘s book “Seyahatname“.

Born in 1609 in Istanbul, he was commonly referred to as “Hazerfen”, derived from the Farsi word that means “the man with a thousand science” or “The man who knows a lot”. He realized his flying project during the reign of Sultan Murad IV.

Hezarfen made many experiments and research in various subjects before creating his wings. He took inspiration from another Turkish scientist, Ismail Cevheri, and developed his theories further. In 1632, he made nine successful flights but they were all short. After that, he trained in Istanbul near modern day Okmeydani, to measure the durability level of the wings which he prepared by examining birds flying. One day later and in front of the eyes of the Sultan and Istanbul’s society that gathered at the shores, he jumped from Galata Tower, 66 metres in height and 61 metres above sea level, crossed the Bosphorus to the Anatolian side and landed more than 3 km away. This surpassed Abbas Ibn Firnas who flew a short distance before him in Spain but couldn’t land safely.

Like any other pilot in a flying wing, Celebi calculated the wind’s speed and direction which made him create a great impact in the Ottoman Empire and Europe. Sultan Murad IV watched his flight from Sinan Pasa Mansion in Sarayburnu, and amazed at the achievement, gave Hezarfen a pouch full of gold. However, he changed his mind about the existence of such a well-informed and talented scientist later when he exiled him to Algeria by saying “This man is to be afraid of, he is capable of doing whatever he wishes to, his survival can’t be allowed.”

Hezarfan lived his final days in Algeria where he died in 1640.

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «بَلِّغُوا عَنِّي وَلَوْ آيَةً وَحَدِّثُوا عَنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَلَا حَرَجَ وَمَنْ كَذَبَ عَلَيَّ مُتَعَمِّدًا فَلْيَتَبَوَّأْ مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ» . رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيّ

১৯৮-[১] ’আবদুল্লাহ ইবনু ’আমর (রাঃ) হতে বর্ণিত। তিনি বলেন, রসূলুল্লাহ সাল্লাল্লাহু আলাইহি ওয়াসাল্লাম বলেছেনঃ আমার পক্ষ হতে (মানুষের কাছে) একটি বাক্য হলেও পৌঁছিয়ে দাও। বনী ইসরাঈল হতে শোনা কথা বলতে পারো, এতে কোন আপত্তি নেই। কিন্তু যে ব্যক্তি ইচ্ছাকৃতভাবে আমার প্রতি মিথ্যারোপ করবে, সে যেন তার বাসস্থান জাহান্নামে প্রস্তুত করে নেয়। (বুখারী)[1]