Rocket men!

[Q]

Lagari Hasan Celebi is credited as being the first human to have flown by rocket power. This was apparently during celebrations in honour of Sultan Murad IV's daughter's wedding. He landed safely in the Bosphorus although there are conflicting reports as to his later life. He may have been given command of the Ottoman armies or exiled.

Prior to Lagari Hasan Celebi's rocket flight in 1663, Hezarfen Ahmed Celebi glided on artificial wings from the top of the Galata ("Megalos Pyrgos" as it was known to the Byzantines) tower in 1638 to the slopes of Chrysopolis (Scutari) on the Asian side of the Bosphorus - becoming one of the first men in history to fly. This achievement is made even greater when you consider that he also became the first person in history to fly from one continent to another.

Sultan Murad IV who is said to have watched the flight from the Sinan Pasha Villa in Sarayburnu, was initially impressed with Hezarfen. The word Hezarfen means expert in 1000 sciences and a reward of 1000 gold pieces was given to Hazarfen for his achievement.

Hezarfen is said to have been inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci's studies upon the flight of birds and motivated by the 10th century Turkish scientist Ismail Cevheri. Many early scientists lost their lives attempting to fly with the aid of artificial wings. Abul Qasim Ibn Firnas (873 C.E.), a Moor from Cordoba died during his first attempt to fly and is said by some to have been the first man to have made a scientific attempt at flying.

Murad IV was not a man you would wish to displease. The Grand Mufti was executed by Murad IV because he was dissatisfied by the state of the roads. Six hundred of his Janissaries, who had humiliated him by demanding the life of his Grand Vizier and other high officials during a time of unrest, were executed by his loyal guards. Murad IV would also exercise the royal prerogative of taking ten innocent lives on a daily basis. When he was not on a campaign of war, he would wait patiently with an arquebus (a 16th & 17th century firearm) near the walls of the Grand Seraglio for any unfortunates who were too close to the palace walls. He was by all accounts a great aim. By 1637 he had executed nearly 25, 000 subjects (many by his own hand).

Murad IV cut off the head of any man who came under the slightest suspicion, his maxim being "Vengeance never grows decrepit though she may grow grey". He also prohibited the use of opium, tobacco and alcohol during his reign and was known to enforce it vigorously by patrolling taverns in disguise and again, would execute offenders on the spot. Murad IV had a duality to his nature though and died in 1640 due to an illness that had been aggravated by his alcoholism.

The acclaim that Hezarfen initially received from the royal court soon diminished after the flight across the Bosphorus and he was exiled to Algeria. Some sources cite accusations of witchcraft as being the reason although others cite that his knowledge and intellectual capacity made Murad IV mistrustful and jealous of Hezarfen.

Hezarfen Ahmed Celebi is said to have died soon after his exile at the age of 31.

- Q

[Q]

Sources and additional info:

http://www.globee.info/cinema.html

Istanbul beneath my wings

Hazarfen Ahmed Celebi: Lived in 17th century, he flew from Galata tower to Uskudar (3000m) by using wings and gained the title of being both the first man to fly and also being first man to fly from one continent to another. He was exiled to Algeria and never heard of again?some say he was killed before he arrived there and some say they saw his tomb in Algeria. (In the movie he is living with his sister and Lagari)

Lagari Hasan Celebi: He managed to fly with a rocket for a little while and when his gunpowder finishes he landed on the water with the help of the wing parachutes he used. He was exiled to Crimea and never heard of again. Some say the first traces of astronomical research were seen in Ukraine, maybe those research had a little bitof Lagari in them.

Bekri Mustafa: He might be real or not but in the movie he is a type of Omar Khayyam who enjoys wine, talks about universal love and seizing the day. Life is short, and beautiful he says so enjoy every bit of it as if you will die tomorrow. This sympathetic drunk survives from the anger of Murad IV, with his philosophical point of view of life.

Evliya Celebi: He is the first observant journalist in history. His book ?Seyahatname? is an important resource not just for Turkish history but for world history, too. Seyahatname is the only resource that really holds all the information about Hazarfen and his flight. He can be considered as Turkish Marco Polo

Murat IV: Suffered from being the son of a very powerful woman like Kosem Sultan. He banned alcohol and opium but he was an addict himself and actually died of cirrhosis at the age of 27.

The Muslim Flyers

(The Islamic Times, November 1998)

Abul Qasim Ibn Firnas (died 873 C.E/260 A-H)
He lived in Spain during the reign of Amir Muhammad ibn Abdur Rahman and was brought up in the city of Cordoba. He was born in Korah Takrna near Ronda and studied chemistry, physi astronomy. In his experiments he managed to manufacture glass from sand and stone and he devised a chain of rings depicting the motions of stars and planets. He is also credited with inventing a time measuring devise called Al-Maqata.
In recognition of his experiments on the possibility of human flight, a statue has been built in his memory on the way to Baghdad International Airport.

He is famous for constructing a flying machine which was capable of carrying a human being. Having constructed the final version of his glider, to celebrate it?s success, he invited the people of Cordoba to come and witness his flight. People watched from a nearby mountain as he flew some distance but then the glide plummeted to the ground causing him serious injuring which subsequently resulted in his death.
Philip Hitti in his book ?History of the Arabs? paid tribute to Ibn Firnas; "Ibn Firnas was the first man in history to make a scientific attempt at flying." Abbas Ibn Firnas is commemerated on a Libian postal stamp.
Many further attempts were made to achieve human flight and in the process many researchers lost their lives during their experiments. Amongst these was Farabi Ismail Johari, a teacher from Nishapur, Turkistan, who launched himself from the minaret of Ulu Mosque, using wings made from wood and rope.

Lords of the Golden Horn: From Suleiman the Magnificent to Kamal Ataturk by Noel Barber