National Congress of Sheikh Bahaee Held in Iran
A national congress was held in Iran's central city of Isfahan to commemorate Sheikh Bahaee, the most prominent scientist, engineer, philosopher, astronomer, mathematician and poet of the 16th century Iran.
The second congress of Sheikh Bahaee was held in Isfahan's Imam Mosque on Friday night with senior Iranian and international elites, intellectuals and officials in attendance.
Sheikh Baha' al-Din (also spelled Baha'uddin) Mohammad ibn Hossein al-'Amili (Sheikh Bahaee) was born in Baalbek, Lebanon in 1532. He lived in Jabal Amel in a village called Jaba'.
Jabal Amel had always been one of the main Shiite centers of west Asia. Even today various Shiite groups live there. They have played an important role in establishing Shiism in Iran, specially from the 13th century onwards. The Baha'i (Bahaei) progeny was among those well-known Shiite families.
As a child, he came to Iran with his father and completed his studies in Isfahan. Having intended to travel to Mecca in 1570, he visited many Islamic countries including Iraq, Syria and Egypt and after spending four years there, he returned to Iran.
Sheikh Baha' al-Din died in 1610 in Isfahan. His body was buried in Iran's holy city of Mashhad according to his will.
Sheikh Baha' al-Din contributed numerous works in philosophy, logic, astronomy and mathematics. His works include 88 articles, epistles and books. Sheikh Baha' al-Din also composed poems in Persian. His outstanding works in the Iranian language are Jame' Abbasi and two masnavis (rhymed couplets) by the names of "Milk and Sugar" and "Bread and Halva". His other work Kashkool includes stories, news, scientific topics, Persian and Arabic proverbs. He wrote Khulasat Al-Hisab and Tashrih Al-Aflak in Arabic.
Sheikh Baha' al-Din's fame was due to his excellent command of mathematics, architecture and geometry. He was the architect of Isfahan's Imam Square, Imam Mosque and Hessar Najaf. He also made a sun clock to the west of the Imam Mosque. There is also no doubt about his mastery of topography. The best instance of this is the directing of the water of the Zayandeh River to different areas of Isfahan. He designed a canal called Zarrin Kamar in Isfahan which is one of Iran's greatest canals. He also determined the direction of Qiblah (prayer direction) from the Imam mosque.
He also designed and constructed a furnace for a public bathroom, which still exists in Isfahan, known as Sheikh Bahaei's bathroom. The furnace was warmed by a single candle, which was placed in an enclosure. The candle burned for a long time, warming the bath's water. According to his own instructions, the candle's fire would be put out if the enclosure was ever opened. This happened during the restoration and repair of the building and no one has been able to make the system work again. He also designed the Manar Jonban (shaking minaret), which still exists in Isfahan.
Books
* Kashkoul (in Persian) (كشكول بهايي )
* Touti Nameh (in Persian) (طوطي نامه)
* Naan-o-Paneer (in Persian) ( نان و پنير)
* Sheer-o-Shekar (in Persian) (شير و شكر)
* Naan-o-Halva (in Persian) (نان و حلوا)
* Jaame'e Abbasi (in Persian) (جامع عباسي)
* Al-favayed as-Samadieh (in Arabic)
* Mashregh osh-Shamsain wa Eksir os-Sa'adatain (in Arabic)
* Al-Athna Ashariyah (in Arabic)
* Zobdat ol-Osul (in Arabic)
Source: farsnews.com
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