We all want to get more with less effort in our daily work. At this point, machines and electronic robots come into play. The first name that comes to mind in the field of robotics and the inventor of machines is Cezeri. In this article, we will examine Cezeri’s life and the machines he made.
Founder of Robotics
Cezeri was born in the city of Cizre, where his name comes from, in 1136 or 1153. He was a great Islamic scholar who lived in the 12th and 13th centuries. He was the first person in the world to work in the field of cybernetics and robotics. It is known that Cezeri laid the foundations of the computer we use today.
After completing his education, he started working in the field of physics and mechanics. He was in Diyarbakır, where the Artuqid dynasty ruled between 1181-1206. As a result of his mechanical studies, he came under the protection of the sultan. He died in Cizre in 1233.
The First Mechanical Book
When we look at Cezeri’s most famous work, we come across Kitab fi Ma’rifeti’l Hiyelil Hendesiyye (Book containing the use of mechanical movements in engineering). This book was written in 1205 at the request of the sultan of the time, Nasıreddin Mahmud. Kitab Hiyel was the most important work written in the field of mechanics during the golden age of Islamic science.
The book, which consists of six parts, deals with water and oil lamp clocks, coded locks, automatic moving devices, water pumping machines and fountains. The machines given in the work are explained in detail and illustrated with colored inks. How the devices are used, their assembly and working principles are also included in the book.
Cezeri implemented most of the devices in the book he wrote. The automatic device he presented to the Artuqid Sultan is known to be the first robot in the world. In addition, he designed and produced door knockers and coded locks to be used in the palace.
A Genius from Beyond the Ages
When we consider the devices that Cezeri produced, such machines as the peacock ablution machine, the peacock ewer, the elephant water clock, the boat water clock, the bucket water closet, the water wheel and the water pumping vehicle were extraordinary inventions that he developed beyond their time.
Since there was no electric power during his time, Cezeri used water power, gravity and pressure to run the machines he designed. He developed five different mechanisms to carry the water used in the machines he produced. Two of these mechanisms were automatic and three were powered by animal power. The crankshaft that Cezeri used in the construction of these mechanisms is currently used in many areas, especially in vehicles.
Some of the water clocks described by Cezeri in his work were later produced in accordance with the original and exhibited in museums.
Formed the Foundation of Engineering
The machines that Cezeri built were proof that he was an engineering genius far ahead of his time. Cezeri was rediscovered in Europe years after his death. His work and the majority of the devices he produced entered European engineering terminology and formed the basis of today’s understanding of engineering.
Some of the devices designed by Cezeri are available as replicas in the Museum of the History of Islamic Science and Technology. If you want to examine the works in detail, you can visit the museum.