This page contains a list of the greatest Iranian Astronomers. The pantheon dataset contains 531 Astronomers, 5 of which were born in Iran. This makes Iran the birth place of the 20th most number of Astronomers behind Sweden and Spain.
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Iranian Astronomers of all time. This list of famous Iranian Astronomers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
With an HPI of 74.68, Ulugh Beg is the most famous Iranian Astronomer. His biography has been translated into 67 different languages on wikipedia.
Mīrzā Muhammad Tāraghay bin Shāhrukh (Chagatay: میرزا محمد طارق بن شاہ رخ; Persian: میرزا محمد تراغای بن شاهرخ), better known as Ulugh Beg (Persian: الغ بیگ; Turkish: Uluğ Bey; 22 March 1394 – 27 October 1449), was a Timurid sultan, as well as an astronomer and mathematician. Ulugh Beg was notable for his work in astronomy-related mathematics, such as trigonometry and spherical geometry, as well as his general interests in the arts and intellectual activities. It is thought that he spoke five languages: Arabic, Persian, Chaghatai Turkic, Mongolian, and a small amount of Chinese. During his rule (first as a governor, then outright) the Timurid Empire achieved the cultural peak of the Timurid Renaissance through his attention and patronage. Samarkand was captured and given to Ulugh Beg by his father Shah Rukh. He built the great Ulugh Beg Observatory in Samarkand between 1424 and 1429. It was considered by scholars to have been one of the finest observatories in the Islamic world at the time and the largest in Central Asia. Ulugh Beg was subsequently recognized as the most important observational astronomer from the 15th century by many scholars. He also built the Ulugh Beg Madrasah (1417–1420) in Samarkand and Bukhara, transforming the cities into cultural centers of learning in Central Asia. However, Ulugh Beg's scientific expertise was not matched by his skills in governance. During his short reign, he failed to establish his power and authority. As a result, other rulers, including his family, took advantage of his lack of control, and he was subsequently overthrown and assassinated.
With an HPI of 68.26, Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi is the 2nd most famous Iranian Astronomer. His biography has been translated into 47 different languages.
ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Ṣūfī (Persian: عبدالرحمن الصوفی; 7 December 903 – 25 May 986) was an Iranian astronomer. His work Kitāb ṣuwar al-kawākib ("The Book of Fixed Stars"), written in 964, included both textual descriptions and illustrations. The Persian polymath Al-Biruni wrote that al-Ṣūfī's work on the ecliptic was carried out in Shiraz. Al-Ṣūfī lived at the Buyid court in Isfahan.
With an HPI of 66.93, Jamshīd al-Kāshī is the 3rd most famous Iranian Astronomer. His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.
Ghiyāth al-Dīn Jamshīd Masʿūd al-Kāshī (or al-Kāshānī) (Persian: غیاث الدین جمشید کاشانی Ghiyās-ud-dīn Jamshīd Kāshānī) (c. 1380 Kashan, Iran – 22 June 1429 Samarkand, Transoxania) was an astronomer and mathematician during the reign of Tamerlane. Much of al-Kāshī's work was not brought to Europe and still, even the extant work, remains unpublished in any form.
With an HPI of 61.24, Abu Hanifa Dinawari is the 4th most famous Iranian Astronomer. His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.
Abū Ḥanīfa Aḥmad ibn Dāwūd Dīnawarī (Arabic: ابوحنيفه دينوری; died 895) was an Islamic Golden Age polymath: astronomer, agriculturist, botanist, metallurgist, geographer, mathematician, and historian.
With an HPI of 46.57, Alenush Terian is the 5th most famous Iranian Astronomer. Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.
Ālenush Teriān (Armenian: Ալենուշ Տէրեան; Persian: آلنوش طریان; also: آلنوش تریان; November 9, 1921 – March 4, 2011) was an Iranian-Armenian astronomer and physicist and is called 'Mother of Modern Iranian Astronomy'.
Pantheon has 5 people classified as astronomers born between 815 and 1921. Of these 5, none of them are still alive today. The most famous deceased astronomers include Ulugh Beg, Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, and Jamshīd al-Kāshī.
1394 - 1449
HPI: 74.68
903 - 986
HPI: 68.26
1380 - 1429
HPI: 66.93
815 - 896
HPI: 61.24
1921 - 2011
HPI: 46.57