On April 7, 1811 , in the village of Ninat in Chameria (Saranda), Hasan Tahsini was born, a leader of the National Renaissance, philosopher and scholar in various fields of science, such as astronomy, mathematics, psychology, etc. He got his first lessons in his hometown. He continued his education in one of the most renowned madrassas in Istanbul. For the breadth of knowledge he possessed and for his intellectual abilities, he was appointed the first rector of the newly established University of Istanbul (1870). Conducted research in various fields of natural sciences, which he presented in many scientific articles and books in the Turkish language, among which: “Psikologjia” (“Psychology”) and “Bazat e astronomisë” (“The Basics of Astronomy”). The knowledge and data contained in these books were among the most advanced for the time and gave the author the name of a prominent scholar in the Ottoman Empire. Hasan Tahsini’s activity for spreading scientific knowledge that was contrary to the attitude of the state and religious authorities of the time stood out; he was dismissed from the position of rector and expelled from the university. Hasan Tahsini was one of the most active figures of the National Renaissance. He realized that one of the most important areas of the struggle for the liberation of Albania and the elevation of the Albanian people was the writing of the Albanian language and the spread of knowledge in this language. For this purpose, as early as the 60s, in collaboration with other patriots, such as Kostandin Kristoforidhi, he began to think and act for the creation of societies that would work for the spread of knowledge among Albanians, as well as for the design of an new alphabet for the Albanian language. His project of the alphabet of the Albanian language with 30 consonants and vowels, drawn up in the early 70s, is well known. Hasan Tahsini was persecuted and prisoned for his patriotic activity by fanatics and people with backward thoughts, but he did not deviate from scientific beliefs and his path for the development of culture and for the affirmation of the national demands of the Albanians. (In the photo: Hasan Tahsini)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 3 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2009, page 2653.
Photo: © https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasan_Tahsini
Graphic processing: AHCF
