Khurto Hajji Ismail

Khurto Hajji Ismail, also known as Abu Bakr III Effendi or Küçük Mulla (Little Mulla), was an Islamic scholar and astronomer who lived in Arbil, Iraq. He was the grandson of the Chief Rabbi of Baghdad, Ezra Dangoor, and the son of the world's largest printer of Arabic books. He studied Islamic sciences at the Great Mosque at the Citadel of Arbil, where he later taught and became the chief scholar. He was famous for his piety, knowledge, and speed of learning. He completed his studies in a record period as no one had done before in that age. He wrote many books and treatises on various topics, such as theology, jurisprudence, logic, grammar, rhetoric, and astronomy. He also built an observatory in Arbil and made accurate calculations of the lunar and solar eclipses. He was respected and influential throughout Kurdistan and beyond. He died in 1855 at the age of 77.