ilimler

İlimler is the Turkish plural form of ilim, meaning knowledge or science. The word derives from the Arabic ʿilm and has been used in Turkish to denote a broad range of learned disciplines. In Turkish, ilimler can refer to fields of study in a general sense, often with a traditional or historical nuance.

Historically, ilim referred to all branches of learning pursued by scholars in the Islamic world and the Ottoman Empire. In madrasas and scholarly life, ilim encompassed religious sciences such as fiqh (jurisprudence), kalam (theology), and tafsir (exegesis), as well as secular disciplines like medicine, astronomy, philosophy, and mathematics. The collective notion of ilimler highlighted the role of scholars (âlimler) in transmitting and expanding knowledge.

In contemporary Turkish, bilim is the standard word for science in the modern sense, particularly for empirical and natural sciences. İlim, by contrast, tends to carry a more traditional, literary, or religious connotation and is often reserved for historical or formal contexts. Phrases such as ilimler tarihi (history of the sciences) or çalışmalar on ilimler appear in scholarly or classical-writings contexts, emphasizing the cultural and historical dimensions of knowledge.

Overall, ilimler denotes fields of knowledge or disciplines and reflects historical layers of learning in Turkish and Islamic civilizations. Its usage today varies from formal and historical to literary, with bilimin more common for contemporary scientific discourse.