The Ottoman state that emerged at the turn of the fourteenth century welcomed and championed Islamic scientific culture until the nineteenth century, when science and technical knowledge transferred from Western Europe were finally taught in Ottoman educational institutions. Translations played a significant role not only in the introduction of the Islamic scientific knowledge that had developed between the ninth and fourteenth centuries, but also in transmitting science from Western Europe. Ottoman scholarly life would thus evolve under the influence of two distinct cultures. While Islamic scientific culture dominated up to the end of the eighteenth century, Western European scientific and technical knowledge penetrated Ottoman space through translations and other means from the sixteenth century onwards. This article discusses the influence of both science cultures on the Ottoman state.