COLLECTION NAME:
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
Record
Author:
Raif Efendi, Mahmud
Author:
Faden, William (1749-1836)
Date:
1804
Short Title:
(Celestial Charts)
Publisher:
Tab’hane-yi Hümayunda Mühenduishâne Press
Publisher Location:
Istanbul
Type:
Atlas Map
Obj Height cm:
41
Obj Width cm:
81
Note:
Andreas Cellarius was the likely source of these celestial charts.
Subject:
Ottoman Mapping
Subject:
Celestial
Full Title:
(Celestial Charts)
List No:
15054.044
Series No:
44
Publication Author:
Raif Efendi, Mahmud
Publication Author:
Faden, William (1749-1836)
Pub Date:
1804
Pub Title:
حديد اطلس ترجمه سى Cedid Atlas Tercümesi [Translation of the New Atlas].
Pub Note:
"Mahmoud Raif Efendi’s exceedingly rare ‘Cedid Atlas’, “the first world atlas printed by Muslims, of which only fifty copies were printed” (Library of Congress). The atlas should be seen as part of the ‘Nazam‑i Cedid’ (New Order). Initiated in 1792, by the new Sultan Selim III, the ‘Nazam‑i Cedid’ was an attempt by Selim to model the Ottoman state along European lines, who by this time had begun to outstrip the Ottoman Empire both politically and militarily. In order to gain more information on the developments in European states, Selim established, for the first time, permanent embassies in major European capitals. Prospective candidates were chosen from the higher echelons of Ottoman society and, as the court historian Rashid states, had “to have attained knowledge of arrangements of discourse and intrigues of Christians”. The first delegation was sent to London in 1793. The embassy’s ambassador was Yusuf Agah Efendi; its chief secretary was Mahmoud Raif Efendi, the author of the present work. Raif was not idle whilst in London, not only did he master French, the language of diplomacy at the time, he wrote an account of his time in England, ‘Journal du Mahmoud Raif Efendi en Angleterre..’, the only ‘sefretnames’ (diplomatic report) to be written in a foreign language, and found time to pen a treatise on geography ‘Ucalet ül-Coğrafya’ (A Handbook of Geography). He also had time to visit London booksellers, where he procured a copy of William Faden’s ‘The General Atlas of the Four Grand Quarters of the World’, which he used as a template for the present work. On his return to Istanbul, in 1797, he wrote another work in French, ‘Tableau des Nouveaux Reglements de l’Empire Ottoman’, which gave details of Sultan Selim’s reforms of the Ottoman state. In 1800, he was made Reis Efendi (Foreign Secretary) a position he would hold until 1805. In 1807, Raif was killed during the Janissary revolt. The revolt was a reaction against Selim III’s attempted western reforms, that Raif himself had so fervently championed. The atlas consists of a title, 79 pages of text, and 25 engraved maps, all of which were based upon Faden’s work. The text, which accompanies the atlas is Raif Effendi’s ‘Ucalet ül-Coğrafya’, which he had written while in London. The Ottoman translation was prepared by Yakovakı Efendi and the maps re-engraved under the direction of Abdurrahman Efendi. Of the fifty copies printed, one was presented to Sultan Selim III, six others were given to important state officials (presumably one to Raif Efendi himself), and two were presented to the Library of the Engineering School. The remaining stock was left for general sale to the public. Alas, a large majority of the atlases were destroyed during the Janissary uprising of 1807–8. To the revolutionaries the atlas was probably a symbol of the westernisation they were intent on stopping. Due to the small print run and destruction of numerous copies as a result of the 1807 revolt, the work is incredibly rare. There are only six recorded complete institutional examples: Topkapı Sarayı (Topkapı Palace), Turkey; Library of the Boğaziçi University, Turkey; Municipality of Üsküdar (Üsküdar Belediyesi), Turkey; The Library of Congress; Princeton University Library; and Lieden University Library. Two works in one volume, folio (530 by 375mm), title, 79pp. text, marginalia to text, engraved title, and 25 engraved maps (four folding, of which three are on two sheets joined), all after William Faden, all in fine contemporary hand-colour, later red morocco.1218 H (April 1803–March 1804 CE) 1804." (Daniel Crouch, 2022) See our William Faden World Atlas that was the source for this atlas - 2104.000 The map of Egypt was sourced from Anville's 1765 Egypt map, see our 2603.046, but it also appeared in earlier editions of the Faden atas.
Pub List No:
15054.000
Pub Type:
World Atlas
Pub Maps:
25
Pub Height cm:
55
Pub Width cm:
37
Image No:
15054044.jp2
Authors:
Raif Efendi, Mahmud ; Faden, William (1749-1836)
