The Cihannüma or Mirror of the World, by Kâtip Çelebi Mustafa Halife, better known in Europe as Haci Halife. We learn from the preface that the author prepared himself for the composition of this geographical work by translating the Atlas Minor of Hondius, which he accomplished by 1064 AH (1654 CE) with the assistance of a learned French monk who had converted to Islam and had taken the name of Şeyh Mehmet Ihlasi. The translation was entitled Lawāmiᵓ al-nūr fī ẓulmat aṭlas mīnūr. Two thirds of it had been written when the author began the composition of the present work in the month of Safar 1065 AH (1655 CE). It was compiled from a number of European and Middle Eastern works enumerated in the preface, and it occupied the final years of the author, who left it unfinished upon his death in 1068 AH (1658 CE). The present copy contains a part of the Eastern division of the work. The arrangement differs considerably from that of the printed version produced by Müteferrika in 1145 AH. The manuscript contains none of the editor's additions and the text itself presents a fair number of diversions:. f. 1v : İç-il. f. 4v: Karaman. f. 10v: Anadolu. f. 65r: Sivas. f. 72r: Erzerum. f. 76r: Trabzon. f. 78r: Erran. f. 79v: Muğan. f. 80v: Şirvan. f. 81: Dağıstan. f. 83v: Gürcistan. f. 87v: Cezire, Diyarbakır, Rakke. f. 96r: Basra ve Bağdat. f. 117v: Kurdistan. f. 118v: Şehrezul. f. 121r: Ermenistan ve Van. f. 129r: Azerbaycan. There is considerable marginalia, including notes on distances. The text also includes a number of roughly drawn maps of the following localities:. Konya (f. 5). Kutahya (f. 11). Menteşe ve Aydın (f. 17). Hamit (f. 19). Karahısar ve Sultanonu (f. 21). Ankara (f. 23). Kangrı (f. 25). Kastamonu (f. 29). Bolu (f. 32). Hudavendıgar (f. 37). Kocaeli (f. 41). Amasya (f. 68). Van (f. 123). Azerbaycan (f. 128). The manuscript does not contain unvans, but it ff. 2v-3r contain gold-leaf text boxes. Folio 1r contains a number of ownership statements, as well as four ownership seals from various individuals, including:. Mehmet Emin (1204 and 1223). Mehmet Şevkî (1241).
Cihannüma - جهان نما
This material is held atBritish Library Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections
- Reference
- GB 59 Or 1038
- Dates of Creation
- 18th century
- Language of Material
- Turkish
- Physical Description
- 1 text 134 ff Materials : Primarily cream paper, with the addition of a few blue sheets. Dimensions : 284 mm x 177 mm. Foliation : Western, 134 ff. Ruling : Text boxes 198 mm x 97 mm, copious marginalia. Script : Nesih. Ink : Primarily black ink with red ink used for punctuation and underlining; maps in black, red, yellow, blue and green inks. Binding : Western binding, with marbled paper pasted on the boards; fly-leaves contain gold sprinkling.
Scope and Content
Access Information
Not Public Record(s)
Unrestricted
Acquisition Information
Purchased from Mr. Charles Netter on 25 July 1870.
Other Finding Aids
Charles Rieu, Catalogue of Turkish Manuscripts in the British Museum (London : Trustees of the British Museum, 1888), p. 111.
Bibliography
First printed by İbrahim Müteferrika in 1145AH.