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"This is an extraordinary privately assembled encyclopaedia, focused on Mecca as the Navel of the World. Written in manuscript in thin black and red pens in Ottoman language, it contains over 580 pages of manuscript in tiny characters, sometimes accompanied with charts, over 380 manuscript maps, made with extreme care in precision in colours and with gold and silver highlights, over 225 prints from magazines, books, atlases and other sources from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, often joined in collages and compositions with hand-drawn maps. The maps are made with a greatest precision in well planned configuration. The colours are carefully applied to give an instant effect of a modern data visualisation. The gilt highlights and small details in black ink express the author’s endless patience and dedication to the project. The manuscripts, maps and illustrations are tastefully and carefully joined together thematically in foldouts and pamphlets, bound together with linen or paper stripes or strings. Shorter subjects and uncut plates also appear as separate leaves. We could count 217 such separate units. The whole collection is housed in three charming boxes, possibly made by the author from commercial boxes and leftovers of the linen, which he used for drawings of some of the maps. The anonymous author, doubtless a Muslim intellectual, took the information from the contemporary sources and atlases and smartly combined them in his own unique compositions. He also often added his own annotations, colouring and keys to the prints, which he took from the books and magazines. The manuscripts give an impression of a coherent collection, which was probably never meant for a publication. It was possibly an author private project, to which he dedicated years or decades of his life. It is possible that the collection was meant for a private education. Focus on Mecca The maps with geographic, historic and thematic data focus on the Arabian Peninsula with Mecca as a center. Throughout the series the city is often smartly positioned in the middle of the folds, to give the impression, that the world and around it opens like a flower. In the collection we could trace approximately 23 maps, where Mecca is represented in the central point of the world, 24 maps showcasing only the Arabian Peninsula or parts of it or / and the Red Sea, circa 25 maps of Mecca or/and its surroundings and sketches of the Kaaba and 11 views and prints of Mecca. The latter ones have been taken from other publications and integrated into the encyclopaedia by the author. Medina is represented with two manuscript maps and 8 views. The views here are as well taken from other publications. Separate pamphlets also focus on the history of the Arabian Peninsula and the history of its inhabitants with a chart on the tribes of Arabia. With this work the author geographically represented Mecca as the central point, a navel of the global culture and history from the ancient times up to the present days. Other Subjects The pamphlets and fold-outs are bound together thematically and represent the cultures, history and geography of the World from its beginnings until the early 20th century. The manuscript units with maps, charts and illustrations describe subjects such as geology, time through the Ottoman time charts, astronomy and astrology, ancient cultures and monuments (Babylon, Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, Baalbek etc.), old geographic representations, such as Tabula Peutingeriana and parts of Fra Mauro’s map, America on old maps, discoveries on America and later discoveries and explorations, thematic maps of the world and parts of the world etc. A large portion of the maps is dedicated to the Mediterranean Basement (ca 152 maps) and the Balkans, with the large Ottoman battles. The other maps focus on Asia, America (ca 5 maps of North America, 2 maps of Central America), other continents and the whole world (27 maps of the world). The author seems unattached an ambivalent to Istanbul and Turkey, as the region is almost neglected in the manuscripts, which is the opposite of the contemporary glorification of the newly founded Turkey and the magnificent history of Istanbul. Also hardly represented are the African regions, including the Muslim ones. It is possible, that the author spent most of his life on the Arabian Peninsula and was not attached to the cultural and political center Istanbul. Authorship and Date The author of the work is not signed, neither are the maps dated. According to the attached note, the collection was allegedly connected with the family of the Turkish writer Ahmed Cemil Akıncı (1914-1984). His father and a possible author, Abdürrahim Hilmi Bey (Sipahizâde) was of Sipahi origins from Rumelia and was educated at the Fatih Madrasa in Istanbul. Hilmi Bey was in charge for the railway and education in Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Hejaz, where he spent a large part of his life. This would explain the author’s unattachment to Istanbul and Turkey. The paper, style and material of the boxes indicate the late 1910s and 1920s. Some of the maps confirm this period of time: a series of thematic world maps (possibly drafted after a contemporary Ottoman atlas) showcase the world in 1915 (1331 Rumi years). An illustration from a magazine, representing a map A Child’s Map of the Ancient World, by Alice York and Ilonka Karasz, was published in 1926. It is the youngest dated document, which we could trace in the collection. References: Unrecorded. [S. l., s. d. Possibly Ottoman Empire / Turkey, late 1910s-1920s]. A magnificent hand-written privately assembled encyclopaedia of the World, affectionately assembled and curated by an enlightened Muslim scholar in the last years of the Ottoman Empire, with over 580 text pages and 380 hand drawn detailed maps with gilt highlights, represents Mecca as the Navel of the World and the connecting point between the ancient civilisations and culture and the modern East and West. Collation: 3 red privately custom-made boxes, constructed of thick card with red linen surface with debossed lettering and decoration, patterned paper mounted inside, each with a black cloth loop with a knot, edges originally reinforced with linen, some linen parts with details of manuscript maps, 9 x 14 x 20 cm (3.5 x 5.5 x 7.8 inches). The boxes contain: - 217 separate units of fold-outs (leporellos), pamphlets and maps composed of sheets of paper, privately joined with straps of linen, sporadically also with stripes of paper or bound together with a sting. Most units with 4-8 pp., but also single sheet units and pamphlets with up to 16 pp. manuscript text. Most of the text accompanied with manuscript maps, mostly mounted verso. Some manuscript maps on loose linen waxed paper. Also includes sporadic single prints from books and magazines and postcards, not edited by the author. - The 217 units include: - - Over 580 manuscript text pages, some with charts in text, plus additional text comments and keys. Black and red ink on paper of various quality and thick card, each 18 x 11,5 cm (7 x 4.5 inches) when folded. - - More than 380 manuscript maps, including multiple maps on one sheet and folding maps. The maps are mostly mounted or drawn on cards on the inner side of the fold-outs and pamphlets, on the back of the text sheets. Some manuscript maps on loose waxed linen paper sheets. Most of the maps are ornated with gilt highlights. Black, purple and red ink and water colours on paper and linen paper, from 18 x 11,5 cm to 18 x 44 cm (7 x 4.5 inches to 7 x 17.3 inches), mostly mounted on the back of text pages, but also loose sheets. - - More than 225 prints, mostly mounted in compositions with maps, pictorial panels and more than 35 collages. The prints of various, mostly small sizes include maps, lithographs, chromolithographs, steel engravings, wood-cuts, postcards (cut and uncut), photo-reproductions, illustrations from books and magazines etc. Some prints (mostly illustrations from books and postcards) are added as unedited and uncut sheets. The prints have been taken from mostly Ottoman, but also German, French and English publications. Various techniques, some with manuscript annotations in black ink or with hand colour. - Additional unsorted sheets of manuscript and illustrations. Condition report: Boxes with some staining and minor wear on the edges, manuscripts and maps overall in a good clean condition with minor staining, foxing and wear. Sporadic maps and manuscripts are left unfinished." (Alexander Johnson and Dasa Pahor, 2020)

"This is an extraordinary privately assembled encyclopaedia, focused on Mecca as the Navel of the World. Written in manuscript in thin black and red pens in Ottoman language, it contains over 580 pages of manuscript in tiny characters, sometimes accompanied with charts, over 380 manuscript maps, made with extreme care in precision in colours and with gold and silver highlights, over 225 prints from magazines, books, atlases and other sources from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, often joined in collages and compositions with hand-drawn maps. The maps are made with a greatest precision in well planned configuration. The colours are carefully applied to give an instant effect of a modern data visualisation. The gilt highlights and small details in black ink express the author’s endless patience and dedication to the project. The manuscripts, maps and illustrations are tastefully and carefully joined together thematically in foldouts and pamphlets, bound together with linen or paper stripes or strings. Shorter subjects and uncut plates also appear as separate leaves. We could count 217 such separate units. The whole collection is housed in three charming boxes, possibly made by the author from commercial boxes and leftovers of the linen, which he used for drawings of some of the maps. The anonymous author, doubtless a Muslim intellectual, took the information from the contemporary sources and atlases and smartly combined them in his own unique compositions. He also often added his own annotations, colouring and keys to the prints, which he took from the books and magazines. The manuscripts give an impression of a coherent collection, which was probably never meant for a publication. It was possibly an author private project, to which he dedicated years or decades of his life. It is possible that the collection was meant for a private education. Focus on Mecca The maps with geographic, historic and thematic data focus on the Arabian Peninsula with Mecca as a center. Throughout the series the city is often smartly positioned in the middle of the folds, to give the impression, that the world and around it opens like a flower. In the collection we could trace approximately 23 maps, where Mecca is represented in the central point of the world, 24 maps showcasing only the Arabian Peninsula or parts of it or / and the Red Sea, circa 25 maps of Mecca or/and its surroundings and sketches of the Kaaba and 11 views and prints of Mecca. The latter ones have been taken from other publications and integrated into the encyclopaedia by the author. Medina is represented with two manuscript maps and 8 views. The views here are as well taken from other publications. Separate pamphlets also focus on the history of the Arabian Peninsula and the history of its inhabitants with a chart on the tribes of Arabia. With this work the author geographically represented Mecca as the central point, a navel of the global culture and history from the ancient times up to the present days. Other Subjects The pamphlets and fold-outs are bound together thematically and represent the cultures, history and geography of the World from its beginnings until the early 20th century. The manuscript units with maps, charts and illustrations describe subjects such as geology, time through the Ottoman time charts, astronomy and astrology, ancient cultures and monuments (Babylon, Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, Baalbek etc.), old geographic representations, such as Tabula Peutingeriana and parts of Fra Mauro’s map, America on old maps, discoveries on America and later discoveries and explorations, thematic maps of the world and parts of the world etc. A large portion of the maps is dedicated to the Mediterranean Basement (ca 152 maps) and the Balkans, with the large Ottoman battles. The other maps focus on Asia, America (ca 5 maps of North America, 2 maps of Central America), other continents and the whole world (27 maps of the world). The author seems unattached an ambivalent to Istanbul and Turkey, as the region is almost neglected in the manuscripts, which is the opposite of the contemporary glorification of the newly founded Turkey and the magnificent history of Istanbul. Also hardly represented are the African regions, including the Muslim ones. It is possible, that the author spent most of his life on the Arabian Peninsula and was not attached to the cultural and political center Istanbul. Authorship and Date The author of the work is not signed, neither are the maps dated. According to the attached note, the collection was allegedly connected with the family of the Turkish writer Ahmed Cemil Akıncı (1914-1984). His father and a possible author, Abdürrahim Hilmi Bey (Sipahizâde) was of Sipahi origins from Rumelia and was educated at the Fatih Madrasa in Istanbul. Hilmi Bey was in charge for the railway and education in Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Hejaz, where he spent a large part of his life. This would explain the author’s unattachment to Istanbul and Turkey. The paper, style and material of the boxes indicate the late 1910s and 1920s. Some of the maps confirm this period of time: a series of thematic world maps (possibly drafted after a contemporary Ottoman atlas) showcase the world in 1915 (1331 Rumi years). An illustration from a magazine, representing a map A Child’s Map of the Ancient World, by Alice York and Ilonka Karasz, was published in 1926. It is the youngest dated document, which we could trace in the collection. References: Unrecorded. [S. l., s. d. Possibly Ottoman Empire / Turkey, late 1910s-1920s]. A magnificent hand-written privately assembled encyclopaedia of the World, affectionately assembled and curated by an enlightened Muslim scholar in the last years of the Ottoman Empire, with over 580 text pages and 380 hand drawn detailed maps with gilt highlights, represents Mecca as the Navel of the World and the connecting point between the ancient civilisations and culture and the modern East and West. Collation: 3 red privately custom-made boxes, constructed of thick card with red linen surface with debossed lettering and decoration, patterned paper mounted inside, each with a black cloth loop with a knot, edges originally reinforced with linen, some linen parts with details of manuscript maps, 9 x 14 x 20 cm (3.5 x 5.5 x 7.8 inches). The boxes contain: - 217 separate units of fold-outs (leporellos), pamphlets and maps composed of sheets of paper, privately joined with straps of linen, sporadically also with stripes of paper or bound together with a sting. Most units with 4-8 pp., but also single sheet units and pamphlets with up to 16 pp. manuscript text. Most of the text accompanied with manuscript maps, mostly mounted verso. Some manuscript maps on loose linen waxed paper. Also includes sporadic single prints from books and magazines and postcards, not edited by the author. - The 217 units include: - - Over 580 manuscript text pages, some with charts in text, plus additional text comments and keys. Black and red ink on paper of various quality and thick card, each 18 x 11,5 cm (7 x 4.5 inches) when folded. - - More than 380 manuscript maps, including multiple maps on one sheet and folding maps. The maps are mostly mounted or drawn on cards on the inner side of the fold-outs and pamphlets, on the back of the text sheets. Some manuscript maps on loose waxed linen paper sheets. Most of the maps are ornated with gilt highlights. Black, purple and red ink and water colours on paper and linen paper, from 18 x 11,5 cm to 18 x 44 cm (7 x 4.5 inches to 7 x 17.3 inches), mostly mounted on the back of text pages, but also loose sheets. - - More than 225 prints, mostly mounted in compositions with maps, pictorial panels and more than 35 collages. The prints of various, mostly small sizes include maps, lithographs, chromolithographs, steel engravings, wood-cuts, postcards (cut and uncut), photo-reproductions, illustrations from books and magazines etc. Some prints (mostly illustrations from books and postcards) are added as unedited and uncut sheets. The prints have been taken from mostly Ottoman, but also German, French and English publications. Various techniques, some with manuscript annotations in black ink or with hand colour. - Additional unsorted sheets of manuscript and illustrations. Condition report: Boxes with some staining and minor wear on the edges, manuscripts and maps overall in a good clean condition with minor staining, foxing and wear. Sporadic maps and manuscripts are left unfinished." (Alexander Johnson and Dasa Pahor, 2020)

"This is an extraordinary privately assembled encyclopaedia, focused on Mecca as the Navel of the World. Written in manuscript in thin black and red pens in Ottoman language, it contains over 580 pages of manuscript in tiny characters, sometimes accompanied with charts, over 380 manuscript maps, made with extreme care in precision in colours and with gold and silver highlights, over 225 prints from magazines, books, atlases and other sources from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, often joined in collages and compositions with hand-drawn maps. The maps are made with a greatest precision in well planned configuration. The colours are carefully applied to give an instant effect of a modern data visualisation. The gilt highlights and small details in black ink express the author’s endless patience and dedication to the project. The manuscripts, maps and illustrations are tastefully and carefully joined together thematically in foldouts and pamphlets, bound together with linen or paper stripes or strings. Shorter subjects and uncut plates also appear as separate leaves. We could count 217 such separate units. The whole collection is housed in three charming boxes, possibly made by the author from commercial boxes and leftovers of the linen, which he used for drawings of some of the maps. The anonymous author, doubtless a Muslim intellectual, took the information from the contemporary sources and atlases and smartly combined them in his own unique compositions. He also often added his own annotations, colouring and keys to the prints, which he took from the books and magazines. The manuscripts give an impression of a coherent collection, which was probably never meant for a publication. It was possibly an author private project, to which he dedicated years or decades of his life. It is possible that the collection was meant for a private education. Focus on Mecca The maps with geographic, historic and thematic data focus on the Arabian Peninsula with Mecca as a center. Throughout the series the city is often smartly positioned in the middle of the folds, to give the impression, that the world and around it opens like a flower. In the collection we could trace approximately 23 maps, where Mecca is represented in the central point of the world, 24 maps showcasing only the Arabian Peninsula or parts of it or / and the Red Sea, circa 25 maps of Mecca or/and its surroundings and sketches of the Kaaba and 11 views and prints of Mecca. The latter ones have been taken from other publications and integrated into the encyclopaedia by the author. Medina is represented with two manuscript maps and 8 views. The views here are as well taken from other publications. Separate pamphlets also focus on the history of the Arabian Peninsula and the history of its inhabitants with a chart on the tribes of Arabia. With this work the author geographically represented Mecca as the central point, a navel of the global culture and history from the ancient times up to the present days. Other Subjects The pamphlets and fold-outs are bound together thematically and represent the cultures, history and geography of the World from its beginnings until the early 20th century. The manuscript units with maps, charts and illustrations describe subjects such as geology, time through the Ottoman time charts, astronomy and astrology, ancient cultures and monuments (Babylon, Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, Baalbek etc.), old geographic representations, such as Tabula Peutingeriana and parts of Fra Mauro’s map, America on old maps, discoveries on America and later discoveries and explorations, thematic maps of the world and parts of the world etc. A large portion of the maps is dedicated to the Mediterranean Basement (ca 152 maps) and the Balkans, with the large Ottoman battles. The other maps focus on Asia, America (ca 5 maps of North America, 2 maps of Central America), other continents and the whole world (27 maps of the world). The author seems unattached an ambivalent to Istanbul and Turkey, as the region is almost neglected in the manuscripts, which is the opposite of the contemporary glorification of the newly founded Turkey and the magnificent history of Istanbul. Also hardly represented are the African regions, including the Muslim ones. It is possible, that the author spent most of his life on the Arabian Peninsula and was not attached to the cultural and political center Istanbul. Authorship and Date The author of the work is not signed, neither are the maps dated. According to the attached note, the collection was allegedly connected with the family of the Turkish writer Ahmed Cemil Akıncı (1914-1984). His father and a possible author, Abdürrahim Hilmi Bey (Sipahizâde) was of Sipahi origins from Rumelia and was educated at the Fatih Madrasa in Istanbul. Hilmi Bey was in charge for the railway and education in Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Hejaz, where he spent a large part of his life. This would explain the author’s unattachment to Istanbul and Turkey. The paper, style and material of the boxes indicate the late 1910s and 1920s. Some of the maps confirm this period of time: a series of thematic world maps (possibly drafted after a contemporary Ottoman atlas) showcase the world in 1915 (1331 Rumi years). An illustration from a magazine, representing a map A Child’s Map of the Ancient World, by Alice York and Ilonka Karasz, was published in 1926. It is the youngest dated document, which we could trace in the collection. References: Unrecorded. [S. l., s. d. Possibly Ottoman Empire / Turkey, late 1910s-1920s]. A magnificent hand-written privately assembled encyclopaedia of the World, affectionately assembled and curated by an enlightened Muslim scholar in the last years of the Ottoman Empire, with over 580 text pages and 380 hand drawn detailed maps with gilt highlights, represents Mecca as the Navel of the World and the connecting point between the ancient civilisations and culture and the modern East and West. Collation: 3 red privately custom-made boxes, constructed of thick card with red linen surface with debossed lettering and decoration, patterned paper mounted inside, each with a black cloth loop with a knot, edges originally reinforced with linen, some linen parts with details of manuscript maps, 9 x 14 x 20 cm (3.5 x 5.5 x 7.8 inches). The boxes contain: - 217 separate units of fold-outs (leporellos), pamphlets and maps composed of sheets of paper, privately joined with straps of linen, sporadically also with stripes of paper or bound together with a sting. Most units with 4-8 pp., but also single sheet units and pamphlets with up to 16 pp. manuscript text. Most of the text accompanied with manuscript maps, mostly mounted verso. Some manuscript maps on loose linen waxed paper. Also includes sporadic single prints from books and magazines and postcards, not edited by the author. - The 217 units include: - - Over 580 manuscript text pages, some with charts in text, plus additional text comments and keys. Black and red ink on paper of various quality and thick card, each 18 x 11,5 cm (7 x 4.5 inches) when folded. - - More than 380 manuscript maps, including multiple maps on one sheet and folding maps. The maps are mostly mounted or drawn on cards on the inner side of the fold-outs and pamphlets, on the back of the text sheets. Some manuscript maps on loose waxed linen paper sheets. Most of the maps are ornated with gilt highlights. Black, purple and red ink and water colours on paper and linen paper, from 18 x 11,5 cm to 18 x 44 cm (7 x 4.5 inches to 7 x 17.3 inches), mostly mounted on the back of text pages, but also loose sheets. - - More than 225 prints, mostly mounted in compositions with maps, pictorial panels and more than 35 collages. The prints of various, mostly small sizes include maps, lithographs, chromolithographs, steel engravings, wood-cuts, postcards (cut and uncut), photo-reproductions, illustrations from books and magazines etc. Some prints (mostly illustrations from books and postcards) are added as unedited and uncut sheets. The prints have been taken from mostly Ottoman, but also German, French and English publications. Various techniques, some with manuscript annotations in black ink or with hand colour. - Additional unsorted sheets of manuscript and illustrations. Condition report: Boxes with some staining and minor wear on the edges, manuscripts and maps overall in a good clean condition with minor staining, foxing and wear. Sporadic maps and manuscripts are left unfinished." (Alexander Johnson and Dasa Pahor, 2020)

"This is an extraordinary privately assembled encyclopaedia, focused on Mecca as the Navel of the World. Written in manuscript in thin black and red pens in Ottoman language, it contains over 580 pages of manuscript in tiny characters, sometimes accompanied with charts, over 380 manuscript maps, made with extreme care in precision in colours and with gold and silver highlights, over 225 prints from magazines, books, atlases and other sources from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, often joined in collages and compositions with hand-drawn maps. The maps are made with a greatest precision in well planned configuration. The colours are carefully applied to give an instant effect of a modern data visualisation. The gilt highlights and small details in black ink express the author’s endless patience and dedication to the project. The manuscripts, maps and illustrations are tastefully and carefully joined together thematically in foldouts and pamphlets, bound together with linen or paper stripes or strings. Shorter subjects and uncut plates also appear as separate leaves. We could count 217 such separate units. The whole collection is housed in three charming boxes, possibly made by the author from commercial boxes and leftovers of the linen, which he used for drawings of some of the maps. The anonymous author, doubtless a Muslim intellectual, took the information from the contemporary sources and atlases and smartly combined them in his own unique compositions. He also often added his own annotations, colouring and keys to the prints, which he took from the books and magazines. The manuscripts give an impression of a coherent collection, which was probably never meant for a publication. It was possibly an author private project, to which he dedicated years or decades of his life. It is possible that the collection was meant for a private education. Focus on Mecca The maps with geographic, historic and thematic data focus on the Arabian Peninsula with Mecca as a center. Throughout the series the city is often smartly positioned in the middle of the folds, to give the impression, that the world and around it opens like a flower. In the collection we could trace approximately 23 maps, where Mecca is represented in the central point of the world, 24 maps showcasing only the Arabian Peninsula or parts of it or / and the Red Sea, circa 25 maps of Mecca or/and its surroundings and sketches of the Kaaba and 11 views and prints of Mecca. The latter ones have been taken from other publications and integrated into the encyclopaedia by the author. Medina is represented with two manuscript maps and 8 views. The views here are as well taken from other publications. Separate pamphlets also focus on the history of the Arabian Peninsula and the history of its inhabitants with a chart on the tribes of Arabia. With this work the author geographically represented Mecca as the central point, a navel of the global culture and history from the ancient times up to the present days. Other Subjects The pamphlets and fold-outs are bound together thematically and represent the cultures, history and geography of the World from its beginnings until the early 20th century. The manuscript units with maps, charts and illustrations describe subjects such as geology, time through the Ottoman time charts, astronomy and astrology, ancient cultures and monuments (Babylon, Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, Baalbek etc.), old geographic representations, such as Tabula Peutingeriana and parts of Fra Mauro’s map, America on old maps, discoveries on America and later discoveries and explorations, thematic maps of the world and parts of the world etc. A large portion of the maps is dedicated to the Mediterranean Basement (ca 152 maps) and the Balkans, with the large Ottoman battles. The other maps focus on Asia, America (ca 5 maps of North America, 2 maps of Central America), other continents and the whole world (27 maps of the world). The author seems unattached an ambivalent to Istanbul and Turkey, as the region is almost neglected in the manuscripts, which is the opposite of the contemporary glorification of the newly founded Turkey and the magnificent history of Istanbul. Also hardly represented are the African regions, including the Muslim ones. It is possible, that the author spent most of his life on the Arabian Peninsula and was not attached to the cultural and political center Istanbul. Authorship and Date The author of the work is not signed, neither are the maps dated. According to the attached note, the collection was allegedly connected with the family of the Turkish writer Ahmed Cemil Akıncı (1914-1984). His father and a possible author, Abdürrahim Hilmi Bey (Sipahizâde) was of Sipahi origins from Rumelia and was educated at the Fatih Madrasa in Istanbul. Hilmi Bey was in charge for the railway and education in Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Hejaz, where he spent a large part of his life. This would explain the author’s unattachment to Istanbul and Turkey. The paper, style and material of the boxes indicate the late 1910s and 1920s. Some of the maps confirm this period of time: a series of thematic world maps (possibly drafted after a contemporary Ottoman atlas) showcase the world in 1915 (1331 Rumi years). An illustration from a magazine, representing a map A Child’s Map of the Ancient World, by Alice York and Ilonka Karasz, was published in 1926. It is the youngest dated document, which we could trace in the collection. References: Unrecorded. [S. l., s. d. Possibly Ottoman Empire / Turkey, late 1910s-1920s]. A magnificent hand-written privately assembled encyclopaedia of the World, affectionately assembled and curated by an enlightened Muslim scholar in the last years of the Ottoman Empire, with over 580 text pages and 380 hand drawn detailed maps with gilt highlights, represents Mecca as the Navel of the World and the connecting point between the ancient civilisations and culture and the modern East and West. Collation: 3 red privately custom-made boxes, constructed of thick card with red linen surface with debossed lettering and decoration, patterned paper mounted inside, each with a black cloth loop with a knot, edges originally reinforced with linen, some linen parts with details of manuscript maps, 9 x 14 x 20 cm (3.5 x 5.5 x 7.8 inches). The boxes contain: - 217 separate units of fold-outs (leporellos), pamphlets and maps composed of sheets of paper, privately joined with straps of linen, sporadically also with stripes of paper or bound together with a sting. Most units with 4-8 pp., but also single sheet units and pamphlets with up to 16 pp. manuscript text. Most of the text accompanied with manuscript maps, mostly mounted verso. Some manuscript maps on loose linen waxed paper. Also includes sporadic single prints from books and magazines and postcards, not edited by the author. - The 217 units include: - - Over 580 manuscript text pages, some with charts in text, plus additional text comments and keys. Black and red ink on paper of various quality and thick card, each 18 x 11,5 cm (7 x 4.5 inches) when folded. - - More than 380 manuscript maps, including multiple maps on one sheet and folding maps. The maps are mostly mounted or drawn on cards on the inner side of the fold-outs and pamphlets, on the back of the text sheets. Some manuscript maps on loose waxed linen paper sheets. Most of the maps are ornated with gilt highlights. Black, purple and red ink and water colours on paper and linen paper, from 18 x 11,5 cm to 18 x 44 cm (7 x 4.5 inches to 7 x 17.3 inches), mostly mounted on the back of text pages, but also loose sheets. - - More than 225 prints, mostly mounted in compositions with maps, pictorial panels and more than 35 collages. The prints of various, mostly small sizes include maps, lithographs, chromolithographs, steel engravings, wood-cuts, postcards (cut and uncut), photo-reproductions, illustrations from books and magazines etc. Some prints (mostly illustrations from books and postcards) are added as unedited and uncut sheets. The prints have been taken from mostly Ottoman, but also German, French and English publications. Various techniques, some with manuscript annotations in black ink or with hand colour. - Additional unsorted sheets of manuscript and illustrations. Condition report: Boxes with some staining and minor wear on the edges, manuscripts and maps overall in a good clean condition with minor staining, foxing and wear. Sporadic maps and manuscripts are left unfinished." (Alexander Johnson, 2020)

“An important and extraordinary manuscript world map drawn up on a north polar projection to form the largest manuscript map of the world at 9 by 9 feet. This map is one of 3 examples extant (2 manuscript, 1 printed) that form the continuum of Urbano Monte's work on his ultimate world map. The other two examples were studied at length by Almagia: manuscript copy S is at the Bibliotheca Seminario Arcivisovale at Venegano near Milan is similar to this example with the map in 60 sheets. A second example, printed copy A, is at the Bibliotheca Ambrosiana in Milan, with the frontispiece dated 1590 and the map divided in 64 sheets making the division lines of the sheets easier to arrange. This printed version was published in 1604 on 64 plates, and is the only printed copy known.. Two other single sheet engraved world maps by Monte in North Polar projection are also known, published in Milan in 1603 and 1604, copies of both to be found in the Ambrosiana; an example of the 1603 is also in the Doria atlas from the Wardington Collection. Whilst unusual, the idea of a North Polar projection does have precedents in cartography, notably the beautiful world map of Postel first published in Paris in 1581, and one to be found engraved in ivory on a table top by Gennaro Picicaro, thought to be Naples, 1597 and probably borrowing from the ideas of Monte. The ideas for the projection can also be seen in the Contarini/Roselli map (Venice: 1506), the Ruysch map (Rome: 1507), and the Fine in Paris in 1531. All were attempts to capture the full extent of the world, in which much was still unknown. Of Monte little is known, except for the examples of his maps that have survived. He contributed to a 4 volume historical diary titled Delle cose piu notabili successe nella citta di Milano, the 4th volume of which describes the visit of the Japanese Embassy to Europe 1582-1590, in particular their stay in Italy. Monte would certainly have met the party when they visited Milan in 1582, and its presumed that the form of Japan depicted in this map stems from information provided by the Embassy. Monte's principal fame rests with his geographical treatise Trattato Universale descrittione et sito de tutta la terra sin qui consociuta descritto da Urbano Monte, which accomaanies the 64 sheet manuscript map in the Ambrosiano and would have been Libri primo and secondo to this volume; probably a separate folio volume of text to describe and relate the history and geography of the world. A particular point of interest is the small roundel portrait drawn under the dedication. Having drawn a nice small roundel portrait of himself in 1587, aged 43, he went back 2 years later to add a pasted-over portrait of himself, aged 45, suggesting that he came back to his work after signing off in 1587 (see sheet 42). The atlas has the feel of a work in progress, particularly because of the marginal annotations by Monte and the variety of papers used in its composition. Also, the make up of the atlas—particularly the non-sequential numbering of the earlier sheets, the wear to sheet 7 before binding, and the 17th century binding and guards—suggests that although in some form of binding from the late 16th century, it was reassembled in the present binding and form in mid or early 17th century. The geography of this map is essentially Mercatorial, using Mercator's world map of 1569 as the style guide. On tavola XXV, Monte claims his sources for the map, citing geographers Piccolomini, Pliny, Ptolemy, Cortes, Fernando Columbus, Juan Gonzalez de Mendoza, Giovanni d'Anania, various Jesuit letters, including Marco Polo, and cartographers Mercator, Gastaldi, Olaus Magnus, Giovio, Lopes and the brothers Zeno. Of great interest is the attempt Monte makes to make his map not just a geographical tool but to show climate, customs, length of day, distances within regions— in other words, to create a universal scientific planisphere. In his dedication on tavola XL he specifies how to arrange the sheets of the mappamondo and makes it explicit that the whole map was to be stuck on a wooden panel 5 and a half brachia square (3.25m) so that it could be revolved around a central pivot or pin through the north pole. Monte's wall map comes at a time when the map mural had been gaining popularity in Italian decoration. Indeed a treatise in 1510 by Paolo Cortese describes the appropriate decoration for a Cardinal's room as "a learned enjoyment of a picture representing the world." Between 1560 and 1580 four of the greatest map murals had been executed: fresco maps in Palazzo Vechia, Florence, two in the Vatican and another in Palazzo Farrnese in Caprarola. Almost certainly Monte had envisioned his opus as gracing the walls of a Ducal Palace in Milan, and the engraving of the 1590 sheets to make a printed wall map indicates that he had planned to distribute his geography to a wider audience. A monumental map, this little known work by Monte can take its place alongside Mercator, Waldseemueller, Gastaldi and other greats of 16th century world mapping.” Bonhams, 2012 (corrected). Digitization and compositing by Brandon Rumsey, 2017, Almagia, R. "Un prezioso cimelio della cartografica Itatiana: il planisfero di Urbano Monti." La bibliofilia XLIII, 1943, pp 156-193. [The present map unknown to Almagia.] Goss, J. (map specialist, Sothebys, cataloguer of this map 1981). "An Unusual Wall Map by Urbano Monti 1954-1613." Map Collector, June 1981, pp 18-22. Walter, L., ed. Japan: A Cartographic Vision, 1994, Nos 16a, 16b, and 17. Shirley, Mapping of the World, 1983. 239, 246, 247. D'Ascenzo, Annalisa, Cultura Geografica e Cartografia in Italia fine del Cinquecento: il "Trattato Universale" di Urbano Monte, 2012; Tooley, R.V., Dictionary of Mapmakers, pp 272-273. Read "A Mind at Work: Urbano Monte's 60-Sheet Manuscript World Map" by Dr. Katherine Parker, 2017, Forward by Barry Ruderman, Introduction by David Rumsey, https://s3.amazonaws.com/rumsey3/Monte/Urbano+Monte+Catalog.pdf, Provenance of this copy: Sotheby's, May 12th, 1981, lot 53, sold to N. Israel; H.P. Kraus catalog 165 Cimelia: A Catalogue of Important Illuminated and Textual Manuscripts Published in Commemoration of the Sale of the Ludwig Collection, January, 1983; sold to private party; 2017 sold to David Rumsey Map Collection by Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps.

The note box has been cut out, indicating perhaps an intended revision that did not occur., “An important and extraordinary manuscript world map drawn up on a north polar projection to form the largest manuscript map of the world at 9 by 9 feet. This map is one of 3 examples extant (2 manuscript, 1 printed) that form the continuum of Urbano Monte's work on his ultimate world map. The other two examples were studied at length by Almagia: manuscript copy S is at the Bibliotheca Seminario Arcivisovale at Venegano near Milan is similar to this example with the map in 60 sheets. A second example, printed copy A, is at the Bibliotheca Ambrosiana in Milan, with the frontispiece dated 1590 and the map divided in 64 sheets making the division lines of the sheets easier to arrange. This printed version was published in 1604 on 64 plates, and is the only printed copy known.. Two other single sheet engraved world maps by Monte in North Polar projection are also known, published in Milan in 1603 and 1604, copies of both to be found in the Ambrosiana; an example of the 1603 is also in the Doria atlas from the Wardington Collection. Whilst unusual, the idea of a North Polar projection does have precedents in cartography, notably the beautiful world map of Postel first published in Paris in 1581, and one to be found engraved in ivory on a table top by Gennaro Picicaro, thought to be Naples, 1597 and probably borrowing from the ideas of Monte. The ideas for the projection can also be seen in the Contarini/Roselli map (Venice: 1506), the Ruysch map (Rome: 1507), and the Fine in Paris in 1531. All were attempts to capture the full extent of the world, in which much was still unknown. Of Monte little is known, except for the examples of his maps that have survived. He contributed to a 4 volume historical diary titled Delle cose piu notabili successe nella citta di Milano, the 4th volume of which describes the visit of the Japanese Embassy to Europe 1582-1590, in particular their stay in Italy. Monte would certainly have met the party when they visited Milan in 1582, and its presumed that the form of Japan depicted in this map stems from information provided by the Embassy. Monte's principal fame rests with his geographical treatise Trattato Universale descrittione et sito de tutta la terra sin qui consociuta descritto da Urbano Monte, which accomaanies the 64 sheet manuscript map in the Ambrosiano and would have been Libri primo and secondo to this volume; probably a separate folio volume of text to describe and relate the history and geography of the world. A particular point of interest is the small roundel portrait drawn under the dedication. Having drawn a nice small roundel portrait of himself in 1587, aged 43, he went back 2 years later to add a pasted-over portrait of himself, aged 45, suggesting that he came back to his work after signing off in 1587 (see sheet 42). The atlas has the feel of a work in progress, particularly because of the marginal annotations by Monte and the variety of papers used in its composition. Also, the make up of the atlas—particularly the non-sequential numbering of the earlier sheets, the wear to sheet 7 before binding, and the 17th century binding and guards—suggests that although in some form of binding from the late 16th century, it was reassembled in the present binding and form in mid or early 17th century. The geography of this map is essentially Mercatorial, using Mercator's world map of 1569 as the style guide. On tavola XXV, Monte claims his sources for the map, citing geographers Piccolomini, Pliny, Ptolemy, Cortes, Fernando Columbus, Juan Gonzalez de Mendoza, Giovanni d'Anania, various Jesuit letters, including Marco Polo, and cartographers Mercator, Gastaldi, Olaus Magnus, Giovio, Lopes and the brothers Zeno. Of great interest is the attempt Monte makes to make his map not just a geographical tool but to show climate, customs, length of day, distances within regions— in other words, to create a universal scientific planisphere. In his dedication on tavola XL he specifies how to arrange the sheets of the mappamondo and makes it explicit that the whole map was to be stuck on a wooden panel 5 and a half brachia square (3.25m) so that it could be revolved around a central pivot or pin through the north pole. Monte's wall map comes at a time when the map mural had been gaining popularity in Italian decoration. Indeed a treatise in 1510 by Paolo Cortese describes the appropriate decoration for a Cardinal's room as "a learned enjoyment of a picture representing the world." Between 1560 and 1580 four of the greatest map murals had been executed: fresco maps in Palazzo Vechia, Florence, two in the Vatican and another in Palazzo Farrnese in Caprarola. Almost certainly Monte had envisioned his opus as gracing the walls of a Ducal Palace in Milan, and the engraving of the 1590 sheets to make a printed wall map indicates that he had planned to distribute his geography to a wider audience. A monumental map, this little known work by Monte can take its place alongside Mercator, Waldseemueller, Gastaldi and other greats of 16th century world mapping.” Bonhams, 2012 (corrected). Digitization and compositing by Brandon Rumsey, 2017, Almagia, R. "Un prezioso cimelio della cartografica Itatiana: il planisfero di Urbano Monti." La bibliofilia XLIII, 1943, pp 156-193. [The present map unknown to Almagia.] Goss, J. (map specialist, Sothebys, cataloguer of this map 1981). "An Unusual Wall Map by Urbano Monti 1954-1613." Map Collector, June 1981, pp 18-22. Walter, L., ed. Japan: A Cartographic Vision, 1994, Nos 16a, 16b, and 17. Shirley, Mapping of the World, 1983. 239, 246, 247. D'Ascenzo, Annalisa, Cultura Geografica e Cartografia in Italia fine del Cinquecento: il "Trattato Universale" di Urbano Monte, 2012; Tooley, R.V., Dictionary of Mapmakers, pp 272-273. Read "A Mind at Work: Urbano Monte's 60-Sheet Manuscript World Map" by Dr. Katherine Parker, 2017, Forward by Barry Ruderman, Introduction by David Rumsey, https://s3.amazonaws.com/rumsey3/Monte/Urbano+Monte+Catalog.pdf, Provenance of this copy: Sotheby's, May 12th, 1981, lot 53, sold to N. Israel; H.P. Kraus catalog 165 Cimelia: A Catalogue of Important Illuminated and Textual Manuscripts Published in Commemoration of the Sale of the Ludwig Collection, January, 1983; sold to private party; 2017 sold to David Rumsey Map Collection by Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps.

“An important and extraordinary manuscript world map drawn up on a north polar projection to form the largest manuscript map of the world at 9 by 9 feet. This map is one of 3 examples extant (2 manuscript, 1 printed) that form the continuum of Urbano Monte's work on his ultimate world map. The other two examples were studied at length by Almagia: manuscript copy S is at the Bibliotheca Seminario Arcivisovale at Venegano near Milan is similar to this example with the map in 60 sheets. A second example, printed copy A, is at the Bibliotheca Ambrosiana in Milan, with the frontispiece dated 1590 and the map divided in 64 sheets making the division lines of the sheets easier to arrange. This printed version was published in 1604 on 64 plates, and is the only printed copy known.. Two other single sheet engraved world maps by Monte in North Polar projection are also known, published in Milan in 1603 and 1604, copies of both to be found in the Ambrosiana; an example of the 1603 is also in the Doria atlas from the Wardington Collection. Whilst unusual, the idea of a North Polar projection does have precedents in cartography, notably the beautiful world map of Postel first published in Paris in 1581, and one to be found engraved in ivory on a table top by Gennaro Picicaro, thought to be Naples, 1597 and probably borrowing from the ideas of Monte. The ideas for the projection can also be seen in the Contarini/Roselli map (Venice: 1506), the Ruysch map (Rome: 1507), and the Fine in Paris in 1531. All were attempts to capture the full extent of the world, in which much was still unknown. Of Monte little is known, except for the examples of his maps that have survived. He contributed to a 4 volume historical diary titled Delle cose piu notabili successe nella citta di Milano, the 4th volume of which describes the visit of the Japanese Embassy to Europe 1582-1590, in particular their stay in Italy. Monte would certainly have met the party when they visited Milan in 1582, and its presumed that the form of Japan depicted in this map stems from information provided by the Embassy. Monte's principal fame rests with his geographical treatise Trattato Universale descrittione et sito de tutta la terra sin qui consociuta descritto da Urbano Monte, which accomaanies the 64 sheet manuscript map in the Ambrosiano and would have been Libri primo and secondo to this volume; probably a separate folio volume of text to describe and relate the history and geography of the world. A particular point of interest is the small roundel portrait drawn under the dedication. Having drawn a nice small roundel portrait of himself in 1587, aged 43, he went back 2 years later to add a pasted-over portrait of himself, aged 45, suggesting that he came back to his work after signing off in 1587 (see sheet 42). The atlas has the feel of a work in progress, particularly because of the marginal annotations by Monte and the variety of papers used in its composition. Also, the make up of the atlas—particularly the non-sequential numbering of the earlier sheets, the wear to sheet 7 before binding, and the 17th century binding and guards—suggests that although in some form of binding from the late 16th century, it was reassembled in the present binding and form in mid or early 17th century. The geography of this map is essentially Mercatorial, using Mercator's world map of 1569 as the style guide. On tavola XXV, Monte claims his sources for the map, citing geographers Piccolomini, Pliny, Ptolemy, Cortes, Fernando Columbus, Juan Gonzalez de Mendoza, Giovanni d'Anania, various Jesuit letters, including Marco Polo, and cartographers Mercator, Gastaldi, Olaus Magnus, Giovio, Lopes and the brothers Zeno. Of great interest is the attempt Monte makes to make his map not just a geographical tool but to show climate, customs, length of day, distances within regions— in other words, to create a universal scientific planisphere. In his dedication on tavola XL he specifies how to arrange the sheets of the mappamondo and makes it explicit that the whole map was to be stuck on a wooden panel 5 and a half brachia square (3.25m) so that it could be revolved around a central pivot or pin through the north pole. Monte's wall map comes at a time when the map mural had been gaining popularity in Italian decoration. Indeed a treatise in 1510 by Paolo Cortese describes the appropriate decoration for a Cardinal's room as "a learned enjoyment of a picture representing the world." Between 1560 and 1580 four of the greatest map murals had been executed: fresco maps in Palazzo Vechia, Florence, two in the Vatican and another in Palazzo Farrnese in Caprarola. Almost certainly Monte had envisioned his opus as gracing the walls of a Ducal Palace in Milan, and the engraving of the 1590 sheets to make a printed wall map indicates that he had planned to distribute his geography to a wider audience. A monumental map, this little known work by Monte can take its place alongside Mercator, Waldseemueller, Gastaldi and other greats of 16th century world mapping.” Bonhams, 2012 (corrected). Digitization and compositing by Brandon Rumsey, 2017, Almagia, R. "Un prezioso cimelio della cartografica Itatiana: il planisfero di Urbano Monti." La bibliofilia XLIII, 1943, pp 156-193. [The present map unknown to Almagia.] Goss, J. (map specialist, Sothebys, cataloguer of this map 1981). "An Unusual Wall Map by Urbano Monti 1954-1613." Map Collector, June 1981, pp 18-22. Walter, L., ed. Japan: A Cartographic Vision, 1994, Nos 16a, 16b, and 17. Shirley, Mapping of the World, 1983. 239, 246, 247. D'Ascenzo, Annalisa, Cultura Geografica e Cartografia in Italia fine del Cinquecento: il "Trattato Universale" di Urbano Monte, 2012; Tooley, R.V., Dictionary of Mapmakers, pp 272-273. Read "A Mind at Work: Urbano Monte's 60-Sheet Manuscript World Map" by Dr. Katherine Parker, 2017, Forward by Barry Ruderman, Introduction by David Rumsey, https://s3.amazonaws.com/rumsey3/Monte/Urbano+Monte+Catalog.pdf, Provenance of this copy: Sotheby's, May 12th, 1981, lot 53, sold to N. Israel; H.P. Kraus catalog 165 Cimelia: A Catalogue of Important Illuminated and Textual Manuscripts Published in Commemoration of the Sale of the Ludwig Collection, January, 1983; sold to private party; 2017 sold to David Rumsey Map Collection by Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps.