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Hand color map Asia and part of Africa. Relief shown by hachures. Prime meridian: Paris. Includes a wind rose., New edition of the classic and universal atlas of ancient and modern geography. Edited and published by J. Andriveau-Goujon in 1863. Adopted by the Minister of War for regimental libraries. Containing 50 plates, 49 hand double page or folding maps, dated 1854-1863, and 1 plate includes Flags of the nations. Some maps on 2 or more plates. Maps showing the most recent exploration, discoveries, and historical work on geography, political and administrative boundaries, major cities, villages, forts, coastal cities, canals, rivers and mountains. Includes descriptive text. In and mountains. Relief shown by hachures and pictorially. Plate 21 has been repeated (21 & 21A) bound after plate 22. Atlas contains descriptive text and index. Handwritten label in pencil indicating the title. Bound in quarter leather brown marbled paper covered boards with a green paper label reading "Atlas classique & universel de geographie ancienne et moderne. Publie par J. Andriveau-Goujon." The spine is embossed with "Andriveau. Atlas universel" in gilt.

Hand color map of the Dutch Indies, the Philippines, Southeast Asia, Spice Islands and the Northern Part of Australia. Relief shown by hachures. Includes table and color coded reference to European colonies., New edition of the classic and universal atlas of ancient and modern geography. Edited and published by J. Andriveau-Goujon in 1863. Adopted by the Minister of War for regimental libraries. Containing 50 plates, 49 hand double page or folding maps, dated 1854-1863, and 1 plate includes Flags of the nations. Some maps on 2 or more plates. Maps showing the most recent exploration, discoveries, and historical work on geography, political and administrative boundaries, major cities, villages, forts, coastal cities, canals, rivers and mountains. Includes descriptive text. In and mountains. Relief shown by hachures and pictorially. Plate 21 has been repeated (21 & 21A) bound after plate 22. Atlas contains descriptive text and index. Handwritten label in pencil indicating the title. Bound in quarter leather brown marbled paper covered boards with a green paper label reading "Atlas classique & universel de geographie ancienne et moderne. Publie par J. Andriveau-Goujon." The spine is embossed with "Andriveau. Atlas universel" in gilt.

Hand color map. Shows political boundaries and possessions of European in South Asia. Relief shown by hachures. Includes explanation., New edition of the classic and universal atlas of ancient and modern geography. Edited and published by J. Andriveau-Goujon in 1863. Adopted by the Minister of War for regimental libraries. Containing 50 plates, 49 hand double page or folding maps, dated 1854-1863, and 1 plate includes Flags of the nations. Some maps on 2 or more plates. Maps showing the most recent exploration, discoveries, and historical work on geography, political and administrative boundaries, major cities, villages, forts, coastal cities, canals, rivers and mountains. Includes descriptive text. In and mountains. Relief shown by hachures and pictorially. Plate 21 has been repeated (21 & 21A) bound after plate 22. Atlas contains descriptive text and index. Handwritten label in pencil indicating the title. Bound in quarter leather brown marbled paper covered boards with a green paper label reading "Atlas classique & universel de geographie ancienne et moderne. Publie par J. Andriveau-Goujon." The spine is embossed with "Andriveau. Atlas universel" in gilt.

Hand color map. Shows political boundaries, roads and railroads. Relief shown by hachures. Includes color coded reference., New edition of the classic and universal atlas of ancient and modern geography. Edited and published by J. Andriveau-Goujon in 1863. Adopted by the Minister of War for regimental libraries. Containing 50 plates, 49 hand double page or folding maps, dated 1854-1863, and 1 plate includes Flags of the nations. Some maps on 2 or more plates. Maps showing the most recent exploration, discoveries, and historical work on geography, political and administrative boundaries, major cities, villages, forts, coastal cities, canals, rivers and mountains. Includes descriptive text. In and mountains. Relief shown by hachures and pictorially. Plate 21 has been repeated (21 & 21A) bound after plate 22. Atlas contains descriptive text and index. Handwritten label in pencil indicating the title. Bound in quarter leather brown marbled paper covered boards with a green paper label reading "Atlas classique & universel de geographie ancienne et moderne. Publie par J. Andriveau-Goujon." The spine is embossed with "Andriveau. Atlas universel" in gilt.

1 hand color map on 2 sheets. Southern part of East Asia. Title from sheet 39. Shows political boundaries. Relief shown by hachures., New edition of the classic and universal atlas of ancient and modern geography. Edited and published by J. Andriveau-Goujon in 1863. Adopted by the Minister of War for regimental libraries. Containing 50 plates, 49 hand double page or folding maps, dated 1854-1863, and 1 plate includes Flags of the nations. Some maps on 2 or more plates. Maps showing the most recent exploration, discoveries, and historical work on geography, political and administrative boundaries, major cities, villages, forts, coastal cities, canals, rivers and mountains. Includes descriptive text. In and mountains. Relief shown by hachures and pictorially. Plate 21 has been repeated (21 & 21A) bound after plate 22. Atlas contains descriptive text and index. Handwritten label in pencil indicating the title. Bound in quarter leather brown marbled paper covered boards with a green paper label reading "Atlas classique & universel de geographie ancienne et moderne. Publie par J. Andriveau-Goujon." The spine is embossed with "Andriveau. Atlas universel" in gilt.

1 hand color map on 2 sheets. Northern part of East Asia. Title from sheet 39. Shows political boundaries. Relief shown by hachures., New edition of the classic and universal atlas of ancient and modern geography. Edited and published by J. Andriveau-Goujon in 1863. Adopted by the Minister of War for regimental libraries. Containing 50 plates, 49 hand double page or folding maps, dated 1854-1863, and 1 plate includes Flags of the nations. Some maps on 2 or more plates. Maps showing the most recent exploration, discoveries, and historical work on geography, political and administrative boundaries, major cities, villages, forts, coastal cities, canals, rivers and mountains. Includes descriptive text. In and mountains. Relief shown by hachures and pictorially. Plate 21 has been repeated (21 & 21A) bound after plate 22. Atlas contains descriptive text and index. Handwritten label in pencil indicating the title. Bound in quarter leather brown marbled paper covered boards with a green paper label reading "Atlas classique & universel de geographie ancienne et moderne. Publie par J. Andriveau-Goujon." The spine is embossed with "Andriveau. Atlas universel" in gilt.

Hand color map. Insets:Sinai -- Golfe de Suez -- Cross section of the Palestine from the source of the Jordan to the Red Sea -- Panoramic view of the mountains of Palestine -- Jeusalem d'apres le plan de G. Williams. Covers portions of Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. Shows roads and trails. Relief shown by hachures. Includes tables and text., New edition of the classic and universal atlas of ancient and modern geography. Edited and published by J. Andriveau-Goujon in 1863. Adopted by the Minister of War for regimental libraries. Containing 50 plates, 49 hand double page or folding maps, dated 1854-1863, and 1 plate includes Flags of the nations. Some maps on 2 or more plates. Maps showing the most recent exploration, discoveries, and historical work on geography, political and administrative boundaries, major cities, villages, forts, coastal cities, canals, rivers and mountains. Includes descriptive text. In and mountains. Relief shown by hachures and pictorially. Plate 21 has been repeated (21 & 21A) bound after plate 22. Atlas contains descriptive text and index. Handwritten label in pencil indicating the title. Bound in quarter leather brown marbled paper covered boards with a green paper label reading "Atlas classique & universel de geographie ancienne et moderne. Publie par J. Andriveau-Goujon." The spine is embossed with "Andriveau. Atlas universel" in gilt.

Composite map of sheets 38-39: Asie Orientale., New edition of the classic and universal atlas of ancient and modern geography. Edited and published by J. Andriveau-Goujon in 1863. Adopted by the Minister of War for regimental libraries. Containing 50 plates, 49 hand double page or folding maps, dated 1854-1863, and 1 plate includes Flags of the nations. Some maps on 2 or more plates. Maps showing the most recent exploration, discoveries, and historical work on geography, political and administrative boundaries, major cities, villages, forts, coastal cities, canals, rivers and mountains. Includes descriptive text. In and mountains. Relief shown by hachures and pictorially. Plate 21 has been repeated (21 & 21A) bound after plate 22. Atlas contains descriptive text and index. Handwritten label in pencil indicating the title. Bound in quarter leather brown marbled paper covered boards with a green paper label reading "Atlas classique & universel de geographie ancienne et moderne. Publie par J. Andriveau-Goujon." The spine is embossed with "Andriveau. Atlas universel" in gilt.

"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 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 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 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)

Accompanying text to the time chart. The map shows the historical divisions of Asia, Europe and the Middle East., "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)

Appears to be a printed map with annotations in ms below., "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 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)

Appears to be a printed map with annotations in ms below., "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)

"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 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)

"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)

"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)

"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)

"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)

"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)

Appears to be a printed map with annotations in ms below., "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)

Accompanying text to the time chart. The map shows the historical divisions of Asia, Europe and the Middle East., "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)

With a diameter of 43 inches, these 24 gores form the largest printed globe produced in the 19th century.Dimensions are sheet size., 24 globe gores on thin paper. Adolf Henze (1814-1883) was an important printing innovator, best known for Chirogrammatomantie. He published a number of numismatic, economic and scientific works as well as a huge terrestrial globe. Beginning in 1865, Henze published the magazine  ‘Illustrierter Anzeiger für Contor und Bureau’. Between 1885 and 1890 the magazine included at irregular  intervals the segments for a 106 cm large impressive German terrestrial globe. The completed strips could, if sent to the publisher, for a fee, be mounted onto a  sphere or supplied with a pneumatic kit to enable home assembly by inflation. "A TERRESTRIAL GLOBE 106 cm BY ADOLF HENZE, LEIPZIG 1891. A specimen of this globe can be found in the Duke of Ftirstenberg's castle In Donaueschingen near the source of the Danube. It stands In a collection of varia amongst penguins and pelicans, In the department of natural history. Coincidentally another one is in the director's room of the Museum of Natural History In Vienna. This globe, which Henze's publishers called a "giant globe", has an unusual origin. The publishers were engaged in numismatics and, beginning In 1865; edited a magazine entitled lllustrlrter Anzeiger fur Cantor und Bureau" (Illustrated magazine for office and premises). It was printed six times a year by Breitkopf & Haertl of Leipzig. It answered the merchant's questions about exchange rates, postal rules, new railway lines; dishonored bills and bonds, and copyright and patent matters and also gave descriptions of newly Issued coins. Particularly amusing to read were the stories of frauds. To make the magazine more attractive and to encourage continued subscription, supplements such as maps and conversion tables were included at no cost. In irregular intervals between 1885 and 1890 the 24 gores and 2 polar caps for a globe were added as supplements. These colour lithographs had been calculated for a globe of 106 cm diameter. The title reads "Henze's Erd-Globus Im Verhaltnis wie 1 : 12 Milllonen zur naturlichen Grosse" (Henze's Terrestrial Globe, Scale 1 : 12 mtll. to Natural Size) The patience of the subscribers was severely tried as ft took almost 6 years to collect the gores. The editors offered a folder to collect the gores. Then, In December 1890 the editors offered to make a globe out of the gores if the complete set was sent back. The cost was 30 Marks for a globe mounted on a stand, 27 marks for a sphere with pneumatic pump and 6 Marks for a ''balloon." New gores for section 1 through 4 were used (i.e. 0° to 60° East), showing the new German colonies In Africa. Official permission was given In January 1893 to sell the globe to non-sub-scribers. The new partially Improved globe cost from 70 to 75 Marks, depending upon the mounting. This price was much lower than the well known large globes of Reimer which measured 80 cm In diameter and cost between 210 and 396 Marks. Henze's globes were on sale in different forms (e.g. with a base, or to be hung from the ceiling, with a meridian and on axis; and with a lifting device). For the globe with base a space of about 2 x 2 m was required. The pneumatic globe, having a center rod, could be easily blown up within 2 minutes and the process could be repeated. No explanation for the inflation of such a globe has required, It could stand on a box, for example. Once this globe was varnished; it could not be deflated completely., but could be carried through doors of common width. From 1894 onwards another type was offered. A 54 x 31 cm box held an inflatible globe, which could easily be stored together with a box containing a pneumatic pump. Everything was durable and of the finest quality The fix mounted globes were made in two halves for easier transportation and were connected by 4 screws which protruded at the equator. In 1891 a handbook to accompany the globe appeared as a supplement to the magazine. The preface reads: The abnormal slze of the globe makes ft difficult to find places of given names. Therefore, an alphabetic list of all places with their coordinates and their locations on the gores is given. Some scientific and statistical information are noted as well to make the list less monotonous. The globe is In the scale of 1 : 12 mill. with gores printed In several colours on thin paper. The printing was done at Henze's workshop in Neustadt-Lelpzig. Growing commercial interest was taken into account; Telegraphic cables, ship lines with traveling time In days and hours, railroads .... especially the transcontinental ones In the USA and Siberia are shown on the gores of the first edition. Also shown were the African Free trade zones covering the later Kenya, German East-Africa, Burundi, Ruanda, the Congo plain, and the mouth of the Congo. After the establishment of the colonies the free trade in these zones was eliminated. On the mounted globes these free-zone boundaries cannot be found. Corrections were also made in the gores for German Southwest Africa on the exchanged gores. The drawing in regions where lesser commercial interest is presumed ore less exact (I.e. Greenland, North Canada and the Pacific Islands). In 1891 the date line was still shown between the Philippines and the Asiatic continent, although It was set at the current location In 1845. In 1889 the magazine had a distribution of 32,OOO. Occasionally one can find the attached gores at antique dealers. Mounted globes, due to their size, are apparently rare and only three specimens are known to the author. It would be of great Interest to know if globes of other diameters had been Issued by Henze." (Translation from German) (Werner Kummer, Journal for the Study of Globes and Related Instruments, 1990), Read two pages of magazine ‘Illustrierter Anzeiger für Contor und Bureau:" https://rumsey5.s3.amazonaws.com/Henze.pdf

With a diameter of 43 inches, these 24 gores form the largest printed globe produced in the 19th century.Dimensions are sheet size., 24 globe gores on thin paper. Adolf Henze (1814-1883) was an important printing innovator, best known for Chirogrammatomantie. He published a number of numismatic, economic and scientific works as well as a huge terrestrial globe. Beginning in 1865, Henze published the magazine  ‘Illustrierter Anzeiger für Contor und Bureau’. Between 1885 and 1890 the magazine included at irregular  intervals the segments for a 106 cm large impressive German terrestrial globe. The completed strips could, if sent to the publisher, for a fee, be mounted onto a  sphere or supplied with a pneumatic kit to enable home assembly by inflation. "A TERRESTRIAL GLOBE 106 cm BY ADOLF HENZE, LEIPZIG 1891. A specimen of this globe can be found in the Duke of Ftirstenberg's castle In Donaueschingen near the source of the Danube. It stands In a collection of varia amongst penguins and pelicans, In the department of natural history. Coincidentally another one is in the director's room of the Museum of Natural History In Vienna. This globe, which Henze's publishers called a "giant globe", has an unusual origin. The publishers were engaged in numismatics and, beginning In 1865; edited a magazine entitled lllustrlrter Anzeiger fur Cantor und Bureau" (Illustrated magazine for office and premises). It was printed six times a year by Breitkopf & Haertl of Leipzig. It answered the merchant's questions about exchange rates, postal rules, new railway lines; dishonored bills and bonds, and copyright and patent matters and also gave descriptions of newly Issued coins. Particularly amusing to read were the stories of frauds. To make the magazine more attractive and to encourage continued subscription, supplements such as maps and conversion tables were included at no cost. In irregular intervals between 1885 and 1890 the 24 gores and 2 polar caps for a globe were added as supplements. These colour lithographs had been calculated for a globe of 106 cm diameter. The title reads "Henze's Erd-Globus Im Verhaltnis wie 1 : 12 Milllonen zur naturlichen Grosse" (Henze's Terrestrial Globe, Scale 1 : 12 mtll. to Natural Size) The patience of the subscribers was severely tried as ft took almost 6 years to collect the gores. The editors offered a folder to collect the gores. Then, In December 1890 the editors offered to make a globe out of the gores if the complete set was sent back. The cost was 30 Marks for a globe mounted on a stand, 27 marks for a sphere with pneumatic pump and 6 Marks for a ''balloon." New gores for section 1 through 4 were used (i.e. 0° to 60° East), showing the new German colonies In Africa. Official permission was given In January 1893 to sell the globe to non-sub-scribers. The new partially Improved globe cost from 70 to 75 Marks, depending upon the mounting. This price was much lower than the well known large globes of Reimer which measured 80 cm In diameter and cost between 210 and 396 Marks. Henze's globes were on sale in different forms (e.g. with a base, or to be hung from the ceiling, with a meridian and on axis; and with a lifting device). For the globe with base a space of about 2 x 2 m was required. The pneumatic globe, having a center rod, could be easily blown up within 2 minutes and the process could be repeated. No explanation for the inflation of such a globe has required, It could stand on a box, for example. Once this globe was varnished; it could not be deflated completely., but could be carried through doors of common width. From 1894 onwards another type was offered. A 54 x 31 cm box held an inflatible globe, which could easily be stored together with a box containing a pneumatic pump. Everything was durable and of the finest quality The fix mounted globes were made in two halves for easier transportation and were connected by 4 screws which protruded at the equator. In 1891 a handbook to accompany the globe appeared as a supplement to the magazine. The preface reads: The abnormal slze of the globe makes ft difficult to find places of given names. Therefore, an alphabetic list of all places with their coordinates and their locations on the gores is given. Some scientific and statistical information are noted as well to make the list less monotonous. The globe is In the scale of 1 : 12 mill. with gores printed In several colours on thin paper. The printing was done at Henze's workshop in Neustadt-Lelpzig. Growing commercial interest was taken into account; Telegraphic cables, ship lines with traveling time In days and hours, railroads .... especially the transcontinental ones In the USA and Siberia are shown on the gores of the first edition. Also shown were the African Free trade zones covering the later Kenya, German East-Africa, Burundi, Ruanda, the Congo plain, and the mouth of the Congo. After the establishment of the colonies the free trade in these zones was eliminated. On the mounted globes these free-zone boundaries cannot be found. Corrections were also made in the gores for German Southwest Africa on the exchanged gores. The drawing in regions where lesser commercial interest is presumed ore less exact (I.e. Greenland, North Canada and the Pacific Islands). In 1891 the date line was still shown between the Philippines and the Asiatic continent, although It was set at the current location In 1845. In 1889 the magazine had a distribution of 32,OOO. Occasionally one can find the attached gores at antique dealers. Mounted globes, due to their size, are apparently rare and only three specimens are known to the author. It would be of great Interest to know if globes of other diameters had been Issued by Henze." (Translation from German) (Werner Kummer, Journal for the Study of Globes and Related Instruments, 1990), Read two pages of magazine ‘Illustrierter Anzeiger für Contor und Bureau:" https://rumsey5.s3.amazonaws.com/Henze.pdf

With a diameter of 43 inches, these 24 gores form the largest printed globe produced in the 19th century.Dimensions are sheet size., 24 globe gores on thin paper. Adolf Henze (1814-1883) was an important printing innovator, best known for Chirogrammatomantie. He published a number of numismatic, economic and scientific works as well as a huge terrestrial globe. Beginning in 1865, Henze published the magazine  ‘Illustrierter Anzeiger für Contor und Bureau’. Between 1885 and 1890 the magazine included at irregular  intervals the segments for a 106 cm large impressive German terrestrial globe. The completed strips could, if sent to the publisher, for a fee, be mounted onto a  sphere or supplied with a pneumatic kit to enable home assembly by inflation. "A TERRESTRIAL GLOBE 106 cm BY ADOLF HENZE, LEIPZIG 1891. A specimen of this globe can be found in the Duke of Ftirstenberg's castle In Donaueschingen near the source of the Danube. It stands In a collection of varia amongst penguins and pelicans, In the department of natural history. Coincidentally another one is in the director's room of the Museum of Natural History In Vienna. This globe, which Henze's publishers called a "giant globe", has an unusual origin. The publishers were engaged in numismatics and, beginning In 1865; edited a magazine entitled lllustrlrter Anzeiger fur Cantor und Bureau" (Illustrated magazine for office and premises). It was printed six times a year by Breitkopf & Haertl of Leipzig. It answered the merchant's questions about exchange rates, postal rules, new railway lines; dishonored bills and bonds, and copyright and patent matters and also gave descriptions of newly Issued coins. Particularly amusing to read were the stories of frauds. To make the magazine more attractive and to encourage continued subscription, supplements such as maps and conversion tables were included at no cost. In irregular intervals between 1885 and 1890 the 24 gores and 2 polar caps for a globe were added as supplements. These colour lithographs had been calculated for a globe of 106 cm diameter. The title reads "Henze's Erd-Globus Im Verhaltnis wie 1 : 12 Milllonen zur naturlichen Grosse" (Henze's Terrestrial Globe, Scale 1 : 12 mtll. to Natural Size) The patience of the subscribers was severely tried as ft took almost 6 years to collect the gores. The editors offered a folder to collect the gores. Then, In December 1890 the editors offered to make a globe out of the gores if the complete set was sent back. The cost was 30 Marks for a globe mounted on a stand, 27 marks for a sphere with pneumatic pump and 6 Marks for a ''balloon." New gores for section 1 through 4 were used (i.e. 0° to 60° East), showing the new German colonies In Africa. Official permission was given In January 1893 to sell the globe to non-sub-scribers. The new partially Improved globe cost from 70 to 75 Marks, depending upon the mounting. This price was much lower than the well known large globes of Reimer which measured 80 cm In diameter and cost between 210 and 396 Marks. Henze's globes were on sale in different forms (e.g. with a base, or to be hung from the ceiling, with a meridian and on axis; and with a lifting device). For the globe with base a space of about 2 x 2 m was required. The pneumatic globe, having a center rod, could be easily blown up within 2 minutes and the process could be repeated. No explanation for the inflation of such a globe has required, It could stand on a box, for example. Once this globe was varnished; it could not be deflated completely., but could be carried through doors of common width. From 1894 onwards another type was offered. A 54 x 31 cm box held an inflatible globe, which could easily be stored together with a box containing a pneumatic pump. Everything was durable and of the finest quality The fix mounted globes were made in two halves for easier transportation and were connected by 4 screws which protruded at the equator. In 1891 a handbook to accompany the globe appeared as a supplement to the magazine. The preface reads: The abnormal slze of the globe makes ft difficult to find places of given names. Therefore, an alphabetic list of all places with their coordinates and their locations on the gores is given. Some scientific and statistical information are noted as well to make the list less monotonous. The globe is In the scale of 1 : 12 mill. with gores printed In several colours on thin paper. The printing was done at Henze's workshop in Neustadt-Lelpzig. Growing commercial interest was taken into account; Telegraphic cables, ship lines with traveling time In days and hours, railroads .... especially the transcontinental ones In the USA and Siberia are shown on the gores of the first edition. Also shown were the African Free trade zones covering the later Kenya, German East-Africa, Burundi, Ruanda, the Congo plain, and the mouth of the Congo. After the establishment of the colonies the free trade in these zones was eliminated. On the mounted globes these free-zone boundaries cannot be found. Corrections were also made in the gores for German Southwest Africa on the exchanged gores. The drawing in regions where lesser commercial interest is presumed ore less exact (I.e. Greenland, North Canada and the Pacific Islands). In 1891 the date line was still shown between the Philippines and the Asiatic continent, although It was set at the current location In 1845. In 1889 the magazine had a distribution of 32,OOO. Occasionally one can find the attached gores at antique dealers. Mounted globes, due to their size, are apparently rare and only three specimens are known to the author. It would be of great Interest to know if globes of other diameters had been Issued by Henze." (Translation from German) (Werner Kummer, Journal for the Study of Globes and Related Instruments, 1990), Read two pages of magazine ‘Illustrierter Anzeiger für Contor und Bureau:" https://rumsey5.s3.amazonaws.com/Henze.pdf

With a diameter of 43 inches, these 24 gores form the largest printed globe produced in the 19th century.Dimensions are sheet size., 24 globe gores on thin paper. Adolf Henze (1814-1883) was an important printing innovator, best known for Chirogrammatomantie. He published a number of numismatic, economic and scientific works as well as a huge terrestrial globe. Beginning in 1865, Henze published the magazine  ‘Illustrierter Anzeiger für Contor und Bureau’. Between 1885 and 1890 the magazine included at irregular  intervals the segments for a 106 cm large impressive German terrestrial globe. The completed strips could, if sent to the publisher, for a fee, be mounted onto a  sphere or supplied with a pneumatic kit to enable home assembly by inflation. "A TERRESTRIAL GLOBE 106 cm BY ADOLF HENZE, LEIPZIG 1891. A specimen of this globe can be found in the Duke of Ftirstenberg's castle In Donaueschingen near the source of the Danube. It stands In a collection of varia amongst penguins and pelicans, In the department of natural history. Coincidentally another one is in the director's room of the Museum of Natural History In Vienna. This globe, which Henze's publishers called a "giant globe", has an unusual origin. The publishers were engaged in numismatics and, beginning In 1865; edited a magazine entitled lllustrlrter Anzeiger fur Cantor und Bureau" (Illustrated magazine for office and premises). It was printed six times a year by Breitkopf & Haertl of Leipzig. It answered the merchant's questions about exchange rates, postal rules, new railway lines; dishonored bills and bonds, and copyright and patent matters and also gave descriptions of newly Issued coins. Particularly amusing to read were the stories of frauds. To make the magazine more attractive and to encourage continued subscription, supplements such as maps and conversion tables were included at no cost. In irregular intervals between 1885 and 1890 the 24 gores and 2 polar caps for a globe were added as supplements. These colour lithographs had been calculated for a globe of 106 cm diameter. The title reads "Henze's Erd-Globus Im Verhaltnis wie 1 : 12 Milllonen zur naturlichen Grosse" (Henze's Terrestrial Globe, Scale 1 : 12 mtll. to Natural Size) The patience of the subscribers was severely tried as ft took almost 6 years to collect the gores. The editors offered a folder to collect the gores. Then, In December 1890 the editors offered to make a globe out of the gores if the complete set was sent back. The cost was 30 Marks for a globe mounted on a stand, 27 marks for a sphere with pneumatic pump and 6 Marks for a ''balloon." New gores for section 1 through 4 were used (i.e. 0° to 60° East), showing the new German colonies In Africa. Official permission was given In January 1893 to sell the globe to non-sub-scribers. The new partially Improved globe cost from 70 to 75 Marks, depending upon the mounting. This price was much lower than the well known large globes of Reimer which measured 80 cm In diameter and cost between 210 and 396 Marks. Henze's globes were on sale in different forms (e.g. with a base, or to be hung from the ceiling, with a meridian and on axis; and with a lifting device). For the globe with base a space of about 2 x 2 m was required. The pneumatic globe, having a center rod, could be easily blown up within 2 minutes and the process could be repeated. No explanation for the inflation of such a globe has required, It could stand on a box, for example. Once this globe was varnished; it could not be deflated completely., but could be carried through doors of common width. From 1894 onwards another type was offered. A 54 x 31 cm box held an inflatible globe, which could easily be stored together with a box containing a pneumatic pump. Everything was durable and of the finest quality The fix mounted globes were made in two halves for easier transportation and were connected by 4 screws which protruded at the equator. In 1891 a handbook to accompany the globe appeared as a supplement to the magazine. The preface reads: The abnormal slze of the globe makes ft difficult to find places of given names. Therefore, an alphabetic list of all places with their coordinates and their locations on the gores is given. Some scientific and statistical information are noted as well to make the list less monotonous. The globe is In the scale of 1 : 12 mill. with gores printed In several colours on thin paper. The printing was done at Henze's workshop in Neustadt-Lelpzig. Growing commercial interest was taken into account; Telegraphic cables, ship lines with traveling time In days and hours, railroads .... especially the transcontinental ones In the USA and Siberia are shown on the gores of the first edition. Also shown were the African Free trade zones covering the later Kenya, German East-Africa, Burundi, Ruanda, the Congo plain, and the mouth of the Congo. After the establishment of the colonies the free trade in these zones was eliminated. On the mounted globes these free-zone boundaries cannot be found. Corrections were also made in the gores for German Southwest Africa on the exchanged gores. The drawing in regions where lesser commercial interest is presumed ore less exact (I.e. Greenland, North Canada and the Pacific Islands). In 1891 the date line was still shown between the Philippines and the Asiatic continent, although It was set at the current location In 1845. In 1889 the magazine had a distribution of 32,OOO. Occasionally one can find the attached gores at antique dealers. Mounted globes, due to their size, are apparently rare and only three specimens are known to the author. It would be of great Interest to know if globes of other diameters had been Issued by Henze." (Translation from German) (Werner Kummer, Journal for the Study of Globes and Related Instruments, 1990), Read two pages of magazine ‘Illustrierter Anzeiger für Contor und Bureau:" https://rumsey5.s3.amazonaws.com/Henze.pdf

3D raised relief map of Asia, with decorative vignette with descriptive text. Shows major cities and towns. Includes list of political divisions, colonies, statistical tables and notes. Prime meridian is Paris., Two sets of eight identical maps of the world, An early edition of the French language version of the first commercial set of relief maps intended for teaching purposes. A landmark in geographical education. Set includes the six continents and Germany, each 23x28 at neatline. One set in 3 D raised relief, printed and stamped on card stock, each map mounted on a paper-covered frame of thin wooden dowels. The other set, 2D, printed on paper, loose in a light-blue glazed paper. Both sets in printed color though in different schemes, the paper maps with some added hand color, showing cities and towns, rivers and mountains, notes and statistics. Relief shown pictorially on some maps. The sets placed together in a contemporary drop-front box covered with blue paste-paper. The relief maps emphasize physical and geographical features, and sheet maps political divisions. See our 2490.000 for Sonnenschein and Allen's Relief Atlas of 1880., Phillips, Atlases, vol. IV p. 38.

Hand colored map of Asia, printed on paper, with decorative vignette views with descriptive text. Shows political divisions, major cities and towns. Includes European possessions, statistical tables and notes. Prime meridian is Paris., Two sets of eight identical maps of the world, An early edition of the French language version of the first commercial set of relief maps intended for teaching purposes. A landmark in geographical education. Set includes the six continents and Germany, each 23x28 at neatline. One set in 3 D raised relief, printed and stamped on card stock, each map mounted on a paper-covered frame of thin wooden dowels. The other set, 2D, printed on paper, loose in a light-blue glazed paper. Both sets in printed color though in different schemes, the paper maps with some added hand color, showing cities and towns, rivers and mountains, notes and statistics. Relief shown pictorially on some maps. The sets placed together in a contemporary drop-front box covered with blue paste-paper. The relief maps emphasize physical and geographical features, and sheet maps political divisions. See our 2490.000 for Sonnenschein and Allen's Relief Atlas of 1880., Phillips, Atlases, vol. IV p. 38.

First edition of Arrowsmith atlas published in 1817. Although the maps are not large, they are dense with information. This complete atlas features index and 53 copperplate maps, drawn by Arrowsmith and engraved by Sidney Hall, with a few engraved by Thomson in collaboration with Hall. The maps include two world, 29 related to Europe and Scandinavia, 16 on Asia, Africa, and Oceania, and six related to the Americas. The United States map shows Georgia extending from the coast to the Mississippi River. The area west of the Mississippi is blank and labeled Louisiana. Engraved title page has Atlas holding the globe above two putti, one sailing a dingy, the other engaged in cartographic studies with a globe, map and dividers. Hardbound with marbled paper and original paper label printed with "Arrowsmith's New General Atlas Comprehended in Fifty three Maps From Original Drawings. Price L 2,12,6. coloured". Black leather spine has a label embossed with "Atlas (18)17" in gilt. Maps have original outline color, with many tissue guards still in place., First edition of Arrowsmith atlas published in 1817. This complete atlas features index and 53 copperplate maps, drawn by Arrowsmith and engraved by Sidney Hall, with a few engraved by Thomson in collaboration with Hall. The maps include two world, 29 related to Europe and Scandinavia, 16 on Asia, Africa, and Oceania, and six related to the Americas. The United States map shows Georgia extending from the coast to the Mississippi River. The area west of the Mississippi is blank and labeled Louisiana. Engraved title page has Atlas holding the globe above two putti, one sailing a dingy, the other engaged in cartographic studies with a globe, map and dividers. Hardbound with marbled paper and original paper label printed with "Arrowsmith's New General Atlas Comprehended in Fifty three Maps From Original Drawings. Price L 2,12,6. coloured". Black leather spine has a label embossed with "Atlas (18)17" in gilt. Maps have original outline color, with many tissue guards still in place.

Full col. Relief shown by hachures and spot heights. Prime meridian: Paris. On globe in cartouche: Sphericite de la terre., This atlas is exceptional for its "spheroidal" maps of the globe, showing the various continents and poles, shaded to give the effect of a sphere floating in space. The remaining maps are also very well executed and colored, mostly by hand, a few in colored litho. In recent years, this atlas has become rare in the trade. This is the only atlas that Garnier produced, according to Phillips. Tooley lists an 1860 edition. Covers are quarter leather marbled paper covered boards with a paper label; the burgundy leather spine is embossed with "F.A. Garnier. Atlas Universel et Spheroidal de Geographie" in gilt. On verso of half-title: Paris -- Imprimerie de P.-A. Bourdier et Cie., Rue Mazarine, 30., Phillips, 836.

Full col. Relief shown by shading. Prime meridian: Paris. On globe in cartouche: Sphericite de la terre., This atlas is exceptional for its "spheroidal" maps of the globe, showing the various continents and poles, shaded to give the effect of a sphere floating in space. The remaining maps are also very well executed and colored, mostly by hand, a few in colored litho. In recent years, this atlas has become rare in the trade. This is the only atlas that Garnier produced, according to Phillips. Tooley lists an 1860 edition. Covers are quarter leather marbled paper covered boards with a paper label; the burgundy leather spine is embossed with "F.A. Garnier. Atlas Universel et Spheroidal de Geographie" in gilt. On verso of half-title: Paris -- Imprimerie de P.-A. Bourdier et Cie., Rue Mazarine, 30., Phillips, 836.

Full col. Relief shown by hachures. Prime meridian: Paris. On globe in cartouche: Sphericite de la terre., This atlas is exceptional for its "spheroidal" maps of the globe, showing the various continents and poles, shaded to give the effect of a sphere floating in space. The remaining maps are also very well executed and colored, mostly by hand, a few in colored litho. In recent years, this atlas has become rare in the trade. This is the only atlas that Garnier produced, according to Phillips. Tooley lists an 1860 edition. Covers are quarter leather marbled paper covered boards with a paper label; the burgundy leather spine is embossed with "F.A. Garnier. Atlas Universel et Spheroidal de Geographie" in gilt. On verso of half-title: Paris -- Imprimerie de P.-A. Bourdier et Cie., Rue Mazarine, 30., Phillips, 836.