[RARE AND FIRST GUIDE TO THE HOLY LAND FOR THE ANATOLIAN GREEKS / KARAMANLIDIKA] Μουκεμμελ Ιερουσαλημ ταριχι / Mükemmel Ierusalim tarihi [i.e., Complete history of Jerusalem]

ALIAKIOZOGLOU, SAVVAS S.

Hanimlara Mahsus Gazete Matbaasi, Istanbul, 1903.

Contemporary handsome black morocco, raised five bands to spine, all compartments gilt in title, first letters of the first owner's name of the book, and others in decorative elements. Cr. 8vo. (20 × 14 cm). In Karamanlidika script (Old Turkish with Greek letters). [12], 441 p., 25 unnumbered woodcuts including plans and panoramic view of the city (some of two paged), and one attractive two paged colour lithographed map of Jerusalem, index, and dictionary. Fading and foxing on pages and edges, with slight stains, the front board's extremities are repaired skillfully. Otherwise, a very good copy.

Signed and sealed by the author on the verso of the title page, under the article stating that the copies without signature and seal are fake.

Lithograph. Extremely rare first and only edition of this first guide to the Holy Land for the Anatolian Greeks (Karamanlis, or Greeks from Asia Minor) in Karamanlidika including an attractive panoramic colour lithographed map of Jerusalem in Greek.

The text was completed in August of 1902 in Istanbul according to the author’s introduction. In this introduction, Aliakizozoglou presented his book to Patriarch III. Joachim in Constantinople, Ottoman Sultan II. Abdülhamid and to the Anatolian Greeks whom he addressed as and called "my people". Stating that there are many Holy Land guides written for Christians in European languages, the author complains that there is no guide written for Anatolian Greeks. The guide includes a very detailed account and reference of the Holy Land from Cilicia to Syria, and Palestine and Jerusalem to Israel. After the text, there is an index and a list of place names, important, historical, and religious people, and saints with short descriptions. It is richly illustrated by portrait photographs of the former Greek Patriarchs (x3), an attractive colour lithographed double-page panoramic map of Palestine and Jerusalem from the shore, a double-page lithograph panoramic b/w view of New Jerusalem, reproduced woodcut view of Holy Lavra of St. Savas in Jerusalem, lithographed b/w photo of the Ayyubid Mosque of Omar in Jerusalem, plan of Yaffa in Israel, the Mt. of Olives, Patriarch of Jerusalem, and other plans of religious buildings, double-page photographs, with a rare photo of the author at the end of the text.

This book was printed in the printing house where "Malumat" and "Hanimlara Mahsus Gazete" magazines also were published, owned by Mehmet Tahir (1864-1909), also known as Ibn Hakki Mehmet Tahir, Baba Tahir, Malumatçi Tahir, was an Ottoman period publisher who was one of the significant figures in the Ottoman journalism.

Savvas Aliakiozoglou was one of the authors of “Anatoli” Newspaper in the late 19^th century, the owner of “Sedâ-yi Millet” [i.e., The Voice of Nation] published between 1909-1910 in Istanbul, and the director of “Faruk” Newspaper, which is all in Karamanlidika. He wrote the Greek Patriarch III. Joachim. He migrated to Greece after the journalist Ahmed Samim, who also was a founding member of the Liberty Party, was assassinated in 1910.

KARAMANLIDIKA OF KARAMANLI TURKISH:

Karamanlidika is an extinct dialect of the Turkish language spoken by the Karamanlides. Although the official Ottoman Turkish was written in the Arabic script, the Karamanlides used the Greek alphabet to write their form of Turkish. Karamanlı Turkish had its own literary tradition and produced numerous published works in print during the 19th century, some of them published by the British and Foreign Bible Society as well as by Evangelinos Misailidis in the Anatoli or Misailidis publishing house.

Karamanli writers and speakers were expelled from Turkey as part of the Greek-Turkish population exchange in 1923. Some speakers preserved their language in the diaspora. The written form stopped being used immediately after Turkey adopted the Latin alphabet.

A total of 752 works were published in Karamanlidika between 1584-1929. It is known that there are 628 various books in entirely Karamanlidika text, 340 of which are on religious subjects.

Overall, this book is a historically significant Karamanlidika guide to the Holy Land which is extremely rare in market and institutional holdings.

Balta 14 (XXe siècle)., Salaville & Dalleggio 343., As of January 2024, only two copies (984742656): Koç University and the LoC worldwide.