[EXTREMELY RARE OTTOMAN WALL MAP OF THE NORTH AMERICA] Amerika-yi Şimâlî: Saye-i maarif hazret-i padişahide işbu Amerika-yi Şimâlî haritası Mekâtîb-i Rüşdiyye ve İdadiyyeye mahsûs... Scale: 1/8.000.000

COMPLETE TITLE: امریقای شمالی: سایه معارف حضرت پادشاهیده اشبو امریقای شمالی خریطهسی مکاتب رشدیه و اعدادیه یه مخصوص اولمق اوزره معارف نظارت جلیلهسنجه انتخاب اولنارق ارکان حربیه عمومیه دائرهسنه مأمور فریق سعادتلو علی شرف پاشا حضرتلری معرفتیله ترسیم و طبع ایتدیریلمشدر / Amerika-yi Şimâlî: Saye-i maarif hazret-i padişahide işbu Amerika-yi Şimâlî haritası Mekâtîb-i Rüşdiyye ve İdadiyyeye mahsûs olmak üzere Maarif Nezâreti Celîlesi’nce intihâb olunarak Erkân-ı Harbiye-i Umûmiyye Dairesi’ne me’mûr ferîk saadetlü Ali Şeref Paşa hazretleri maarifetiyle tersîm ve tab’ ettirilmiştir. Scale: 1/8.000.000.

ALI ŞEREF PASHA (Active between 1885-1905).

Erkân-ı Harbiye-i Umûmiye, Istanbul, AH 1316 [= 1899 CE].

Folded into a highly attractive red box, featuring the Ottoman state coat of arms gilt-stamped on the front and the crescent & star on the rear, housed within a second folding case. Mounted on linen. 120,5 x 116,5 cm. In Ottoman script (Old Turkish with Arabic letters). Toning and spotting, slight fading on the box. Overall, a good copy.

Chromolithographed. Extremely rare wall map of North America for the Ottoman officer candidates in the military middle and high schools. The map is printed in red, yellow, green, and light brown tones, extending vertically from the Arctic Circle, Greenland, and Iceland to the northern coasts of South America, the Antilles, and the Gulf of Mexico. The map encompasses nearly all Central America, the United States, Alaska, and Canada. Bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the map is notable for its exceptionally fine calligraphic rendering of titles and place names.

This monumental late 19th-century wall map of North America measures 120.5 x 116.5 cm is coloured in outline and dissected into 24 sections backed on original linen. The map is housed in its highly attractive red publisher's quarto box (30 x 21 cm), for the collection of Çerkes [i.e., Circassian] Kabasakal Mehmed Pasha (1854-1909), featuring the Ottoman Imperial coat of arms gilt-stamped on the upper cover and the crescent and star on the lower.

Historical Context and Cartographic Significance:

The inclusion of American maps in the curriculum of Ottoman military schools during the final quarter of the 19th century was more than a matter of geographical curiosity; it was directly linked to the state’s modernization policies and shifting global geopolitical balances. The educational reforms during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II prioritized the production of technical and strategic knowledge based on Western norms in military middle (Rüşdiye) and high schools (İdadiye). During this period, the rise of the United States as a global power necessitated that the Ottoman military elite analyse the boundaries, logistical capabilities, and strategic positioning of this new actor. Consequently, maps featuring the American continent served as essential educational materials for officer candidates to develop a modern world vision by comprehending global political geography.

Furthermore, this increase in map usage represents a struggle for sovereignty through geographical literacy. The rapid proliferation of American missionary schools across the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 19th century created an "educational competition" and security concerns for the state. The use of American maps, prepared with modern cartographic techniques in domestic military schools, was an effort to reach scientific standards within the scope of Westernization efforts, while also filtering external information through the state’s own institutional lens. In this context, these maps are not merely documents providing topographical data; they are reflections of the Ottoman State’s will to participate in global competition and to centralize the production of strategic information.

ALI ŞEREF PASHA (1840-1907): Ali Şeref Pasha, also known by his epithet Hafız, was a pioneering Ottoman soldier and cartographer who played a pivotal role in the modernization of Ottoman geographical sciences. Born in Istanbul in 1840, he was sent to Paris in 1862 by order of the Ottoman Military Academy to specialize in the art and science of cartography. During his time in France, he gained recognition by publishing his first major work, the Yeni Atlas (New Atlas, 1868), which consisted of 22 meticulously prepared maps.

Upon his return to Istanbul, Ali Şeref Pasha rose through the military ranks to become a Lieutenant General (Ferîk) and served as a high-ranking officer in the General Staff Department (Erkân-ı Harbiye). He was appointed as the head of the map office, where he oversaw the production of essential educational and military maps, and spearheaded the standardization of educational maps across the Empire.

His career is most notably defined by his efforts to bridge European cartographic standards with Ottoman administrative needs. He is celebrated for his monumental project of translating and adapting Heinrich Kiepert’s maps of Anatolia into Ottoman Turkish, as well as producing a 73-sheet map of Rumelia. As a dedicated educator, he designed numerous wall maps and atlases specifically for the Rüşdiyye (middle schools) and İdadiyye (high schools), ensuring that the next generation of Ottoman officials were trained with modern geographical data. His work remains a testament to the scientific rigor of the late Ottoman Era.

Provenance: From the collection of Circassian Kabasakal Mehmed Pasha (1854-1909); thence by descent through the Pasha's son to the private R.S.S. Collection. Circassian Kabasakal Mehmed Pasha, also known as “Sakalli” (Bearded) Mehmed Pasha, was an Ottoman cavalry lieutenant general (ferik) and statesman of Circassian origin who served as Chief Aide (Serhafiye) during the reign of Abdul Hamid II. A prominent figure within the Ottoman intelligence network (Hafiye Teşkilatı), he acquired the epithet “Kabasakal” [i.e., Thick-Bearded] because of his distinctive beard, which reportedly reached down to his chest.

Following the proclamation of the Second Constitutional Era on 24 July 1908, he fled Istanbul to escape the growing public unrest directed against figures associated with the Hamidian regime. He was subsequently captured in Mudanya and exiled to the district of Orhaneli. There, together with the local kadi (judge) and several others, including associates of Dervis Vahdeti, a central figure of the 31 March Incident, he helped establish the Bursa branch of the İttihad-ı Muhammedi Cemiyeti [i.e., Society of Islamic Unity].

Before the society could develop any significant influence, Kabasakal Mehmed Pasha was apprehended while attempting to return to Istanbul. Tried before a military tribunal, where his previous activities were also considered, he was sentenced to death and executed by hanging in Istanbul on 14 June 1909.

As of March 2026, we couldn’t trace any copies in OCLC.