[IMPORTANT ENLARGED OTTOMAN EDITION OF ANATOLIA WALL MAP BY KIEPERT] Anadolu haritasi: Bin sekizyüz seksen dört senesi milâdiyesinde Hanri Kipert marifetiyle resmolunmuş... Scale: 1/1.500.000. Translator and issued by Ali Şeref Pasha.

COMPLETE TITLE: اناطولی خریطهسی: بیک سکز یوز سکسان دورت سنهءی میلادیهسنده هانری کیپرت معرفتیله رسم اولونمش اولدیغی حالده سایه حضرت شهنشاهیده مؤخراً انثا اولوندیغی و دردست انشا بولندیغی نافعه نظارت جلیلهسندن تحقیق اولنان شوسهلرك علاوهسیله ارکان حربیه عمومیٌه دائرهسنده دفعه ثانیّه اولهرق طبع اولونمشدر / Anadolu haritasi: Bin sekizyüz seksen dört senesi milâdiyesinde Hanri Kipert marifetiyle resmolunmuş olduğu halde saye-i hazret-i şehinşâhîde muahharân inşa olunduğu ve derdest-i inşâ bulunduğu Nafia Nezâret-i Celîlesi’nden tahkîk olunan şoselerin ilâvesiyle Erkân-ı Harbiye-i Umûmiyye Dairesi’nde def’a-i saniyye olarak tab’ olunmusdur. Scale: 1/1.500.000. Translator and issued by Ali Şeref Pasha.

KIEPERT, HEINRICH (1818-1899).

Erkân-ı Harbiye-i Umûmiyye Dairesi, Istanbul, AH 1305 [= 1887-88 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. 161,5x100,5 cm. In Ottoman script (Old Turkish with Arabic letters). Occasional toning to white areas, slight fading on the box. Overall, a very good copy.

Chromolithographed. The rare second official edition of Heinrich Kiepert's significant 1884 cartographic work of Anatolia (likely based on the French edition), updated and printed by the Ottoman General Staff Department with the translation and editing by renowned and important Ottoman cartograph Ali Şeref Pasha. While founded upon Kiepert's scientific surveys, this Ottoman edition incorporates newly completed and ongoing macadamized road projects, as verified by official records of the Nafia Nezâreti [i.e., Imperial Ministry of Public Works].

A monumental late 19th-century wall map of the Ottoman Empire, providing extensive coverage of the Middle East and the Near East, extending on one axis from the Persian Gulf to Southeast Europe, and on the other from the North African coast to the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus. This lithographed edition, measuring 161.5 x 100.5 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 box (26 x 20 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. The cartography meticulously depicts administrative divisions, urban centres, rural settlements, and transport networks, with relief rendered through sophisticated shading and spot heights (Prime Meridian: Greenwich). The map is further distinguished by an elaborate decorative cartouche, integrating the calligraphic title with symbolic motifs including globes, banners, compass, spears, books, and the Ottoman state emblem.

Heinrich Kiepert (1818-1899) was a leading German cartographer whose scientific rigor and extensive field research helped lay the foundations of modern cartographic knowledge of the Ottoman lands. Renowned for his exceptional expertise in the geography of Asia Minor, he maintained a long-standing collaboration with the Ottoman authorities, particularly the General Staff (Erkân-ı Harbiye).

Heinrich Kiepert (1818-1899) was a leading German cartographer whose scientific rigor and extensive field research helped lay the foundations of modern cartographic knowledge of the Ottoman lands. Renowned for his exceptional expertise in the geography of Asia Minor, he maintained a long-standing collaboration with the Ottoman authorities, particularly the General Staff (Erkân-ı Harbiye). Heinrich Kiepert (1818-1899) was a leading German cartographer whose scientific rigor and extensive field research helped lay the foundation. He later continued his work together with his son Richard Kiepert (1846-1915), who was also a cartographer.

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, OCLC shows only two copies in NYU ABU Dhabi & McMaster University collections (1016265434). Not held by any North American institution.