[1861 HIJAZ EXPEDITION / A FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT OF ARABIA BY THE FIRST PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE AREA] مادرِ دنیا / Mâder-i Dünyâ.. [i.e., Mother of the World: A presentation of gratitude to the Ottoman Committee of Union and Progress]

COMPLETE TITLE: [1861 HIJAZ EXPEDITION / A FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT OF ARABIA BY THE FIRST PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE AREA] مادرِ دنیا / Mâder-i Dünyâ: Ittihad ve Terakki Cemiyet-i Osmaniyesine takaddüme-i sükraniyye [i.e., Mother of the World: A presentation of gratitude to the Ottoman Committee of Union and Progress].

MUHAMMAD SADIQ SHERIF [BEY] (1832-1902).

Cihan Kütübhanesi Matbaasi., Istanbul, AH 1324 [= CE 1906].

Original wrappers. Foolscap 8vo. (17 x 12 cm). Ottoman script (Old Turkish in Arabic letters). 152 p. Extracted from a volume containing multiple works. Spine professionally restored. A very good copy.

The first and only Ottoman Turkish edition of this exceptionally rare work, offering a first-hand account of the topography and detailed descriptions of the Hejaz, Mecca, and other regions of the Arabian Peninsula by Muhammad Sadiq, who was also the first person to photograph Mecca, Medina, and the Hajj in 1880 and 1881.

Account of the 1861 expedition of Muhammad Sadiq, an Egyptian officer and engineer, documenting his survey of the route between the Red Sea port of Wajh and the city of Madinah. The work records detailed observations on topography, climate, routes, water sources, settlements, and administrative conditions in the Hijaz, reflecting a systematic and empirical approach supported by contemporary surveying instruments, and is notable for incorporating early photographic documentation of the region. Includes descriptive passages such as a fortified site located nine kilometres inland from Wajh, built among red sandstone mountains and serving as a supply depot for pilgrims at the junction of three principal routes, alongside precise notes on terrain and local conditions; the journey proceeds from Cairo eastward to Suez, thence by sea to Wajh, and southward along inland routes toward Madinah. After departing Madinah, Sadiq and his party proceeded westward to the Red Sea port of Yanbu', arriving there a week later. Upon returning to Cairo, he submitted a report to his military superiors; however, his findings were not published until 1877, first appearing in The Egyptian Military Gazette and shortly thereafter in the book Summary of the Exploration of the Wajh-Madinah Hijaz Route and its Military Cadastral Map.

In this rare Ottoman Turkish edition, Muhammad Sadiq, grandson of Sharif Abdülmuttalib, Emir of Mecca, dedicated the work to the Ottoman Committee of Union and Progress (Ittihat ve Terakki Cemiyeti). The book provides a comprehensive account of the Hijaz, beginning with its geography, population, and natural features, and extending to its administrative organization as an Ottoman province. It includes detailed descriptions of Mecca, its physical and social environment, religious monuments such as the Kaaba and Masjid al-Haram, regional subdivisions, and the historical succession of the Emirs of Mecca, as well as discussions of the Taif region and the rise of Wahhabism. The work concludes with a 49-article memorandum proposing reforms for the province, submitted to the Ottoman grand vizierate.

“Muhammad Sadiq is one of the forgotten pioneers, both of photography and of exploration in Arabia”. (De St. Jorre).

Muhammad Sadiq Sherif Bey was the first known photographer to document Mecca, Medina, and the Hajj in 1880 and 1881. Educated in Cairo and at the École Polytechnique in Paris, he trained as a military engineer. The precise origins of his photographic training remain unclear, though it is likely he learned from one of the professional photographers residing in Egypt.

In 1861, tasked with conducting detailed military surveys of the region between Wajh and Medina, Sadiq Bey undertook his first journey to Arabia. Accompanied by a camera alongside his surveying instruments, he captured his initial photographs of Medina. He later referenced this early work in a series of articles published in the Egyptian Military Gazette in 1877, describing the use of a "photographia", although unfortunately, none of the images from this expedition survive.

In 1880, Sadiq Bey was appointed treasurer of the Mahmal, the ceremonial covering of the Ka'ba, and accompanied its annual journey from Cairo to Medina and Mecca between September 1880 and January 1881. Equipped with his camera, he produced what are now regarded as the earliest known photographs of the holy sites, including the Ka’ba, taken under conditions of considerable secrecy.

Sadiq Bey documented his travels in various military journals and through the Emiry Grand Press in Cairo. The 1880-81 photographic series, however, was separately distributed for broader circulation via the Société Khédiviale de Géographie, whose secretary, Dr. Frederic Bonola, advertised sets for sale. Sadiq Bey also delivered talks and reports to the society in January and April 1880 on his 1861 expedition, and on 20 May 1881 regarding his recent journey to Mecca.

Özege 11888.; Karatay, TM II: 695.; MKAHTBK, II: 991.; OCLC 248374684 / 4082352.