IBRAHIM HAKKI OF ERZURUM, MA'RIFETNAMEH (AN ENCYCLOPAEDIC COMPENDIUM), SIGNED BY HASHIM IBN OSMAN IBN 'ALI, TURKEY, OTTOMAN, DATED 1237 AH/1822 AD |

Ottoman Turkish manuscript on paper, with watermarks, 325 leaves plus 3 fly-leaves, 35 lines to the page written in naskh in black ink, ruled in gold and red, titles in red, headings in white against a gold ground within a polychrome cartouche, numerous tables and diagrams in gouache heightened with gold, including Mecca and Medina, the solar system, planispheric maps, in brown binding with a central oval stamped medallion, with flap

In good condition, minor smudges and stains, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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The Ma'rifetnameh is an encyclopaedia of cosmological topics assembled by Erzurumlu Ibrahim Hakki in 1756-57. Alongside discussions on eschatology, celestial and terrestrial geography are also discussed and represented in several maps and diagrams. The planispheric drawings were drawn by a surveyor named only as Mustafa and were based on the Dutch cartographer Joan Blae's (d.1673) Atlas Major. Two further copies of Hakki's Ma'rifetnameh, both dating from the first quarter of the nineteenth century, can be found in the British Library (MS.Or.12964) and Nasser D. Khalili Collection, London (see Rogers 1995, pp.121 & 123, no.74). Four very similar manuscripts to the present lot were sold in these rooms, 7 October 2015, lot 264; 22 April 2015, lot 109; 24 April 2013, lot 49 and 6 April 2011, lot 216.