1908 Nasrullah / Tefeyyuz Kitaphanesi Ottoman Turkish Map of Europe

A scarce and engrossing large format c. 1908 Ottoman Turkish wall map of Europe, produced by geographer Mehmet Nasrullah and published by Tefeyyüz Kitaphanesi in Istanbul. It reflects improvements in both Ottoman cartography and print technology in the last years of the long-ruling dynasty.

A Closer Look

Ranging from Iceland to the Urals and from Morocco to Persia, this map takes in all of Europe and the Ottoman Empire. The names of countries and large bodies of water are written in a stylized blue script, while smaller bodies of water, regions, cities, and other features are written in black script. Red lines denote administrative boundaries. A key to color-shading appears at bottom-right, with colors representing different empires, though these are not always consistently applied (the Russian Empire is shaded pink in the key but yellow on the map itself). To the right, four inset maps appear, focusing more closely on the Balkans, Switzerland, Denmark, and the Low Countries. Some handwriting appears above and below the bottommost inset map. An ornate border with a floral motif surrounds the entire sheet.

Late Ottoman Geography

As with other elements of Ottoman administrative and intellectual life, the threat of powerful neighbors prompted a comprehensive reexamination in the 19th century. Along with the Tanzimat reforms in the mid-19th century came an effort to train cartographers in the latest European methods of surveying. Print technology also improved, with the development of commercial lithographic printing by the end of the century. Still, a number of factors, including limited funding for military and non-military cartographers, hindered the development of late Ottoman cartography.

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared by Mehmet Nasrullah and published by Tefeyyüz Kitaphanesi around the year 1908. It is part of a series of wall maps that Nasrullah and the published produced in the first decade of the 20th century (they also collaborated on at least one atlas around the same time). The map is quite rare, and is not known to use to be listed among the holdings of any institutions and has no market history.