Ottoman Atlas Orta Atlas by Faik Sabri Ottoman Script 1928 many maps Middle East

Faik Sabri Duran – Orta Atlas – Kanaat Kütüphanesi Istanbul 1st Edition (1928)

Description

This is the first 1928 edition of Orta Atlas prepared by Faik Sabri Duran and published in Istanbul by Kanaat Kütüphanesi. Specially designed for high schools and middle schools, the atlas represents one of the most important educational and cartographic works of the early Turkish Republic period.

The cover states that the work was officially approved by the Turkish Ministry of Education Board of Education and Discipline (Talim ve Terbiye Kurulu) with decision number 112 dated 9 August 1927 for use as a textbook in teacher training schools and orphan schools. This official adoption highlights the atlas’s role within the newly developing Republican education system and demonstrates the importance placed on modern geography instruction during the formative years of the Republic.

Printed immediately before the Alphabet Reform of 1 November 1928, the atlas uses Ottoman Turkish written in the Arabic-based Ottoman script despite belonging to the early Republican era. As such, the work occupies a unique transitional position between late Ottoman publishing culture and the emerging modern Turkish educational system.

The atlas consists of 32 pages and contains numerous detailed color maps covering the geography of the Republic of Turkey, Europe, Asia, Austria, the Americas, and the Arabian Peninsula. Like many Ministry of Education-approved atlases of the period, the work was printed in Europe to ensure superior color quality and cartographic precision. This particular edition was printed in London by George Philip ve Mahdumu Limited Matbaası, reflecting the international production standards used for high-quality educational materials in the late Ottoman and early Republican periods.

Faik Sabri Duran (1882–1943) is regarded as one of the foundational figures of modern Turkish geography. Having received part of his education in Europe, he played a major role in shaping modern geography education in Turkey and contributed significantly to the development of geographic scholarship during the transition from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic.

Beyond its educational function, this atlas is an important historical artifact documenting the transformation of Turkish education, cartography, and publishing culture during a pivotal moment in national history. The combination of Ottoman script, Republican educational reforms, European printing techniques, and richly colored maps makes this work highly desirable for collectors of Ottoman, Republican, and cartographic material.

Key Features

• Title: Orta Atlas

• Author: Faik Sabri Duran

• Publisher: Kanaat Kütüphanesi

• Publication Date: 1928

• Edition: First Edition

• Publication Place: Istanbul

• Printing Location: London

• Printer: George Philip ve Mahdumu Limited Matbaası

• Language: Ottoman Turkish

• Script: Arabic-based Ottoman Alphabet

• Format: Educational Atlas

• Page Count: 32 pages

• Educational Purpose: Prepared specifically for high schools and middle schools

• Official Approval: Accepted by the Turkish Ministry of Education Board of Education and Discipline on 9 August 1927 (Decision No. 112)

• School Usage: Approved as a textbook for teacher training schools and orphan schools

• Geographic Coverage: Turkey; Europe; Asia; Austria; The Americas; Arabian Peninsula

• Printing Quality: European high-quality color cartographic printing

• Historical Context: Printed immediately before the Alphabet Reform of 1928

• Academic Importance: Prepared by one of the founders of modern Turkish geography

• Cultural Significance: Transitional artifact connecting Ottoman script culture with early Republican education reforms

• Collector Appeal: Rare early-Republic Ottoman-script educational atlas with color maps and official Ministry approval