Ali Khan (Navazish) Qust̤ant̤inīyah: yaʻnī dārulk̲h̲ilāfat ʻUs̲māniyah kī dilcasp kaifiyyat [An Account of Constantinople and the Turkish Government], first edition, printed in Urdu, Lahore, Faz

£1,000 · At auction with Forum Auctions

Ali Khan (Navazish) Qust̤ant̤inīyah: yaʻnī dārulk̲h̲ilāfat ʻUs̲māniyah kī dilcasp kaifiyyat [An Account of Constantinople and the Turkish Government], first edition, printed in Urdu, 18 lihtograph plates, one folding (creased, misfolded and with tears, one with old tape repair to verso), one trimmed at outer edge, original yellow printed wrappers bound in, neat publisher's stamps to front original wrapper and rear endpaper, ink ownership inscription to front endpaper, single ink note in English on p.2., later Indian blue calf, gilt, title and owner's name in gilt on spine, slightly rubbed, 8vo, Lahore, Fazl al-Din, bookseller of the Kashmiri Bazar, 1897. *** A fascinating study of Istanbul and the Ottoman Empire by a Punjabi author. It includes charming, well-executed illustrations of Istanbul's sites and locals. These include a striking foldout lithographic print of the Sultan and his cavalcade. The work shows how Muslim-Indians were using the lives of Muslims in the Ottoman Empire to assess their standards of living under British rule. The book commences by discussing the history and key sites of Istanbul. This includes a chapter about the Aya Sophia, a focal point of Muslim interest in the city. Ali Khan proceeds to outline the Ottoman empire’s system for education. These are divided between primary, secondary and higher stages. Further passages include the practices of Eid, a copy of a document relating to Ottoman reforms and the transcript of a speech that Khan gav

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.