Abstract: This map shows the Ottoman Empire as it was conceived in Europe in the last quarter of the 17th century. It is a reprint, dated 1679, of an earlier edition possibly included in a series of world atlases published by Nicolas Sanson (1600−1667) in the middle of the century. The map shows geological features, such as rivers, deserts, and mountain ranges. Cities and towns are indicated, and colored lines are used to mark the borders of kingdoms. An inset map at the lower left shows the extension of the southern coast of the Mediterranean, westward to Algeria. Place-names are in French. Sanson is considered by many to be the founder of the French school of cartography. Originally from Abbeville, he was also known as Sanson d’Abbeville. He was trained as a military engineer but became a prolific cartographer who produced more than 300 maps. Around 1643, he began publishing maps, working with publisher Pierre Mariette. In the period from the 16th to the 18th centuries, French, British, and Dutch mapmakers competed to supply the growing demand for maps of the East as European commerce expanded in regions beyond the Mediterranean. Sanson was among the early cartographer-publishers to profit from this demand. He established a dynasty of geographers and mapmakers that endured for a century.Physical description: 1 map : hand colored ; 39.2 x 54.5 centimeters
Abstract: Arij al-zahr: kitab akhlaqi, ijtima’i, adabi (The fragrant blossom: A work on manners, society, and letters) is a collection of essays by Shaykh Mustafa al-Ghalayini, a Lebanese Muslim teacher, writer, and authority on Islamic law. The essays cover a number of subjects presented in a readable style. Ghalayini discusses what it means to be an elegant speaker and writer in the “proper Arabic way,” avoiding the influences of what he calls a‘ujmah (non-Arabic) or afranj (European) style. In other essays, he treats the nature of mankind, the obligations of the Arabs in light of their rich history, the importance of modern education, local political currents in Beirut, and the place of social classes in a modern state. He calls on his readers to become “men of today and not men of the past.” Al-Ghalayini had a colorful career as political activist, essayist, and reformer. He was born and raised in Beirut, where he spent most of his life, except for brief stays in Cairo and Amman. In Cairo he perfected his knowledge of the Arabic language, working with teachers at al-Azhar, and he found time to publish articles in the newspaper al-Ahram (The pyramids). The title page of Arij al-zahr identifies him as Arabic instructor at the Imperial School and Ottoman College in Beirut. In 1910−11 he edited the general interest magazine al-Nibras (The lantern). During World War I, he served as a military chaplain in the Turkish army. In 1917, at the age of 32, he “took off the turban of the religious shaykh and replaced it with a tarboush,” because, as he explained, of pressure from the Turkish police to perform services that he deemed inappropriate for an imam. After World War I, he became Arabic tutor to the sons of King Abdullah I (1882−1951) of Jordan. His nationalist politics led him to prison and exile under the French Mandate. Later, because of his commitment to defending Islamic traditions in the face of the French authorities, he once again “placed the turban on his head” and regained prominence as a religious nationalist. In the final decade of his life he served as president and then as councilor of the Sunni Supreme Shari’ah (legal) Council of Lebanon. Arij al-Zahr was printed and sold at al-Ahliyah Press and Bookstore in Beirut.Physical description: 240 pages : 25 centimeters
Abstract: Like many of his contemporaries, Rizq Allah Hassun (1825−80) set out to transcribe the classics into a refreshed Arabic idiom. In Ashʻar al-shiʻr (The most poetical of poetry), he chooses to recast selected Old Testament texts in an accessible poetic form. The book of Job is prominently featured in the collection because, as the author says in his foreword, it ranks with Homer and Shakespeare as a monument of world literature. Hassun’s translation of the story of Job into Arabic poetry is not intended as a Bible reading for the devout, but rather as a demonstration of the richness and adaptability of the Arabic language. Hassun based his poems on the Arabic translation of Cornelius Van Dyck (1818−95), which Hassun termed “the best Arabic translation of the Bible I’ve seen,” and on the English Bible of 1811, with notes by John Styles. The work also contains poetic renditions from the books of Exodus, Deuteronomy, the Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, and Lamentations. Rizq Allah Hassun took an active part in the cultural and political life of his times. He founded one of the first Arabic newspapers and took part in the anti-Ottoman opposition in the Levant and in the imperial capital, Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), for which he was forced to go into exile in Russia and England. Ash’ar al-shi’r conforms to the pattern of Hassun’s other publications in its emphasis on literary style as a quality to be cultivated for its own sake, rather than as a vehicle for proselytizing or personal piety. There is no colophon giving publication details, but occasional notes mention that he completed drafts in 1869 while residing in England. The book was printed in 1870 at the American Press in Beirut.Physical description: 136 pages ; 22 centimeters
Abstract: Edward Van Dyck was an American diplomat and author who served as consular clerk and vice-consul in Lebanon and Egypt from 1873 to 1882. He was the son of the missionary Cornelius Van Dyck, a medical doctor who was professor of pathology at the Syrian Protestant College (which became the American University of Beirut), but who is well known for his Arabic edition of the Bible. Kitāb iktifā' al-qanūʻ bimā huwa matbuʻ min ashhar al-ta'ālīf al-arabīya fī al-maṭābiʻ al-sharqīya wa al-gharbīya (Contentment of the seeker regarding the most famous Arabic compositions printed by Eastern and Western printing presses) is a bibliographic dictionary of printed works in Arabic, published by Edward Van Dyck in 1896. The book consists of an introduction and three sections. The first section is on "the interest of Europeans in the Arabic language." The second is on "Arabic literature from its origins to shortly after the fall of Baghdad." The third section covers Arabic literature from "the 13th to the 17th century [CE]." The book includes an index of the literary works discussed in the text and an index of authors. The main body of the book was completed on September 9, 1896; however, the indices were not completed until the following year. Following them is a statement: “The indices were finished and the printing completed in April 1897.” The author’s afterword is dated March 1897, so the publication date of 1896 printed on the cover of the entire work appears to be an error. The book was edited by Muḥammad ʻAlī al-Bablawī, and was published by Maṭbaʻat al-ta'ālīf (al-hilāl), in Cairo.Physical description: 677 pages ; 25 centimeters
Abstract: Fī ʻilal al-jihāz al-tanaffusī (On the diseases of the respiratory system) is a translation from the French into Arabic of Hippolyte de Brun's Traité des Maladies de l'Appareil Respiratoire. Hippolyte de Brun (1855−1931) was professor of medicine at the Université Saint-Joseph, a Catholic university in Beirut founded by the Jesuits in 1875. He was also a physician at the French hospital in Beirut, and chair of clinical medicine from 1885 to 1914 and 1919 to 1926. The translator of this work, Khayr Allāh Faraj Ṣufayr, was a graduate of the same university and was a muʻāwin (extern) at the French hospital. In the preface to his translation, Ṣufayr praises—as a matter of formality—the progressive policies of the Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II (reigned 1876−1909), identifying them as the impetus to the creation of his work. He also emphasizes the difficulty of translating modern medical terminology into Arabic. The translator describes the book as having been undertaken under the supervision of its original author, de Brun, and as consisting of four chapters. The table of contents of the translated work, however, appears to reveal a basic division into five chapters: on diseases of the nasal cavity, the throat, the bronchi, the lungs, and the pleural cavity. The work includes a glossary of medical terms and the foreword to de Brun's original work. It was published at the printing house at Université Saint-Joseph in Beirut in 1888.Physical description: 25 centimeters
Abstract: Al-Durar wa-hiyya Muntakhabat al-Tayyib al-Zikr al-Khalid al-Athr (Pearls, or selections of fond memory and immortal imprint) is a memorial volume that collects the political and literary writing of the influential Arab nationalist Adib Ishaq (1856−85). Born in Damascus, Ishaq was a precocious youngster who received his formative education in Arabic and French at the French Lazarist school there and under the Jesuits in Beirut. His family’s strained circumstances forced him to leave school for work as a customs clerk. Excelling at languages, he supplemented his income by writing and translating and eventually dedicated himself to poetry, translation, and what today might be called advocacy journalism. He moved to Egypt in 1876, where he joined the circle of the well-known political agitator Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, whose Masonic interests he shared and to whose causes, such as criticism of Western imperialism, he devoted much of his writing. Singly or with like-minded colleagues, such as Salim Naqqash (with whom he produced Arabic plays), Ishaq established newspapers of opinion. His outspoken writings resulted in his being exiled from Egypt. He took up residency in Paris, but at the end of his life he returned to Lebanon, where he died at age 29. Ishaq’s restlessness as a traveler was matched by the variety of his literary and political interests. He collaborated with Naqqash in writing plays and wrote or translated novels. His novel Charlemagne is included in this set of readings, which was compiled by his brother, ‘Awni Ishaq. The volume contains a biography of Adib and numerous panegyrics to him by leading Muslim and Christian writers. The comprehensive selection of readings demonstrates his place in the evolution of Arabic letters and journalism from ornate poetry and rhymed prose to the modern political essay employing a wholly new format and lexicon.Physical description: 263 pages ; 26 centimeters
Abstract: The volume includes correspondence in the form of telegrams, letters, minutes, draft mandates and conventions. The correspondence is mainly about the British Mandate for Palestine and Mesopotamia, and the French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon. British and French officials exchanged draft copies of the mandates discussing the wordings, modifications required, the date to submit them to the Council of the League of Nations, and the date to get the drafts signed by the allied powers.The main issues discussed in the volume are the following:Amendments required in regard to the section on the holy placesThe French Government’s desire to imitate the Mandate for Mesopotamia as far as possible for its own mandate in SyriaDraft declarations constituting the mandates for Palestine and MesopotamiaProposals for the future administration of EgyptThe question on whether the foreign relation article of the draft Mandate for Mesopotamia should follow the Egyptian example or notThe necessity to get the views of the High Commissioner of Mesopotamia, Percy Cox, on the draft MandateDraft Anglo-French Convention discussing the construction of two railways in the Yarmuk valley; the water of the rivers Tigris, Euphrates and the Jordan Valley; and the Syria-Palestine boundariesThe maintaining of the local troops in the territories for the defence of these territoriesThe question of whether Arabic should be the official language of MesopotamiaCommunication between the Foreign Office and the High Commissioner, Jerusalem, Herbert Samuel, regarding the question of ‘safeguarding Palestine’s right to use the waters of Litani and Yarmuk for power purposes even if they fall outside frontiers of Palestine’The wording of the draft Mandate for Palestine, and the use of the terms ‘National Home’ and ‘Jewish State’The French Government's mistrust of the British policy in Palestine‘Italian Government’s opposition to entry into force of mandates pending ratification of Turkish Peace Treaty’The communication of mandates to the United States GovernmentPostponement of legalisation of British position in Palestine and Mesopotamia until the mandates are passed by the Council of the League of NationsThe necessity of drafting of an organic law and postponement of the Mesopotamia mandate.The volume contains the following items:Copy of the Convention Franco-Britannique (Franco-British Convention) signed 23 December 1920, by the French Prime Minister, Georges Leygues and the British Ambassador to France, Charles Hardinge of Penfhurst [Penshurst]Copies in French and in English of draft mandates for Palestine, Mesopotamia, Syria and Lebanon submitted by representatives of the British and the French Delegations to the Council of the League of Nations for its approvalA convention regarding Palestine, signed between the British Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Joseph Austen Chamberlain, and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States at London, Frank B Kellogg.The principal correspondents in the volume are: the Secretary of State for the Colonies; the Assistant Secretary, Foreign Office; the Political Department, India Office; the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; the Under-Secretary of State for India; the Secretary of State for India; the Secretary of the War Office; the Secretary to the Army Council; the British Embassy, Paris; the British Delegation to the Council of the League of Nations; the Director of Military Intelligence, War Office; the Treasury; the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the French Delegation to the Council of the League of Nations; and the French Embassy, London.The volume includes some duplications.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 374; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Multiple intermittent additional foliation sequences are also present.The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.
Abstract: Al-Nafh al-Miski fi-al-Shi’r al-Bayruti (Emanations of musk from Beiruti verse) is a collection of verse by the prolific Lebanese poet Shaykh Ibrāhīm al-Aḥdab. The author was first and foremost a traditionalist in his literary as well as his legal career. The poems are of various rhyme schemes and meters and display mastery of classical prosody. They are primarily madh (praise) commemorating the achievements of public figures or personal acquaintances. Examples include “Commending His Excellency Muhammad Rushdi Pasha, Governor of Syria,” “Praising Prince ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza’iri on the Festival of ‘Id al-Adha,” and “Congratulations to the Distinguished Ibrahim Efendi, Chief of the Beirut Commercial Office on His Promotion in Grade.” Such encomiums were often commissioned for declamation at weddings, returns from the pilgrimage, or to elicit a reward for the poet, as happened when he received medals and other adornments in precious stones. More important than al-Ahdab’s versifying was his membership in the Jami’at al-Funun (Society of [Useful] Arts) and editorship of its journal Thamarat al-Funun (Fruits of the [useful] arts), the first Lebanese Muslim journal to confront the growing number of political and religious journals published by Christian reformers or missionaries. This organ, along with al-Jawa’ib (Responses) of Aḥmad Fāris al-Shidyāq (circa 1804−87), presented counterviews in support of Muslim interests and in sympathy for Ottoman authority. The journal flourished in the last quarter of the 19th century.Physical description: 232 pages
Abstract: Jirjī Zaydān was born in Beirut, Lebanon, into a Syrian Orthodox family of modest means. After a mediocre experience at local schools, he moved to Egypt to study at al-Qaṣr al-ʻAynī medical college, but he abandoned medicine in favor of a literary and publishing career. He founded Dar al-Hilal printing and publishing house and in 1892 brought out the weekly al-Hilal magazine, which continues publication to this day. Al-Ahram newspaper and al-Hilal became the most long-lived and influential media advocates for Egyptian national causes and modernizing progress based on Western models. Zaydān was one of the most influential media figures of his generation. With Zaydān as editor, publisher, and contributor, al-Hilal reached a wide regional audience. His commitment to national pride, intellectual curiosity, and energetic entrepreneurship derived from the book Self-Help by the Scottish author Samuel Smiles, which had been translated into Arabic in 1886. Zaydān did not limit himself to popular journals. His History of Arabic Literature consists of four volumes, of which the first two volumes are presented here bound together and covering the pre-Islamic period to the 11th century. In his support for modernization, Zaydān ran afoul of some contemporaries who claimed he was a Mason. The work is illustrated with graphics from European sources. Each volume has a table of contents and a price list of Zaydān’s books available for sale, in person or by mail order. These up-to-date features of bookmaking give this work a modern feel quite different from the manuscript tradition or the early works of the Bulaq Press.Physical description: 1 book containing volumes 1 and 2 ; 24 centimeters
Abstract: Hayat Kurnilius Fan Dayk (The life of Cornelius Van Dyck) celebrates the life and achievements of American missionary, scientist, physician, and educator Cornelius Van Dyck (1818−1895). Born in Kinderhook, New York, Van Dyck received his degree from Jefferson Medical College in 1839 and left for the Near East the following year. His initial assignment was the intensive study of Arabic, the language of instruction at the Protestant schools. He also completed his study toward ordination and began work on the Bible translation that would be published some 20 years later. His mastery of Arabic was legendary and his writings had considerable influence on the development of an economical and precise prose style from the flowery poetics that preceded it. Van Dyck’s career was bound up with developments at the Syrian Protestant College, later the American University in Beirut, including its printing press, museum, and observatory, which he helped to finance from his private medical practice. In 1882 he resigned from the faculty in protest over the “Darwin issue,” which arose when Professor Edwin Lewis in his commencement address made what were interpreted as favorable references to Charles Darwin’s theories. This book offers an overview of Van Dyck’s career, followed by commemorative essays and poems by friends, students, and colleagues, many of which were read at Van Dyck’s golden jubilee in the Levant in 1890. The list of presenters includes some of the most prominent names in Arab culture of the 19th century. Illustrations include a photographic portrait as frontispiece, a bust in the garden of Saint George Orthodox Hospital where Van Dyck was chief physician, and a photograph of his gravestone. There is a ten-page annotated bibliography of his works.Physical description: 178 pages ; 21 centimeters
Abstract: This map shows the Ottoman Empire as it appeared in the early 17th century. It details Ottoman territories in Asia, Africa, and Europe, and includes Persia, Transcaucasia, Ethiopia, and other surrounding lands. Topographic features, place-names, and populations are definitively marked, although the nomenclature of the time differs markedly from that used today. The Red Sea is termed the Sea of Mecca, for example, and the Persian Gulf is called the Sea of Alcatif. The map sometimes has been identified as a part of Atlas sive Cosmographicae Meditationes de Fabrica Mundi et Fabricati figura (Atlas of the world: finely engraved and drawn), produced by Jodocus Hondius following the work of Gerard Mercator. There is no evidence on the map itself to sustain that identification, nor is a date of publication supplied. Ottoman lands are hand-colored in red, except for the European territories. The vivid coloring is not contemporary with the production of the map and was probably added in the 19th century after Greece and the Balkan lands, which are not colored, were freed from Ottoman rule. Different lettering denotes different geographic and ethnographic features. Italics are generously used, and geometric shapes and shading are used to indicate mountain ranges and maritime littorals. The title cartouche indicates that Hondius, the supposed creator, based his map on Mercator’s projection. The cartouche itself is of interest for its cameo portrait entitled “Sultan Mahumet Turcorum Imperat” (Sultan Muhammad Emperor of the Turks), probably meant to represent Sultan Mehmed II (1432−81), known as Mehmed the Conqueror.Physical description: 1 map : hand colored ; 34 x 47 centimeters
Abstract: This work is a translation into Arabic of Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet’s history of the world, Discours sur l’histoire universelle (Discourse on universal history), in which the author argues for the divine right of kings. Bossuet’s book, originally published in 1681, is regarded as a classic statement defining the monarch as the embodiment of the state. Bossuet wrote the book for the benefit of the crown prince of France and based his argument on an interpretation of Biblical history. The work was translated by ‘Abd Allah al-Bustāni. It was commissioned for translation and publication by Bishop Yūsuf ibn Ilyās al-Dibs, primate of Lebanon and president of al-Da’irah al-‘Ilmiyah (The Scientific Society). It is difficult to understand why the bishop selected this work, since the political circumstances of the Ottoman Levant of the late-19th century differed radically from 17th century France. He may have endorsed it for its edifying content and judged it appropriate for teaching in schools under his authority. The work was printed at the Catholic Press in Beirut in 1882, which at the time was administered by Bishop al-Dibs. ‘Abd Allah al-Bustāni was a Maronite Catholic writer and teacher of Arabic. Little is known of Shakir al-‘Awn, whose name appears on the title page as co-translator.Physical description: 344 pages ; 24 centimeters