Souvenirs

1875 — Very Good Turkish, Ottoman (1500-1928) Original wrappers. Foolscap 8vo. (18 x 13 cm). In Ottoman script (Old Turkish with Arabic letters). 112 p. On the first page, written 'copies without seals are fake', and this copy is with a seal. Slightly faded and chipped on extremities. Foxing on first pages. Uncut marginal extremities Otherwise a good copy. Exceedingly rare first edition of the first Ottoman voyage to Cape of Good Hope and first-hand travel account of the Ottoman qadi Abubakr Effendi (1814-1880) of South Africa and Mozambique, who was sent in 1862 by Sultan Abdulaziz at the British Queen Victoria's request in order to teach and assist the Muslim community of the Cape Malays. The presence of the Muslim population in South Africa dates back to the 16th century, South Africa and the Cape of Hope have become a colony of Western countries such as Portugal, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The Ottoman Empire was interested in the Far East, Javanese, and South African regions in the 16th century and then tried to establish a relationship. The direct relationship between the Ottoman Empire and South Africa in the 19th century, upon the request of the Muslim people and England, was formed through Abubakr Effendi. The Muslims in conflict with various religious issues have found the remedy by consulting a scholar from the Ottoman Empire through England. After all, Abubakr Effendi reached Cape Town in 1862 and tried to resolve the conflicts among the Muslim people. (Abubakr Effendi: An Ottoman Scholar in South Africa in the Nineteenth Century: Yilmaz, Yusuf). "Abubakr Efendi was sent to Cape Town by Ottoman Sultan Abdulaziz. When chaos reigned in the Islamic society because of the imams who declared themselves as leaders in the region, Muslim leaders in Cape of Good Hope conveyed their letters to the Queen of England in 1862 declaring that they needed a religious leader. Since they had not been educated for years, they had forgotten their Java language and could not read their own books. They sent a letter to the Queen of England, informing them that help could be sought from the Ottoman court, the center of Muslim countries in the period. The issue was refused in the Parliament and the Ottoman Ambassador Musurus Pasha was offered it to the Ottoman Sultan. Abubakr Effendi's mission was to prevent Muslims in Cape of Good Hope to clash with each other and teaching them authentic Islamic knowledge free of superstition. Although Abubakr Efendi had some Arabic translators in his service, he still learned English and African languages in a short time and wrote books in order to benefit the Muslims there. On the fifteenth day he set foot on the continent, he opened a madrasah called the "Ottoman School" and enrolled three hundred students in twenty days. He traveled to Mauritius and Mozambique. He wrote his famous book 'Bayan al-Din' (a sort of catechism) in Afrikaan in Arabic letters. Then he married Rukiye Hanim, but they divorced after a while since they had to communicate by using an English and Arabic dictionary. Then he married James Cook's nephew Tahota Saban Cook. In his memoir, Ömer Lütfi wrote down all the travels of Abubakr Efendi for two years. Abubakr Efendi stayed in South Africa for 22 years and died there." (140 yillik miras: Güney Afrika'da Osmanlilar: Uçar, Ahmet). Abubakr Efendi first traveled to London and then to South Africa by a ship with his assistant Omar Lutfi. He established the first Ottoman School in Cape Town and then wrote his work Bayan Al-Din in Afrikaans with Arabic letters and distributed it to the Muslim population of South Africa. Four printed copies in OCLC: 427674106 (Three copies); 635151131 (One copy). Özege 22397. First Edition. Extremely rare.