Description

MEHMET ALI.
[Coğrafya-yı Umumi Atlası / Atlas of General Geography. For the Students of Mehmed Ali at the Bolu Imperial Civil Service Academy]
Bolu: Mekteb-i Idadi-yi [High School] 1314 – 1316 Rumi Calendar [1898-1900 Gregorian Calendar].

This beautifully crafted atlas, which at first glance seems lithographically printed, is upon closer inspection entirely a manuscript created with black ink and elegant watercolors.

The title indicates that the atlas was created in Bolu, a market town located approximately 260 km east of Istanbul, by Mehmet Ali for his students. It is dedicated to Sultan Abdulhamid II, as noted in the inscription above the title on the cover. However, the subtitle on the cover can be misleading; it claims that the atlas was made for the students of Mekteb-i Mülkiye-i Şahane (Imperial Civil Service Academy) in Bolu, yet such an institution never existed in that town. Founded in May 1858, the civil servants’ school Mekteb-i Fünûn-ı Mülkiyye, later renamed, was located only in Istanbul.

The text of the introduction suggests that the school in Bolu was actually a Preparatory School, or Mekteb-i İdadi-yi. The author likely exaggerated the name of the school on the cover to enhance the institution’s prestige, particularly in relation to the Sultan’s name. However, Mekteb-i Fünûn-ı Mülkiyye was supervising the Bolu school and had been since 1895, rewarding students for good conduct.

Founded in 1888 and operating until 1914, the five-year preparatory school in Bolu was the most important educational institution in the region, which produced several important scholars. In 1899, the school was visited by 110 pupils and a year later by 88 (SEZER, 2013, p. 514).