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Kâtip Çelebi () or Ḥājjī Khalīfa () (1017 AH/1609 AD – 1068 AH/1657 AD) was a Turkish polymath and author of the 17th-century
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
. He compiled a vast universal bibliographic encyclopaedia of books and sciences, the '' Kaşf az-Zunūn'', and wrote many treatises and essays. “A deliberate and impartial historian… of extensive learning”, Franz Babinger hailed him "the greatest encyclopaedist among the Ottomans." Writing with equal facility in ''Alsina-i Thalātha''the three languages of Ottoman imperial administration, Arabic, Turkish and Persian – principally in Arabic and then in Turkish, his native tongue he also collaborated on translations from French and Latin. The German orientalist
Gustav Flügel Carl Gustav Flügel (2 July 1812 – 15 August 1900) was a German composer. Life and work Ancestors and childhood Flügel was born on 2 July 1812 in Nienburg an der Saale as the son of the ducal ferryman Johann Karl Flügel (1770–1828) a ...
published ''Kaşf az-Zunūn'' in the original
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
with parallel
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
translation, entitled ''Lexicon Bibliographicum et Encyclopaedicum'' (7 vols.) The orientalist
Barthélemy d'Herbelot Barthélemy d'Herbelot de Molainville (14 December 16258 December 1695) was a French oriental studies, Orientalist. Bibliography Born in Paris, he was educated at the University of Paris, and devoted himself to the study of oriental languages, go ...
produced a French edition of the ''Kaşf az-Zunūn'' principally with additional material, in the great compendium, ''Bibliothèque Orientale''.


Life

He was born Muṣṭafa ibn 'Abd Allāh () in Istanbul in February 1609 (Dhu’l-Qa‘da 1017 AH). His father was a ''
sipahi The ''sipahi'' ( , ) were professional cavalrymen deployed by the Seljuk Turks and later by the Ottoman Empire. ''Sipahi'' units included the land grant–holding ('' timar'') provincial ''timarli sipahi'', which constituted most of the arm ...
'' (cavalrist) and ''silāhdār'' (sword bearer) of the
Sublime Porte The Sublime Porte, also known as the Ottoman Porte or High Porte ( or ''Babıali''; ), was a synecdoche or metaphor used to refer collectively to the central government of the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul. It is particularly referred to the buildi ...
and secretary in the ''Anadolı muhasebesi'' (
Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
n finance accountancy) in Istanbul. His mother came from a wealthy Istanbul family. From age five or six he began learning the Qur’ān,
Arabic grammar Arabic grammar () is the grammar of the Arabic language. Arabic is a Semitic languages, Semitic language and its grammar has many similarities with the Semitic languages#Grammar, grammar of other Semitic languages. Classical Arabic and Modern St ...
and
calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...
, and at the age of 14 his father found him a clerical position in the imperial financial bureaucracy. He excelled in penmanship, accountancy and ''siyāqat'' ("Treasury cipher"). As the accountant of the commissariat department of the
Ottoman army The Military of the Ottoman Empire () was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. It was founded in 1299 and dissolved in 1922. Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years ...
in
Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
, he fought alongside his father on the Terjan campaign (1624) and in the failed expedition to recapture Baghdād from Persian control in 1625. On the return home his father died at
Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...
, and his uncle died a month later. In 1626–1627 he was at the siege of
Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...
. Çelebi had a love of learning from his father, and on his return to Istanbul in 1628 he attended the sermons of the charismatic preacher Qādīzāde, who inspired him to resume his studies. An inheritance allowed him to settle permanently in Istanbul. He continued for 34 years, interrupted only for military service on campaigns to Baghdād (1629) and
Hamadan Hamadan ( ; , ) is a mountainous city in western Iran. It is located in the Central District of Hamadan County in Hamadan province, serving as the capital of the province, county, and district. As of the 2016 Iranian census, it had a po ...
(1630). In 1633 he left his corps' winter quarters in
Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
to make the
Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...
, earning the title ''Hajji''. He rejoined the imperial army at Diyarbakr, where he associated with scholars. He took part in the recapture of Erivan by Sultan
Murad IV Murad IV (, ''Murād-ı Rābiʿ''; , 27 July 1612 – 8  February 1640) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods. Murad I ...
, and expeditions to
Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...
and Baghdād (1629-1631). On his return in 1635 to Istanbul, Mehmed Kalfa, an old associate of his father's, secured him an apprentice position as ''Khalifa'' (second clerk), in the Audit Office of the Cavalry. He later obtained a post in the head office of the Commissariat Department. In 1645 a legacy left to him by a wealthy relative enabled him to dedicate himself full-time to scholarship and acquire books. With his master and friend A'rej Mustafa Efendi, he studied the commentary of al-Baydawi, ''The Roots of Law'', commentaries on ''Ashkāl al-ta’sīs'' (Ideal Forms), ''al-Mulakhkhas'' (Summary) of Chaghmīnī, '' ‘arūd'' ( prosody) of Andalusī, and
Ulugh Beg Mīrzā Muhammad Tarāghāy bin Shāhrukh (; ), better known as Ulugh Beg (; 22 March 1394 – 27 October 1449), was a Timurid sultan, as well as an astronomer and mathematician. Ulugh Beg was notable for his work in astronomy-related ma ...
’s '' Zīj'' (
Almanac An almanac (also spelled almanack and almanach) is a regularly published listing of a set of current information about one or multiple subjects. It includes information like weather forecasting, weather forecasts, farmers' sowing, planting dates ...
). He also attended the '' ders-i 'amm'' (lecturers),
Kurd Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...
'Abd Allāh Efendi at Ayia Sophia and Kechi Mehmed Efendi at the Suleymānīye. In 1642, in order to carry on the chain of oral teaching, he attended Veli Efendi's lectures on the ''Nukhba'', the ''Alfiya'', and ''The Principles of Tradition''. He also studied the ''Tawdīh'', Isfahānī, Qādī-Mīr, ''al-Maqāsid'' (Object of Search), th
Ādāb al-bahth (Rules of Disputation)
Fanārī, the Tahdhīb and the ''Shamsiya''. He taught medicine, geography, geometry, the ''Sí fasl'' ('Thirty Sections') and the ''Bīst bāb'' ('Twenty Chapters') on the
astrolabe An astrolabe (; ; ) is an astronomy, astronomical list of astronomical instruments, instrument dating to ancient times. It serves as a star chart and Model#Physical model, physical model of the visible celestial sphere, half-dome of the sky. It ...
, ''Elements of Accidence'', ''al-Fanārī'', the ''Shamsīya'' on
logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...
, ''Jāmī'', '' Mukhtasar'', '' Farā’id'', '' Multaqā'', ''Durar'', and
Ali Qushji Ala al-Dīn Ali ibn Muhammed (1403 – 18 December 1474), known as Ali Qushji (Ottoman Turkish language, Ottoman Turkish : علی قوشچی, ''kuşçu'' – falconry, falconer in Turkish language, Turkish; Latin: ''Ali Kushgii'') was a Tim ...
's treatises titled ''al-Muhammadiya'' on
arithmetic Arithmetic is an elementary branch of mathematics that deals with numerical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. In a wider sense, it also includes exponentiation, extraction of roots, and taking logarithms. ...
and ''al-Fathīya'' on
astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...
. He wrote that his teaching method was “to enter every plurality by way of unity, and to master first principles by comprehending universals.” The astronomer Mevlana Mehmed ibn Ahmed Rumi al-Aqhisar was among those who attended his lectures. His research ranged across
lexicology Lexicology is the branch of linguistics that analyzes the lexicon of a specific language. A word is the smallest meaningful unit of a language that can stand on its own, and is made up of small components called morphemes and even smaller elemen ...
, ''
fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh
Encyclopædia Britannica
''Fiqh'' is of ...
'' (jurisprudence),
logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...
,
rhetoric Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. It is one of the three ancient arts of discourse ( trivium) along with grammar and logic/ dialectic. As an academic discipline within the humanities, rhetoric aims to study the techniques that speakers or w ...
, '' tafsīr'' (Qur’ānic exegesis) and '' hadīth'' (Prophetic tradition), mathematics, medicine, mysteries of religion, astronomy, genealogy, history and chronicling. Among his academic circle, he acquired the sobriquet “''Kâtip Çelebi''” (Learned Scribe). "Khatib" refers to a government clerk and "Chelebi" was used either for Ottoman princes or for scholars not part of the official hierarchy. His theology is described as Islamic orthodoxy combined with adherence to ''Ishrāqī'' ( Illuminationist philosophy). The politician Köprülü Mehmed Paşa was a friend. It seems his tireless dedication to an arduous study regime, may have contributed to ill health and premature death in 1657 from a heart-attack, aged just 49. On his death, Kâtip Çelebi left unfinished works. His only son died young and, in 1659, after his widow was deceased, his library was partly acquired by Levinus Warner for
Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince of Orange as a Protestantism, Protestant institution, it holds the d ...
(Legatum Warnerianum). Çelebi’s taste for book acquisition had begun in
Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
, and he would later expend a substantial part of his inheritance building his famous library, which came to be the largest in Istanbul in its day.


Works

Kâtip Çelebi was most productive in the decade up to his death in 1657. He authored at least 23 books, in addition to shorter essays and treatises: * ''Fadhlakat al-Tawārīkh'' ('Compendium History') (1639); summary account of 150 dynasties. ''Fadhlakat''; i) Arabic edition from Creation to c. 1639. ''Fezliké''; ii) Turkish edition from 1000 AH to c. 1655. Index of 1,300 sources from original manuscript is lost. * ''Taqwīm at-Tawārikh'' (), ('Calendar of Histories' or ‘Chronological Tables’) (1648); Universal history from Creation of Adam until the year 1648. Written as an index to ''Fadhlaka'' partly in Turkish and partly in Persian. In 1697 Gio. Rinaldo Carli’s Italian translation was published titled ''Cronologia Historica''. * ''Cihânnümâ'', (var., ''Djihān-numā'', ''Jihannuma'' ) () (‘View of the World’); Two-part geographic dictionary begun in 1648: part I - seas, their configuration and islands; part II - countries, rivers, mountains, roads and lands newly discovered since the 15th century (i.e. America). Çelebi based the work on ''Lawāmi’ al-Nūr'' (‘Flashes of Light’) a translation by Mehmed Ikhlāsī’ from the Latin work ''Atlas Minor'' by
Gerardus Mercator Gerardus Mercator (; 5 March 1512 – 2 December 1594) was a Flemish people, Flemish geographer, cosmographer and Cartography, cartographer. He is most renowned for creating the Mercator 1569 world map, 1569 world map based on a new Mercator pr ...
(in the version published by Jodocus Hondius in Arnhem in 1621) ; the first use of European atlases and sources in Ottoman literature. * '' Kashf aẓ-Ẓunūn ‘an 'asāmī ‘l-Kutub wa'l-funūn'' () (‘Opinion’s Scrutiny of the Names of Books and the Sciences’). Begun in Aleppo in 1042 AH/1632 AD and completed in about 1062 AH/1652 AD, it is a vast bibliographic-
biographical dictionary A biographical dictionary is a type of encyclopedic dictionary limited to biographical information. Many attempt to cover the major personalities of a country (with limitations, such as living persons only, in ''Who's Who'', or deceased people o ...
in Arabic, and a research-tool for scholars. Its list, approx. 15,000 Arabic, Persian and Turkish titles, 9500 authors and 300 arts and sciences, comprises among the most extensive bibliographical dictionaries of Islamic literature. It was published as ''Lexicon Bibliographicum et Encyclopaedicum'' in Latin in 7 vols. * ''Düstûr ül-Amel fî Islâh il-Halel'' / ''Dustūr al-amal li islāh al-khalal'' () ('Code of Practice for the Rectification of Defects', or 'Instructions for the Reform of Abuses') (1653); This essay on the conduct of the State was published within a couple of years of
Thomas Hobbes Thomas Hobbes ( ; 5 April 1588 – 4 December 1679) was an English philosopher, best known for his 1651 book ''Leviathan (Hobbes book), Leviathan'', in which he expounds an influential formulation of social contract theory. He is considered t ...
’s Leviathan, and contains some interesting parallels. * ''Qānūnnāme-i tashrīfāt'' (‘Code of Ceremonies') (1653) * ''Rajm al-rajīm bi’l-sīn wa’l-jīm'' (‘The Stoning of the Accursed with ''Sīn'' and ''Jīm''’); a collection of
fatwas A fatwa (; ; ; ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist (''faqih'') in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a ''mufti'', ...
(legal rulings). * ''Mīzān al-ḥaqq fī iḫtiyār al-aḥaqq'' () (1656); ('Scales of Truth in the Choice of the Righteous One', or 'True Scales for the Detection of Truth'); “The Balance of Truth”; English translation and notes by Geoffrey L. Lewis (1957). * ''Tarih-i Frengi'' - Translation of the ''Chronique de Jean Carrion'' (Paris, 1548) * ''Rawnaq al-Sultāna'' – ('Splendour of the Sultanate'); translation of the ''Historia rerum in Oriente gestarum'' (Frankfurt, 1587). A history of Constantinople. * ''Tuḥfat al-kibār fī asfār al-Bihār'' () ('A Gift to the Great concerning Naval Expeditions') (1656) –''The History of the Maritime Wars of the Turks'' (1831) English translation by James Mitchell. * ''Sullam al-Wuṣūl ilā Ṭabaqāt al-Fuḥūl'' () ('Ladder Leading to the Strata of the Eminent') (1651/2) Biographical dictionary of 8561 scholars, ancient and modern, to the letter ''
Ṯāʾ () is the fourth letter of the Arabic alphabet, one of the six letters not in the twenty-two akin to the Phoenician alphabet (the others being , , , , ). It is related to the Ancient North Arabian 𐪛‎‎‎‎, and Ancient South Arabian ...
'', counterpart to ''Kashf al-Ẓunūn''. Critical edition 2009. * ''Tuḥfat al-Akhyār fī’l-Hukam wa-l’Amthāl wa-l’Asha’ār'' () (‘The Precious Gift of the Elect, on Maxims, Proverbs, and Poems’) (1653); completed to the letter '' Jīm''. * ''Rumeli und Bosna'', geographical treatise (tr. German)


Legacy

The İzmir Kâtip Çelebi University in
İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...
is named after him, and The Newton-Katip Çelebi Fund operates an exchange program for science and innovation between Turkey and the UK.


See also

*
Evliya Çelebi Dervish Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi (), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman explorer who travelled through his home country during its cultural zenith as well as neighboring lands. He travelled for over 40 years, rec ...
* Surat Al-Ard


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * '' Encyclopædia of Islam'' (Leiden, 1954) vol. 4, s.v
Ḥād̲j̲d̲j̲ī K̲h̲alīfai
* * * * *
(Vol.,2; Leipzig, 1837)(Vol.,3; London, 1842)(Vol.,4; London, 1845)(Vol.,5; London, 1850)(Vol.,6; London, 1852)
* * * * * * * * * ; Attribution *


External links

* *
"Kâtip Çelebi"
at the ''
Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...
'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Celebi, Katip 1609 births 1657 deaths 17th-century biographers 17th-century historians from the Ottoman Empire Arabic-language writers from the Ottoman Empire Bibliographers Muslim chroniclers Geographers from the Ottoman Empire Hanafis Maturidis Encyclopedists from the Ottoman Empire 17th-century Muslim scholars of Islam Ottoman people of the Ottoman–Persian Wars Writers from Istanbul Turkish biographers Turkish economists Turkish essayists Turks from the Ottoman Empire