The Center for Middle Eastern Studies presents
M. Fatih Çalışır, PhD
Assistant Professor of History, Istanbul University Institute of Islamic Studies/Visiting Scholar, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University
Joan Blaue’s Atlas Maior, a landmark of 17th-century European cartography, offered one of the most comprehensive representations of the world as understood in the Dutch Golden Age. While deeply rooted in European intellectual traditions, its influence extended beyond the continent, reaching the Ottoman Empire. The 1685 Ottoman translation of Atlas Maior represents a significant case of cross-cultural knowledge transmission—yet rather than a mere reproduction, it was a selective adaptation shaped by the empire’s own geographic, administrative, and intellectual priorities.
This talk introduces a new framework for understanding the Ottoman engagement with Atlas Maior. By analyzing linguistic adaptations, conceptual modifications, and the integration of Ottoman cartographic traditions, it highlights the active role of Ottoman scholars in reshaping European knowledge to align with their own epistemic and political contexts. Newly accessible archival materials now provide greater insight into the translation process, offering a case study of how the Ottoman Empire negotiated global knowledge flows. Rather than a one-way transfer of information, this process reflects a sophisticated, reciprocal exchange of ideas.
Reassessing the Ottoman adaptation of Atlas Maior sheds new light on the broader dynamics of early modern knowledge production, intellectual mobility, and the evolving relationship between the Ottoman and European scientific traditions. This discussion ultimately challenges conventional narratives of passive reception, revealing a more nuanced and dynamic interplay between these intellectual worlds.
Image: Nusrat al-Islam wa-surur fi Tahriri Atlas Maior, TSMK, B 325
Contact: Liz Flanagan
LOCATION:CMES, Rm 102, 38 Kirkland St, Cambridge, MA 02138 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART:20250226T173000Z DTEND:20250226T190000Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR