A medieval Islamic cosmography in an Ottoman context: a study of Mahmud el-Hatib's translation of the Kharidat al-‘Aja’ib

Abstract

This study examines the significance of Islamic cosmography in Ottoman geographical literature and its role in the formation of the pre-modern Ottoman worldview in the light of the Ottoman translation of the fifteenth century Arabic cosmography Kharidat al-‘Aja’ib wa Faridat al-Ghara’ib, made by Mahmud el- Hatib in 1563 to be presented to Bosnian governor skenderpasazade Osman Sah. As one of the most prominent examples of the Islamic cosmography tradition, in which the Qur’an, isra’iliyyat, the Aristotelian-Ptolemic model had integral roles, Kharidat al-‘aja’ib wa Faridat al-Gara’ib aims to provide a view of a cosmos filled with wondrous and strange entities displaying the omnipotence of God. It was widely read and copied in the Ottoman world and translated into Turkish more than once. Among these translations, the one made by the sixteenth century Ottoman preacher, Mahmud el-Hatib, is the most copied, reaching down to the present day with more than thirty copies. This study delves into Mahmud el-Hatib's translation and analyses its correspondence with Islamic cosmology and Ottoman geographical literature claiming that such cosmographies that are neglected in modern literature due to their inclusion of fantastic and irrational elements, are important for understanding the Ottoman worldview in the pre-modern era.