Riyaz ül-muhtar, mirati'l-mikat ve'l-edvar zeyli [Muhtar s Meadows: The Mirror of Timekeeping and the Revolutions of the Planets - supplement]. MuhtarPasha Gazi, Ahmed. Middle East, incl. Arabian Gulf: History, Travels, Falconry and Horses

4to (170 x 248 mm). 58 pp. With one folding plate. In Ottoman Turkish, set in a naskh Arabic type. Near-contemporary giltstamped half calf over silk boards. Marbled pastedowns. - A handwritten poem or devotional text in Persian is loosely inserted. First edition. An exceptionally rare scholarly treatise on timekeeping in the Islamic world, including a folding plate of computational figures for determining the times of prayer. One of the final works printed by the Bulaq Press, a pioneering institution in Ottoman-Egyptian printing shut down during Orabi's Revolution and the British occupation. Published as an independent supplement (zeyl) to "Riyaz ül-muhtar" (1303 H), Ahmed Muhtar Pasha's groundbreaking work on astronomical instruments, timepieces and calendars. An Arabic translation of the present supplement prepared by Yakan Sha q Mansur Pasha was published in Egypt in 1306 H (1889 CE). - Ahmed Muhtar Pasha (1839-1919) modernized the Islamic calculation of time by combining traditional Islamic knowledge of astronomy, astronomical instruments, and time-keeping with contemporary Western discoveries, consulting and citing sources written in Latin, French, German and English. In the course of the 19th century, military operations and the development of science and technology in the Middle East demanded a more accurate calculation of time, formerly used primarily for religious purposes. - Physical copies, especially of the first edition, are very scarce. One copy is held at Leiden University in the Netherlands. The Library of Congress holds a copy of the full set ("Riyaz ül-muhtar" including the supplement). A digital copy of the supplement is hosted at the Turkish Historical Society. - Lower hinges somewhat worn; some threads visible at head and foot of spine. Small pierced hole to pages 55-58 and plate. Occasionally lightly spotted. - Özege 17016. OCLC 777517867 and 974487612. Not in Aboussouan, Atabey, or Blackmer.