19th century Ottoman manuscript almanac

[Almanac]. Ottoman manuscript almanac.

€ 950,00

A fascinating example of an Ottoman calendar and almanac for the year AH 1246, comprising each of the twelve months of the hijri calendar, the main calendar in use in the Ottoman Empire prior to the 1839 addition of the Rumi takvim (literally, "Roman calendar"). Each month stretches across two facing pages, each carefully tabulated in 15 rows and 28 columns, with numerous notes and calculations. A final two-page spread provides further detail on the year as a whole.

Ottoman almanacs served an important purpose: they helped to keep track of Muslim holy days, provided a calendar, and often tracked the movement of the sun, moon, and planets in the form of astronomical tables. Some more ornate examples were made as gifts, while others would have been kept for personal use, or even as souvenirs of important years.

Light exterior wear, binding delicate. Interior bright and clean.