The Hejaz and the Red Sea Region
A chronological list of 12 books, maps, manuscripts, and photographs
published on the occasion of the 2022 Firsts: London's Rare Book Fair
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1The first printed eyewitness account of any place in today's UAE: the first illustrated editionDie Ritterlich und lobwürdig reiß [...] Sagend von den landen, Egypto, …Strasbourg, 1516.
€ 250,000.00The first illustrated edition (in its second issue) of one of the most famous early travel reports and the first western encounter with the Arab world. Of the utmost rarity; not a single copy could be traced on the market for the past sixty years; not a single copy in the USA (cf. OCLC). Lodovico de Varthema’s “Itinerario” contains the first …
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2The first printed eyewitness account of any place in today's UAE: an early German edition with 44 illustrationsDie Ritterliche unnd Lobwirdige Reyß [...] sagend von den Landen Egypto, …Frankfurt/Main, 1548.
€ 150,000.00Sixth or seventh, still early German edition of Ludovico di Varthema's famous travels to Arabia, Persia, and India: the highly important and adventurous narrative containing the first printed eyewitness account of any place in today's United Arab Emirates. On his return journey from Mecca (which he was the first Westerner to describe), Varthema visited …
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3Red Sea AlgaeAlgae from the Red Sea.Red Sea, ca. 1844-1845.
€ 18,500.00A rare and early ensemble of algae specimens collected from the Red Sea, from different areas between Suez and Yemen, including one specimen from Alexandria. All items identified with the Latin name and details of the location around the Red Sea and date of collection written in French on the mounts, e.g., "Caulerpa prolifera: très commune dans …
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4First excavation work for the Hejaz Railway, 1900Servetifunoun. Journal illustré Turc paraissant le jeudi. Year 10, Issue …Constantinople Istanbul, 29 Nov. 1900 = 16 Nov. 1316 Rumi.
€ 1,500.00Well-preserved issue of the Ottoman weekly "Servet-i Fünun" ("Wealth of Knowledge"), an avantgardistic literary weekly that informed readers about European, particularly French, cultural and intellectual movements. The present issue, published in the year work began on the famous Hejaz Railway, is illustrated with two photographs showing the Ottoman …
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5Mouvement général du pèlerinage du Hedjaz par les ports de la Mer Rouge. …Constantinople, 1902.
€ 1,250.00Rare report on the regulation and organisation of the Hajj produced under the auspices of the Administration Sanitaire de l'Empire Ottoman for the Hejaz region. The detailed statistics on the numbers and origins of the pilgrims, their ships and ports of embarkation, their travel routes, etc., were published annually between 1896 and 1914.
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6Collection of Hejaz Railway revenue stamps, donation receipts and other …Mostly Constantinople Istanbul, mostly 1903-1910 CE.
InquireComprises a range of official documents on Hejaz Railway revenue forms or validated with Hejaz Railway revenue stamps, including a form for the collection of Ashar tithes (1904/1905); a civil service school graduation certificate for Abdülkadir Efendi (1905); a property evaluation document (1906); a medical report (1910); and a power of attorney …
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7Sirat-i müstakim. Vol. 5, No. 111.Constantinople Istanbul, 21 Oct. 1910 CE = 8 Oct. 1326 Rumi.
€ 1,500.00Rare issue of this Ottoman journal devoted to the discussion of matters theological ("Religion and Knowledge") and political ("The Islamic World"). This issue, published just after the completion of the famous Hejaz Railway from Damascus to the Holy City of Medina, contains an article entitled "Open Letter to the Governor of Hejaz" ("Hicaz Vali Vekili'ne …
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8Road and rail map of Syria and Lebanon.Ottoman, 1911 CE = 1327 Rumi.
€ 3,500.00Large-format Ottoman map of Palestine and Syria produced shortly before the First World War, including Eastern Anatolia and Cyprus as well as the northern Sinai Peninsula. Vilayet divisions are given in red, roads and rail transportation ways are indicated in detail. A separate inset shows the Hejaz Railway with tracks running as far south as Medina …
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9Theological arguments for the Hejaz RailwayRisalat al-yawaqit al-taminat fi al-ahadit al-qadiyat bi-zuhur sikkat al-hadid …Al-Ghaza'ir Algiers, 1911 CE = 1329 H.
€ 8,500.00Only edition. Entitled "Precious Stones on the Hadiths that lead to the emergence of the railway and its arrival to Medina", this curious and rare Algerian-published treatise seeks to reconcile the building of the Hejaz Railway with the Islamic faith. In a section entitled "Clear evidence of indications of modern inventions in the Qur'an", e.g., …
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10The Hunter Map of ArabiaArabia and the Persian Gulf. N.W. Section, S.W. Section. [Map of Arabia …Dehra Dun, 1916.
€ 8,500.00Two sections of Hunter's large and extremely detailed map of the Arabian Peninsula and Gulf, showing the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia with the 'Asir, Hejaz and Nejd regions, as well as most of Yemen, with Kuwait and Southern Iraq. The two eastern sections, which covered Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and part of eastern Saudi Arabia, are not present.
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11To Mecca and back by ship and Hejaz railway: a Hajji's account for young readersDalil al-Haaj.Misr Cairo, 1922 CE = 1341 H.
InquireExcessively rare Egyptian-printed "Guide for the Pilgrim". At a time of significant political and societal change - the book was produced immediately after Egypt's independence from the UK, following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, and during the short-lived Kingdom of Hejaz, when the holy cities were briefly under Hashemite suzerainity - …
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12The Mahd Al Thahab gold mine in HejazMahd ahd Dhahab Gold Mine Saudi-Arabia.Mahd adh Dhahab, ca. 1940s-1950s.
€ 9,500.00Notable collection of historic images of the Mahd Al Thahab gold mine in the province of Al-Madinah, in the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia. Photographs show the mining complex including the crushing plants, mills and storage tanks, as well as the camp with warehouses, shops, schools, hospital buildings, a mosque, and the living quarters of the Emir …