Muallim Naci’s Ottoman History Appears in Latin Script

Sivas Cumhuriyet University (SCÜ) has published Muallim Naci’s unfinished Ottoman history in Latin script for the first time, according to SonDakika. The work was started at the request of Sultan Abdülhamid II and left incomplete when the author died in 1893. Prof. Dr. Adem Ceyhan prepared the new edition, which covers Ertuğrul Gazi and the first three Ottoman sultans.

The report says the manuscript stayed out of public view for 133 years. For readers of Ottoman history, the edition makes a late 19th-century view of the dynasty’s origins easier to read.

Who Was Muallim Naci and Why Did the Sultan Choose Him?

Muallim Naci was one of the best-known poets and writers of his time. According to the report, he wrote a play about Ertuğrul Gazi in late 1890 and presented it to Sultan Abdülhamid II.

On 7 April 1891, the sultan appointed him to a court post titled “Tarih-nüvis-i selatin-i al-i Osman.” In plain terms, this means official historian of the sultans of the House of Osman. The post gave him the task of compiling and writing the dynasty’s history.

What the Muallim Naci Ottoman History Covers

Naci wrote about Ertuğrul Gazi first. He then covered the reigns of Sultan Osman, Sultan Orhan and Murad I, also known as Hudavendigar. He died in 1893 at the age of 44, and the project stopped there.

Ceyhan’s edition is based on handwritten original copies held by the State Archives Presidency (Devlet Arşivleri Başkanlığı). The report says the book follows the founding period of the state and describes the spirit of the era. It also credits the work to the university’s Faculty of Letters and calls it a contribution to Ottoman historiography and literary history.

Why This Matters for Fans of Ottoman Drama

The early Ottoman period is the setting for series such as Kuruluş Osman. Abdülhamid II’s own reign is the subject of Payitaht: Abdülhamid. Naci’s project links the two: a 19th-century court writer, appointed by Abdülhamid II, tried to write the story of the dynasty’s beginnings.

Readers should treat the book as a historical source with its own context. It was written under court patronage in the 1890s, so it shows how the dynasty’s history was told then. It is not a neutral record, and it is also not television drama. Scholars will judge how it compares with other accounts.

The source text does not give a publication date, a print run or details on how to obtain the book. Those details were not confirmed. The edition itself is available only as reported by SonDakika.

Source: SonDakika
Featured image: Tarih / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0