Tarikh al-Dawla al-Aliyya al-Uthmaniyya
- Author died
- 1338 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Nafāʾis
Tarikh al-Dawla al-Aliyya al-Uthmaniyya (History of the Exalted Ottoman State) is a comprehensive Arabic historical chronicle authored by the Egyptian jurist, politician, and historian Muhammad Farid (1284–1338 AH / 1868–1919 CE), covering the history of the Ottoman Empire from its inception down to the late nineteenth century.
Background and Context
Muhammad Farid wrote the work while serving as a legal official and prosecutor in the Egyptian courts, prior to succeeding Mustafa Kamil as head of the Egyptian National Party (al-Hizb al-Watani). Farid and his circle within the National Party viewed the Ottoman Empire as the legitimate sovereign framework against the British occupation of Egypt and as a collective political bulwark for the Islamic world against Western colonial encroachment.
Scope and Contents
The work opens with an introductory section detailing the early caliphates that preceded Ottoman rule, beginning with the Rightly Guided Caliphs (al-Khulafa al-Rashidun), and notes that the caliphate passed to the House of Osman in 923 AH when Sultan Selim I conquered Egypt.
The core narrative traces Ottoman history chronologically, beginning with the reign of Sultan Osman I in 699 AH (1300 CE) and concluding with the aftermath of the Treaty of Berlin in 1878 CE. The work incorporates maps illustrating the territorial boundaries of the Ottoman domains. It documents the expansion of the empire, its zenith under Sultan Suleiman the Lawgiver (al-Qanuni), its internal administrative and military structure, the disturbances surrounding the Janissary corps, the modernization efforts initiated by Sultan Selim III, and the nineteenth-century constitutional reforms.
Publication History
The first edition of the book was printed in Cairo by Matba'at Muhammad Mustafa in 1311 AH / 1893 CE in a single volume of 496 pages. Subsequent editions were published in 1314 AH / 1896 CE, and in 1912 CE by Matba'at al-Taqaddum in 415 pages. A modern critical edition was edited by Ihsan Haqqi and published by Dar al-Nafa'is in Beirut in 1401 AH / 1981 CE.
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