Historian and geographer (b.
1609, İstanbul – d. 6 August 1657, İstanbul). His real name was Mustafa Hacı
Halife. He was also known as Hacı Kalfa. He worked as a clerk for while (1623)
and then accompanied his father Abdullah, who was an armorer, on campaigns in
Tercan (1624) and Baghdad (1625-26) While returning his father died and he
lived in Erzurum and Diyarbakır for a while and then settled in İstanbul to
receive an education (1628-1629). He took courses from well-known scholars and
extended his knowledge. In the Baghdad (1630) and Revan (1638) campaigns, he
was responsible for the inventory of the army. After ten years of pilgrimage to
Mecca, he left the service of the army and began scientific research. He had
the chance to buy many books because of an inheritance from a rich relative
(1638). Again he continued to study at Muslim Theology School and then he began
to write his works. His grave is at Zeyrek, in İstanbul.
Katip Çelebi, who learned
French and Latin together with Arabic and Persian in order to make use of
western resources, gave a very valuable contribution to our cultural history in
geography, history, bibliography, and sociology. His well-known works are Cihannuma (an atlas), Fezleke (history of the world) and Keşfü’z-Zünun (a bibliography which
gives information on about 1500 works written in the Islamic world).
WORKS
Arapça Fezleke (Arabic, world history, written in 1642, not published and not translated into Turkish), Türkçe Fezleke (Ottoman history, events between 1592-1654, 2 volumes, 1869-70), Takvimü’l-Tevarih (World History chronology, from the beginning up to 1592, 1733), Tuhtefül-Kibar fi Esfari’l-Bihar (As a Respect to the Noble Men on Maritime Campaigns, a work on Ottoman Maritime History, written in 1656, published by Orhan Şaik Gökyay, 1973), Cihannüma (Showing the World, a work on geography which gives geographic information from the Japanese Islands to the Ottoman lands and many other areas, 1732), Keşfü’z-Zünun an Esmai’il-Kütübi ve‘l-Fünün (A bibliography which gives information on about 1500 works written in the Islamic World, first edition, 2 volumes, 1971-72), Süllemü’l-Vüsul ila Tabakati’ ve’l Fühul (biography, Arabic, 1649), Düsturu’l-Amel li İslahil-Halel (a work suggesting solutions to degeneration in the Ottoman Empire, by Şinasi 1863, pub 1979), Mizanü’l-Hak fi İhtiyari’l-Ahakk (The Islamic World and Discussion Methods, Orhan Şaik Gökyay, 1979, most recently by M. Kara-S. Uludağ with the name of the Style of Criticism and Discussion in Islam, 1980), Levamicin-Nur fi Zulümat-i Atlas Minor (The translation of the book Latin Atlas Minor by the Dutchman Gerar dus Mercatur, pub. by Nuruosmaniye Library), Tuhfetü’l Ahyar fi’l Hikem ve’l Emsal ve’l-Eş’ar (various subjects, pub. by Süleymaniye Library.) İrşade’l-Hayara ila Tarihü’l-Yunan ve’r-Rûm ve’n Nasara (On European countries and the Christian World), Tarih-i Frengi Tercümesi (historical translation of the Chronicles by Johann Carion, European History), Tarih-i Konstantiniyye ve Kayasirel Revnaku’s-Saltana (translation and compilation, history of the Middle East and the Balkans), Kanunname (The Protocols of the Ottomans), İlhamü’l-Mukaddes fi Feyzi’l –Akdes (published by M. Hamidullah. Islamic Research Institute magazine IV- 3-4, 1971) Dürer-i Müntesire ve Gurer-i Münteşire (manuscript copy at Nuruosmaniye Library).
REFERENCE: Abdülhak Adnan Adıvar / Osmanlı Türklerinde İlim (s. 105 vd., 1943), Orhan Şaik Gökyay / Kâtip Çelebi: Yaşamı, Kişiliği ve Yapıtlarından Seçmeler (1982) - “Kâtip Çelebi” (TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (c. 25, 2002), Keşfü’z-Zünun (Şerafettin Yaltkaya ve Kilisli Rıfat neşri, 1971), Bekir Kütükoğlu / Kâtip Çelebi “Fezleke”sinin Kaynakları (1974), Prof. Dr. Sabri Orman / “Katip Çelebi'de Sosyo-Ekonomik Düşünce” (Vefatının 350. Yılında Katip Çelebi Uluslararası Sempozyumu, 2007, s. 41-56), İhsan Işık / Yazarlar Sözlüğü (1990, 1998) - Türkiye Yazarlar Ansiklopedisi (2001, 2004) – Encyclopedia of Turkish Authors (2005) - Resimli ve Metin Örnekli Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve Kültür Adamları Ansiklopedisi (2006, gen. 2. bas. 2007) – Ünlü Bilim Adamları (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 2, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013).