The Printing Activities of Some Sufi Lodges in Istanbul in 19th Century

Abstract

This article attempts to demonstrate the importance of Sufi lodges in the field of printing in the mid-19th century. After the proclamation of the Tanzimat decree new arrangements in the printing institution aimed at increasing literacy as well as the amount of books in circulation and the income of Takvimhane-i Amire. At the same time, the Ottoman state wanted to control on this emerging sector, responding to the illegal use of printing houses and widespread lithography. In this process, members of tekkes including Ozbekler, Kalenderhane, Karyagdi, and Mustafa Pasha put a significant amount of time and energy into printing in Istanbul. The latter's press, Sheikh Yahya Efendi, printed more than 100 different books on topics including engineering, literature, mathematics, cookbooks, and religious themese. The use of modern technology by Sufi lodges indicates that Sufi orders participated and contributed efficiently to the process of modernization in the Ottoman world.