[FIRST GUIDE TO THE SILK ROAD IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD] Tercüme-i târih-i nevâdir-i Çin Mâçîn. [i.e. Translation of the rare history and descriptions of China]

KHITÂÎ, ALI AKBAR (Early 16th-century Persian traveller and writer), (?-1516). Tophâne-i Âmire Litografya Destigâhi, Istanbul, AH 1270 = [1854]. In modern cloth. Roy. 8vo. (24 x 17 cm). In Ottoman script (Old Turkish with Arabic letters). 70 p. The heading (serlevha) and borders of the first double page are printed in gilt. Slight fading and browning on pages. Overall, a very good copy. Lithographed edition. The first and only printed edition of the first known description of the Silk Road in the Islamic world and one of the earliest Islamic travel accounts of China, predating Ibn Battuta’s Rihla. This remarkable work is considered one of the most comprehensive travel narratives about Ming Dynasty China in the 16th century. Originally written in Persian in 1516 and finalized shortly after Khitâî arrived (or returned) in Istanbul in 1520, it was later translated into Turkish by Hezârfen Hüseyin (?-1103/1691). The account gained significant influence among Turkish and Persian-speaking M