Acâ bü'l-letâ f ismiyle Hitay sefâretnâmesi ("Account of a Journey to China Entitled The Wonders of Rarities").

Istanbul: Kadar matbaas ,, 1331 H / 1912 CE. A journey from Persia to China First edition, first printing, of an Osmanl ca Turkish translation of the Persian travelogue of Ghiyas al-Din Naqqash, who accompanied the Timurid embassy from Herat to the court of the Yongle Emperor in Beijing between 1419 and 1422. Several Turkic translations of the text were made in the centuries after it was composed. This one is by Çelebizade smail As m Efendi, otherwise known as Küçükçelebizade (d. 1760), who was a distinguished historian and author, in addition to being eyhülislam. The style of the writing is remarkably uncomplicated, and the account provides a fascinating glimpse into Ming China as experienced by an outsider. The author relates the Timurid embassy's journey in detail, describing the monuments of the cities that it visited and giving a first-hand account of the Forbidden City. While Ghiyas al-Din is careful to include as much factual information as possible regarding Ming government and administration, his report is also richly evocative of the food, clothing and sights that he encountered (Soucek 2012). The text is accompanied by a number of explanatory footnotes made by the publisher. Octavo. Loose within original wrapper as issued, decorated and lettered in black. Pamphlet stapled. Wrapper faded and toned, with some ink staining and one open tear, some soiling to contents. A good copy. Priscilla Soucek, "GH TH-AL-D N NAQQ Š," Encyclopædia Iranica, X/6, 2012, pp. 599-600.