1729 CEmoderate

First Printing Press in the Arab World

المطبعة في العالم العربي

Map: Istanbul, Turkey (41.01, 28.97)

Ibrahim Muteferrika established the first Arabic-script printing press in Istanbul. While printing in European languages had existed for centuries, the Ottoman ulama initially resisted printing the Quran and religious texts mechanically. The press eventually revolutionized the dissemination of Islamic knowledge across the Muslim world.

Sources

  • History of Ottoman Printing