Libya Through the Eyes of Bimbashi Abdul-Wahid During the Reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II

The book is essentially a detailed report on the conditions of the Tripoli (Tripolitania) and Benghazi provinces between 1870 and 1881, covering economic, social, demographic, agricultural, and military aspects. It was translated from Turkish into Arabic by Ms. Maram Hanafi. The original Turkish edition featured a comprehensive introduction by Prof. Dr. Süleyman Kızıltoprak and Dr. Şefaatdin Deniz. The book spans 100 pages and includes a map of the Tripoli province drawn by Bakbashi (Major) Abdul-Wahid.
The report originated during a period when the Ottoman Empire was actively gathering information on the Tripoli province—which remained part of its territory—relying on state officials stationed in the region to help maintain its presence in these lands far from the imperial center.
Among the individuals who contributed to relaying information from Tripoli to the center was Bakbashi Abdul-Wahid, who resided in the region intermittently. The information he recorded became crucial to the Ottoman Empire’s defensive strategies for the area, given his more than ten years of service in the vicinity of Tripoli and Benghazi. From this vantage point, he compiled data gathered between 1870 and 1881, organizing it into a formal report—structured as a memorandum—which he submitted to Sultan Abdul Hamid II. He went beyond merely drafting the memorandum; he also created and attached a map to accompany the submission to the Sultan.