Undoubtedly, thanks to the printing press, which is one of the most important inventions that changed the history of the world, the enlightenment movement began in Europe and nothing has been the same since that day. So, did the printing press come really late to the Ottoman Empire? Let’s take a closer look at who invented the printing press and when. Let’s examine printing in the Ottoman Empire.
The invention of writing and the emergence of civilization are very close. However, although writing has been used for such a long time, it was only with the invention of the printing press that the people became literate and that the works that will come to this day have been created. as we know it today Although the printing press was invented in Europe in the 15th century a simpler printing system had been in use in China for hundreds of years.
The modern printing press was invented to make money. It’s understandable. However, what even its inventor did not think of was the start of a lighting movement in Europe thanks to the printing press. The arrival of the printing press in the Ottoman Empire was not as late as we thought. Bride Who invented the printing press and when? Let’s take a closer look at the questions and see the real answer to the question of when the printing press came to the Ottomans.
The first printing press was invented in Ancient China:
The Chinese, our Central Asian neighbors He was the inventor of many inventions such as gunpowder and paper. but we know that because they are a closed culture, they cannot announce it to the world. However, it will surely be surprising for everyone to hear that a highly technically advanced machine such as the printing press was also invented by the Chinese.
We encounter the first examples of the printing press in ancient China in the 3rd century AD. But this first printing press was working on the principle of printing a painted board on cloth. When we come to the Tang Dynasty period of China, that is, between the 6th and 10th centuries AD, we see that printing techniques were quite advanced.
Since each character we saw in the Chinese alphabet was a separate word, it was relatively easy to print. The boards were shaped into letters and printed on paper using an ink produced from materials such as pine resin, wax, and ash. The first work printed using this technique and survived until today is the Diamond Sutra, dated 868 AD. The Diamond Sutra is in the British Library in London today.
China isn’t the only ancient place that used printing presses:
The primitive printing techniques used by the Chinese were also used by many nations in and around China. using an alphabet similar to the Chinese alphabet Koreans also use wooden and metal blocks. They are known to be under pressure. Religious values come to the fore as the biggest reason for the development of such a printing technique and the printing of works.
In the 11th century, a Chinese peasant, Bi Sheng, developed the printing system with new techniques. Most of the published works consisted of Taoist and Buddhist texts. These texts are seen as the biggest reason for the spread of the Buddhist faith in the Asian region. It is one of the well-known facts that China’s printing system developed well during the 14th century Yuan Dynasty.
Who invented the modern printing press and when?
The modern version of China’s printing press, which, even if it works, still does not allow for mass production, It was invented in 1448 by the German jeweler Johannes Gutenberg. In fact, primitive printing presses were used in different parts of Europe as well as in China. However, the system developed by Johannes Gutenberg was much more efficient and suitable for mass production.
Johannes Gutenberg took different parts from many different machines and combined them to make a printing technique. As a result, ink-painted metal plates quickly became available for printing on paper. It is even possible to accept this system as the ancestor of today’s automation-based mass production lines.
What was the first work printed by Gutenberg in the printing press?
When Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press The first work he published was the Bible. It is thought that 200 copies of this work, which is called the Gutenberg Bible today, were printed. Only 22 of these prints have survived to the present day.
It is thought that Johannes Gutenberg invented a printing press to print serials and make money. But It is not exactly known why he first printed a bible. However, we all know that the people of Europe, who were oppressed by the church in the 15th century, did not even know their religion. European enlightenment and reform movements began thanks to the religious works printed with the printing press.
Did the printing press really change the world?
It must be admitted that fate also played a role in the effect of the printing press. When Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press Europe was beginning to recover from the effects of the terrible black plague into which it fell. Since the plague process was not properly managed by neither the church nor the administration, the European people’s trust in the church had already decreased to a large extent.
On top of all this, when the people started to read the holy book of their religion in their own language, they actually He understood how he had been deceived by the church for hundreds of years. Enlightenment and reform movements started as a result of people like Martin Luther inflaming this popular movement. This movement of change, which started at that time, laid the foundations of the Industrial Revolution, which would make Europe the center of the world for many years.
When did the printing press come to the Ottoman Empire?
Let’s come to perhaps the most curious subject; Why did the printing press come to the Ottomans late? It would be more correct to ask: Did the printing press come to the Ottomans really late? It doesn’t even matter. The first printing press in the Ottoman Empire was established in 1493 in Istanbul, the capital of the empire, by the Spanish immigrants David and Samuel Ibn Nahmias Brothers. The first work printed in this printing house was Jacob ben Asher’s Arba’ah Turim.
After the first printing house, printing houses were opened in Thessaloniki, Edirne and İzmir one after the other. It was forbidden to print works in Turkish and Arabic in the printing houses. For this reason, printing activities were in the hands of non-Muslims. The first Armenian printing house was established in 1567, and the first Greek printing house was established in 1627. In this process, many printing houses were opened and many works were published.
When the calendars showed 17 December of 1727, the first Turkish printing house was established by İbrahim Müteferrika. The first Turkish book published in this printing house, Vankulu Mehmet Pasha’s Vankulu Lügati, was only published on January 31, 1729. In other words, the printing house came to us, but it seems that we did not get along well with the printing house.
changing world history Who invented the printing press, when, when did the printing press come to the Ottoman Empire? We answered questions such as, and talked about interesting details about the history of the printing press. You can share your thoughts about printing in the Ottoman Empire in the comments.