Massal Stories

The Mapmaker's Daughter

An illustrated story by Atlas & Ash · History · Watercolour · All ages · Turkish, English

In 1513 a mapmaker's daughter finishes her ailing father's world map from sailors' stories before the fleet sails.

Gallipoli, 1513. Halil Usta has spent years on a great map of the world, but its western half is still empty, he is ill and his hands shake, and the fleet sails in seven days. His daughter Zeynep takes up his reed pen. She goes down to the harbour, sorts the real coastlines from the tall tales of old Captain Ömer and his sailors, and draws for seven nights, so that her father's map sails with the fleet.

Characters

  • Zeynep (The mapmaker's daughter): Halil Usta's fourteen-year-old daughter, who has grown up under his drawing table.
  • Halil Usta (Mapmaker): An old master mapmaker, ill and tired, with one last great map to finish.
  • Ömer Kaptan (Old sea captain): A sun-burnt old captain who has sailed farther west than anyone in the harbour, and exaggerates everything.

Episode 1: Haritanın Batısı

With the fleet sailing in seven days, Zeynep gathers the sailors' stories and finishes her father's map by candlelight.

Establishing Gallipoli harbour as Zeynep runs along the quay.

Gelibolu, 1513. Donanma yedi gün sonra denize açılacaktı.

Halil Usta, ill, shows the empty western half of the map.

Halil Usta: Haritanın batısı hâlâ boş, kızım. Ve ellerim titriyor.

Zeynep takes up her father's reed pen.

Zeynep: O zaman sen anlat, ben çizeyim.

Halil sends her to find the sailors who have seen the west.

Halil Usta: Denizcilerin hikâyelerini topla. Ömer Kaptan'ı bul.

Captain Ömer tells a tall tale on the quay.

Ömer Kaptan: Batıda kuyruğu bir ada kadar büyük balıklar var!

Zeynep: Bunu haritaya koysam mı acaba?

Ömer draws a real coastline in the sand.

Ömer Kaptan: Ama bu kıyı gerçek. Kendi gözümle gördüm.

Seven nights of drawing by candlelight.

Yedi gece boyunca Zeynep her hikâyeyi bir çizgiye dönüştürdü.

Halil wakes and sees the finished map.

Halil Usta: Bu... benim çizebileceğimden de güzel.

Zeynep: Senin sesinle çizdim, baba.

They bring the rolled map to Captain Ömer.

Ömer Kaptan: Bu haritayla dünyanın ucuna bile gideriz!

The fleet sails; Halil names her a master.

Halil Usta: Artık usta sensin.

Haritanın köşesinde küçük bir imza vardı: Zeynep.

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