Qāmūs al-ʾaʿlām

Qāmūs al-ʾaʿlām () is an encyclopedia of history, geography, and notable persons published in Istanbul by Şemseddin Sami. The work consists of six volumes and was issued in fascicles between 1889 and 1898.

Prepared entirely by Sami himself, the encyclopedia drew extensively on various Western sources, most notably the work of Barthélemy d'Herbelot, Bibliothèque orientale, ou dictionnaire universel contenant tout ce qui regarde la connoissance des peuples de l'Orient. In addition, Sami made use of works by Âşık Çelebi, Kınalızade, Kafzade, Lârîfî, Riyazi, Devletşah, and Sadiqi. He is also known to have consulted Sefinetü'ş-Şuara as well as Ottoman salnames (yearbooks).

Qāmūs al-ʾaʿlām was published by Mihran Efendi. Arranged in alphabetical order, the work comprises a total of 4,830 pages printed in double-column format. It provides information on the economic and social conditions of the places discussed, and offers detailed coverage of both Ottoman and world geography. The encyclopedia contains reliable entries on numerous countries, cities, peoples, and states, as well as on prominent individuals and their works.