Sign In

This striking 4-sheet map, dating to the first half of the 19th century, covers a vast region stretching from Cyprus to Bhutan on the upper sheets and from Egypt to Thailand on the lower sheets.  Large insets of the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles highlight two key maritime passages, underscoring their importance as gateways between Europe and Asia, particularly vital for trade and military strategy during this period.

The treatment of the Emirate regions is particularly noteworthy, with an unsually large number of place names in the "Lahsa or Hadjar", along with over two dozen names in the UAE region, including Sharja, Debai, Abouthubbee and Oman or Sahar.

At the bottom of the map, a table provides information on monsoon patterns, or "Periodical Winds," critical for navigation in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, which facilitated trade across these waters. Another table outlines distances between major ports in sailing days, an essential resource for merchants and sailors journeying between Europe, the Middle East, India, and beyond. These navigational aids, alongside the map’s detailed geographic and political representation, offer insights into the significance of maritime routes and monsoon knowledge for 19th-century traders and imperial administrators.

Historically, the early 19th century was a period of significant transformation in this region. The Ottoman Empire controlled much of the eastern Mediterranean, including modern-day Turkey, Syria, and Egypt, though its power was waning, and European powers like Britain and France were beginning to exert influence. The British East India Company had established a firm hold over the Indian subcontinent, setting up administrative and trade networks that would later form the foundation of the British Raj. In the Arabian Peninsula, local rulers balanced between traditional tribal structures and the growing influence of foreign powers, especially in strategic ports along the Red Sea and Persian Gulf.

This map reflects the geopolitical importance of the region as a crossroad of trade, empire, and culture, with European colonial powers expanding their reach while indigenous empires like the Ottomans struggled to maintain control.