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Rare linen printed field map of the Western part of Afghanistan, published by the Survey of India in Dehra Dan.
The map extends from Balkh in northern Afghanistan and Mashad, in northeastern Iran to the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The map provides a detailed accounting of the towns, villages, roads, lakes, swamps, mountain ranges, plaines and other details throughout the region. Smaller details include wadis, forts ancient dried lakes, and other fine details.
While not part of the Great Trigonometric Survey of India, the British interest in mapping Afghanistan arose during the same period due to its strategic importance in the "Great Game" — the geopolitical rivalry between the British Empire and the Russian Empire. Efforts to survey Afghanistan were often conducted under military auspices rather than as part of the civilian-led Great Trigonometric Survey. These efforts included covert surveys by British officers disguised as local traders or travelers, known as "Pundits," who gathered topographical data during expeditions.
Rarity
The present map is very rare on the market and the only example we can locate which has been printed on linen.
The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India
The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India was a project which aimed to measure the entire Indian subcontinent with scientific precision. It was begun in 1802 by the infantry officer William Lambton under the auspices of the East India Company. In an attempt to equip his team with the latest technology, Lambton ordered a specialized theodolite for the work. However, the ship carrying the instrument was captured en route by the French; luckily, the French allowed the instrument to continue its journey to India.
Under the leadership of Lambton’s successor, George Everest, the project was made a responsibility of the Survey of India. Everest was succeeded by Andrew Scott Waugh. After 1861, the project was led by James Thomas Walker, who oversaw the initial completion of the works in 1871.
Due to the extent of the land to be surveyed, the surveyors did not triangulate the whole of India but instead created what they called a "gridiron" of triangulation chains running from north to south and east to west.
Among the many accomplishments of the Survey of India were the demarcation of the British territories in India and the measurement of the height of the Himalayan giants: Everest, K2, and Kanchenjunga. The Survey of India had an enormous scientific impact as well: it was responsible for one of the first accurate measurements of a section of an arc of longitude, and for measurements of the geodesic anomaly which led to the development of the theories of isostasy. It is not an exaggeration to say that, in the nineteenth century, the Survey’s mapping techniques and cartographic outputs were the most advanced in the world.
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