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Arabian Peninsula Map (Cezîretü'l-Arab) from "Memâlik-i Mahrûse-i Şâhâne'ye Mahsus Mükemmel ve Mufassal Atlas" (1909)

Description:

This colorful Ottoman Turkish map depicts the Arabian Peninsula (Cezîretü'l-Arab) and originates from the 1325 AH (1909 AD) edition of "Memâlik-i Mahrûse-i Şâhâne'ye Mahsus Mükemmel ve Mufassal Atlas", published in Istanbul by Tefeyyüz Kitabhânesi and compiled by Mehmed Nasrullah, Mehmed Rüşdi, and Mehmed Eşref. Measuring 30.8 × 25.6 cm, the map forms part of one of the most important Ottoman atlases produced during the final years of the empire.

Printed entirely in Ottoman Turkish, the map presents the Arabian Peninsula with remarkable administrative and geographical detail. It illustrates provinces, sanjaks, district centers, major settlements, transportation routes, and other geographical features according to the Ottoman administrative system of the early twentieth century. As one of the empire's strategically and religiously significant regions, the Arabian Peninsula occupied a central place within Ottoman geography, encompassing the routes leading to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

The atlas is recognized as the first printed hand atlas to comprehensively illustrate the administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire through maps. Reflecting the administrative reforms implemented after 1884, it presents provincial and district boundaries with exceptional precision. In addition to political boundaries, the maps incorporate railway lines, telegraph networks, military regions, provincial capitals, sanjak centers, and district headquarters, offering a remarkably comprehensive picture of the empire's administrative and transportation infrastructure.

Originally dedicated to Sultan Abdülhamid II, the atlas was ultimately published during the Constitutional (Young Turk) period following the 1908 Revolution. Consequently, it documents the Ottoman Empire's official administrative geography immediately before the First World War, making it an indispensable reference for historians studying the empire's final territorial organization.

For collectors and researchers, this map represents an exceptional example of late Ottoman cartography, combining detailed administrative information, colorful lithographic printing, and considerable historical significance. It is particularly desirable for collectors of Ottoman maps, Middle Eastern history, Arabian Peninsula cartography, and rare educational atlases.

Key Features:

• Type: Ottoman printed regional map

• Title: Cezîretü'l-Arab (Arabian Peninsula)

• Source Atlas: "Memâlik-i Mahrûse-i Şâhâne'ye Mahsus Mükemmel ve Mufassal Atlas"

• Authors: Mehmed Nasrullah, Mehmed Rüşdi, and Mehmed Eşref

• Publisher: Tefeyyüz Kitabhânesi

• Publication Date: 1325 AH (1909 AD)

• Publication Place: Istanbul

• Language: Ottoman Turkish

• Dimensions: 30.8 × 25.6 cm

• Color: Original color map

• Geographic Coverage: Arabian Peninsula

• Cartographic Features: Depicts provinces, sanjaks, district centers, railway lines, telegraph lines, military regions, and administrative boundaries in Ottoman Turkish

• Historical Context: Published in the first printed hand atlas to comprehensively illustrate the Ottoman Empire's administrative divisions following the 1884 reforms, documenting the empire's official territorial organization immediately before the First World War

• Collectible Significance: Valuable for collectors of Ottoman cartography, Arabian Peninsula history, Middle Eastern geography, administrative history, and rare Ottoman atlases