Ottoman 1908 Middle East Map Israel Palestine Lebanon Jordan Cyprus Iran İbrahim Hilmi
Ottoman Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean Map from İbrahim Hilmi's "Umumi Cep Atlası" (1908)
Description:
This Ottoman Turkish map depicts the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean regions and originates from the 1324 AH (approximately 1908 AD) edition of "Umumi Cep Atlası," written by Tüccarzâde İbrahim Hilmi and published in Istanbul by Kütüphane-i Askerî. Printed in color, the map measures 19 × 17.2 cm and presents a detailed geographical view of one of the most strategically important regions of the late Ottoman world.
The map covers Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Iran, together with the surrounding Eastern Mediterranean territories. Relief elevations are carefully indicated through color shading, reflecting the modern cartographic techniques adopted in Ottoman geographical publications during the early twentieth century. Much of the territory shown on the map still belonged to the Ottoman Empire at the time of publication, including regions corresponding today to modern-day فلسطين/Palestine, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.
The borders, administrative divisions, and geographical nomenclature used on the map are especially important because they preserve the Ottoman Empire's geographical perception immediately before the First World War and prior to the dissolution of the empire. Vilayet and sancak structures are clearly reflected, making the map an important historical source for understanding late Ottoman provincial organization and territorial administration in the Middle East.
The map was published by Kütüphane-i Askerî, founded by the renowned Ottoman publisher and author Tüccarzâde İbrahim Hilmi (1876–1963), one of the most influential publishing figures of the late Ottoman and early Republican periods. Through his publishing house established in Istanbul in 1896, İbrahim Hilmi printed hundreds of works on military science, geography, history, and education. By contributing to the publication of more than one thousand books during his lifetime, he played a major role in expanding literacy and intellectual culture in the Ottoman Empire and early Republican Turkey.
Beyond its geographical significance, the map represents the modernization of Ottoman educational publishing and cartography during the empire's final decades. Its colorful presentation, detailed administrative structure, and broad regional coverage make it especially appealing for collectors of Ottoman maps and Middle Eastern historical material.
For collectors and researchers, this is a highly desirable example of late Ottoman cartography documenting the Middle East shortly before the political transformation of the region in the twentieth century.
Key Features:
• Type: Ottoman printed regional map
• Title: Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean Map from "Umumi Cep Atlası"
• Author: Tüccarzâde İbrahim Hilmi
• Publication Date: 1324 AH (approximately 1908 AD)
• Publication Place: Istanbul
• Publisher: Kütüphane-i Askerî
• Language: Ottoman Turkish
• Dimensions: 19 × 17.2 cm
• Color: Original color map
• Geographic Coverage: Anatolia, Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Iran, and the Eastern Mediterranean
• Cartographic Features: Relief elevations shown through color shading
• Historical Context: Depicts the administrative and geographical structure of the Ottoman Middle East immediately before the First World War
• Publisher Significance: Produced by one of the most influential Ottoman publishers and educational reformers of the late empire
• Collectible Significance: Valuable for collectors of Ottoman cartography, Middle Eastern history, educational publishing, and pre-World War I regional maps
• Condition: Repaired from the reverse side; restoration may be visible in the photographs