Vilayet of the Archipelago 1907 Ottoman Atlas Map Empire Mehmed Eşref Aegean islands
Ottoman Map of Vilayet of the Archipelago (Cezayir-i Bahr-i Sefid Vilayeti)
From: Umum-i Vilayet-i Şahane’yi Havi Küçük Atlas by Mehmed Eşref - Istanbul, 1325 (1907)
Description:
This original Ottoman map depicts the Vilayet of the Archipelago, including the region of Aegean Islands, and was published in Umum-i Vilayet-i Şahane’yi Havi Küçük Atlas by Mehmed Eşref in 1907 (1325 AH). This rare atlas contained 128 maps and a 32-page Ottoman-script booklet, printed on thick paper and distributed loosely within the volume. Many of the maps in this atlas represent the first and in some cases the only Ottoman depictions of specific regions, making them invaluable for historical and cartographic research. The map reflects the Ottoman intellectual curiosity about distant lands during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and exemplifies the empire’s engagement with global geography and education during the modernization period.
Key Features:
- Size: 14.5 × 10.3 cm
- Language: Ottoman Turkish (Arabic script)
- Date: 1325 (1907)
- Publisher: Mehmed Eşref, Istanbul
- Source: Umum-i Vilayet-i Şahane’yi Havi Küçük Atlas
- Shows the Vilayet of the Archipelago; Aegean Islands, Greece
- Printed on thick paper, typical of atlas editions
- One of the few surviving Ottoman maps of this region, highly collectible for its rarity and historical significance