{"product_id":"old-topographical-map-of-syria-1843-damascus-aleppo-jerusalem-jordan-r-sinai-inset","title":"Old Map of Syria, 1843: Damascus, Aleppo, Jerusalem, Jordan R., Sinai inset","description":"\u003cp\u003eEntitled Syria, this 1843 map from the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge presents a lucid portrait of the Levant as understood in the early nineteenth century. It spans the Mediterranean littoral to the inland plateaus, encompassing territories that today include Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel, while centering the historical Syrian heartland. The composition balances terrain and polity: mountains are etched with disciplined hachures, the Jordan River is traced from its northern sources, and administrative demarcations are crisply drawn. Damascus and Aleppo anchor an articulate network of towns, and the coastal sequence from Latakia through Tripoli and Beirut to Haifa is cleanly paced. An inset of the Sinai Peninsula broadens the frame, underscoring the hinge between Egypt and the Levant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConceived under the SDUK’s reformist banner, the map fuses rigorous scholarship with clarity. Founded to widen access to dependable knowledge, the Society distilled travel narratives, consular intelligence, missionary geography, and Ottoman descriptions into authoritative, affordable references. Issued just after the upheavals of the 1830s and on the threshold of Tanzimat reforms, this sheet fixes a region whose administration and allegiances were shifting, yet it conveys that complexity with sober organization. Its precise linework and neatly lettered toponyms reflect the SDUK’s commitment to accuracy, while the ornamental cartouche nods to the classical aura the Levant held for the era’s learned public.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePhysically, the map is a study in relief and water. The Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon ranges are rendered in fine gradations that carve out the Beqaa corridor and the traditional approaches to Damascus. Northward, the Orontes River bends past Hama and Homs toward the sea; southward, the Jordan River threads the rift from the Galilee to its terminal basin. Bays and capes articulate an active seaboard, guiding the eye along the ports that mediated Mediterranean exchange. Inland, the mapping of steppe margins against cultivated valleys conveys the delicate transition from sown to desert, while the uplands and passes signal the routes by which pilgrims, merchants, and officials historically traversed the land.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUrban and historical geographies are interleaved with care. Damascus appears as the emporium of the interior, seat of administration and caravan nexus toward the Hauran and Arabia. Aleppo, long a commercial magnet, anchors northern circuits that tie to Anatolia and the Euphrates routes. Homs and Hama punctuate the Orontes corridor; Latakia complements the beating coastal heart of Tripoli and Beirut. Southward, Jerusalem and the Galilee form a spiritual and cartographic fulcrum, plotted in relation to the Jordan valley and to Haifa’s anchorage. To the east, Amman and Jerash (ancient Gerasa) attest to the cartographer’s sensitivity to antiquity, situating modern habitations amid the enduring lattice of Roman and biblical landscapes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePolitically, the sheet outlines the Ottoman provincial fabric—the pashaliks and districts that ordered authority from Aleppo to Damascus—rendering borders as both markers of governance and membranes of exchange. Drawn in the immediate wake of the Egyptian interlude in Syria, these lines capture a moment when diplomacy, reform, and geography met on paper. The Sinai inset enlarges that perspective, illuminating the land bridge that linked Nile and Levant and the pilgrimage, postal, and military corridors that animated it. The result is a work in which administrative intelligence and physical geography are inseparable—a vivid, learned snapshot of how mid-nineteenth-century Europe understood Syria’s terrain, cities, and frontiers at the crossroads of empire, faith, and trade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCities and towns on this map\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDamascus\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAleppo\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHoms\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHama\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLatakia\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBeirut\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTripoli\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAmman\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJerash\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJerusalem\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGalilee\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHaifa\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNotable Features \u0026amp; Landmarks\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMajor geographical features: Includes bodies of water like the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMountain ranges: Indicates the Anti-Lebanon Mountains and other notable elevations.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePolitical borders: Outlines the boundaries of provinces or territories in the region.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInsets: Includes inset maps providing additional detailed views of specific regions like the Sinai Peninsula.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHistorical and design context\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYear of creation: 1843\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMapmaker\/publisher: Published by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInteresting context about the mapmaker: SDUK was established in the early 19th century in Britain, aimed at promoting education and knowledge through well-researched and accessible publications, including maps.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTopics and themes: The map covers both political boundaries and geographic features, emphasizing the physical terrain as well as demarcations of administrative regions.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDesign\/style: The map features a detailed line drawing style with a clear layout of geographical features and settlements. The cartographer used a traditional 19th-century aesthetic with an ornate cartouche and meticulous detail.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical significance: This map is significant as it reflects the political and territorial perceptions of the region in the early 19th century, which were influenced by colonial interests and regional dynamics.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 70in (180cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/de\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the \u003ca href=\"\/de\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003ebest old maps\u003c\/a\u003e to see if something else catches your eye.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease \u003ca href=\"\/de\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003econtact me\u003c\/a\u003e to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex\/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Map","offer_id":57969074241920,"sku":"UM00274759A","price":41.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":57969074274688,"sku":"UM00274760A","price":111.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":57969074307456,"sku":"UM00274761A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":57969074340224,"sku":"UM00274762A","price":41.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":57969074372992,"sku":"UM00274763A","price":111.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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