{"product_id":"old-map-of-the-islamic-world-by-wilkinson-1804-ottoman-empire-mecca-jerusalem-cairo-persia","title":"Old Map of the Islamic World by Wilkinson, 1804: Ottoman Empire, Mecca, Jerusalem, Cairo, Persia","description":"\u003cp\u003eRobert Wilkinson’s 1804 Eslam or the Countries which have professed the Faith of Mahomet distills the Muslim world at a moment of transition, uniting historical scope with elegant, period cartography. Created for his Atlas Classica, the map uses hand-applied color to distinguish Islamic realms and annotates them with dense place names and a refined decorative cartouche. Stretching from the Atlantic shores of the Maghreb to the islands of the Indian Ocean, it charts both the geography of belief and the political contours of empire. Its legend and “Principal Mahomedan Sovereignties” succinctly map authority across continents, giving modern viewers a clear window into early nineteenth-century geopolitics just after Napoleon’s Egyptian expedition and on the eve of reform across the region.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the heart of the sheet lies the Ottoman Empire, with Istanbul anchoring imperial space from the Balkans through Anatolia to the Levant and Mesopotamia. Cities such as Damascus, Baghdad, and Jerusalem are carefully plotted, signaling the administrative and religious gravity of the eastern Mediterranean. To the west, Egypt stands at the crossroads of Mediterranean and Red Sea worlds, its Nile corridor traced in detail. Along North Africa, the map delineates Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli, and Morocco, evoking the semi-autonomous Barbary regencies and corsair politics that culminated in the First Barbary War (1801–1805). Wilkinson captures these shifting sovereignties with clear color bands and judicious labels, balancing historical nuance with geographic precision.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo the east, Persia appears as a consolidated power under the emergent Qajar dynasty, its boundaries articulated by the Zagros, the Caspian littoral, and the Persian Gulf. Wilkinson’s labels hint at caravan corridors that continued the Silk Road’s commercial logic into the modern era. The Arabian Peninsula is presented with the Hejaz foregrounded, Makkah marked as the spiritual axis of pilgrimage routes radiating across three continents. In the interior, the map reflects a peninsula on the rise, where reformist currents and new alliances challenged the Ottoman-appointed sharifs—an early sign of the political and religious realignments that would reshape Arabia in the decades to follow. Together, these portrayals read as both atlas and chronicle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWilkinson extends the narrative into the Indian subcontinent, where the decline of Mughal hegemony and the ascent of the British East India Company created a complex mosaic of Muslim-ruled states and communities. Bengal, prominently noted, recalls the Company’s expanding power after the late eighteenth century, while the memory of Tipu Sultan’s fall in 1799 still shadowed the Deccan. Across the Indian Ocean rim, the inclusion of Ceylon, Sumatra, and Borneo underscores the maritime diffusion of Islam, from Acehnese sultans to Bornean courts along the spice routes and the Straits of Malacca. By knitting coastal labels and island silhouettes into a single field, the map testifies to the ocean’s role as a highway of faith, commerce, and diplomacy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA work of scholarship as much as art, the map’s legend and “Principal Mahomedan Sovereignties” chart clarify lines of rule while the topography—rivers like the Nile, Tigris, Euphrates, and Indus; ranges such as the Atlas, Taurus, and Zagros—reveals how landscapes channeled settlement, trade, and strategy. The ornate cartouche and restrained palette elevate its aesthetic poise, but its true luxury lies in perspective: an Enlightenment-trained eye capturing a world on the cusp of reform, colonial entanglement, and revival. With Istanbul, Damascus, Baghdad, Jerusalem, and Makkah inscribed as luminous waypoints, Wilkinson offers a rare, coherent tableau of Islamic civilization at the dawn of the nineteenth century—equally compelling to the connoisseur and the historian.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlaces on this map\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOttoman Empire\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePersia (modern-day Iran)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEgypt\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAlgeria\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTunisia\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMorocco\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ethe Levant (including modern-day Syria and Lebanon)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ethe Arabian Peninsula\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIndia (notably regions like Bengal)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBorneo\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSumatra\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCeylon (modern-day Sri Lanka)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ethe Sudan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTripoli\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBaghdad\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDamascus\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJerusalem\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIstanbul\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMakkah (Mecca)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNotable Features \u0026amp; Landmarks\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCartouche: The map includes a decorative cartouche, typically used to frame the title and publisher information.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eColor Coding: Different regions are color-coded, representing various Islamic states and empires.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInclusion of the Indian Ocean: Details regarding the islands and coastal regions along the Indian Ocean are depicted.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLegend: A detailed legend is provided, explaining the different Islamic sovereigns and their governance.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGeographical Labels: Major geographical entities and cities are labeled, providing context for the locations and their significance.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePrincipal Mahomedan Sovereignties Chart: A section listing notable Islamic sovereigns and their respective regions.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTopographical Features: Rivers, mountains, and other topographical features are included to enhance navigational and geographical understanding.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHistorical and design context\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTitle: Eslam or the Countries which have professed the Faith of Mahomet\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublication Year: 1804\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMapmaker: Robert Wilkinson\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMapmaker Context: Known for thematic cartography; published Atlas Classica presenting geographical and historical contexts.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThemes and Topics: Highlights the Muslim world circa 1800, showing the distribution of Islamic regions and historical empires\/caliphates.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCountries\/Regions Depicted: Focus on Islamic regions across parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia, including the Ottoman Empire, Persia, North Africa, and parts of the Indian subcontinent.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDesign Style: Traditional cartographic style with hand-colored regions, ornate borders, and a detailed legend; combines natural cartography with dense place names and historical notes.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical Significance: Records the geopolitical landscape of the early 19th-century Muslim world and the extent of Islamic empires.\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=\"\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) 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=\"\/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=\"\/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":57969121788288,"sku":"UM00275122A","price":41.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":57969121821056,"sku":"UM00275123A","price":111.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":57969121853824,"sku":"UM00275124A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":57969121886592,"sku":"UM00275125A","price":41.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":57969121919360,"sku":"UM00275126A","price":111.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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