This map, of unknown provenance and author, is dated to around 1790. It is a cosmographic representation of the Islamic world, executed in pen, ink and watercolour. The labels on the map are in Persian, and the Indian subcontinent features prominently on the map. The Library of Congress, where this copy is held, tentatively identifies India as the place of origin.

As a cosmographic map, it does not follow the conventions of modern geography. The layout follows the Islamic tradition, with a vast ocean enclosing the Ptolemaic world: Asia, Africa and Europe. Africa is confined to the small appendage in the top left-hand corner, and Europe to the top and right-hand sides. The rest – the greater part of the map – depicts Asia.

The interior of the map is divided vertically by a wall drawn stone by stone, corresponding to the Wall of Dhul-Qarnayn mentioned in the Qur’an – the wall which, according to Islamic tradition, separates the inhabited world from the lands of Gog and Magog. To the left of the wall lies the entire Islamic world. The ship on the left-hand side of the map is situated at the entrance to the Red Sea and, just below it, the next inlet refers to the Persian Gulf; the peninsula between the two therefore represents the Arabian Peninsula, where Mecca is depicted with the Kaaba as a walled black square. Everything below the Persian Gulf comprises Persia and India. To the right of Dhul-Qarnayn’s wall, China and the whole of North Asia are depicted, joining with Europe at the top.

The structure of this map is reminiscent of the T maps on O based on medieval Christian tradition, with seas and rivers dividing the world, but with the difference that the geographical focus is clearly shifted towards Asia. The map does not follow any mathematical or coordinate-based logic, but rather a cosmography of relationships: the Islamic world at the centre and the rest on the periphery.

Sources

• Map of the Islamic world