1735 Homann / Maas Map of the Caspian Sea, Persia, Uzbekistan

This is Abraham Maas' map of Uzbekistan and the Caspian Region, edited by Johann Peter von Ghelen and published by Homann Heirs in 1735. It was the first map to show the results of Peter the Great's initiatives to chart this ill-understood frontier of the Russian Empire, and it is the first printed map specifically of the Uzbek region. The map shows the area around the Caspian Sea and northern Iran. A broad area running eastwards from the Caspian is marked 'Uzbek;' this encompasses Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and part of Kazakhstan.

Maas' Original Manuscript

Following Tsar Peter's 1723 annexation of the western coast of the Caspian Sea, an embassy was sent Khiva, Bukhara and Balkh; Maas is thought to have been in attendance. The embassy produced a map published in Moscow that year, and submitted in a manuscript to the Tsar preserved the library of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg. Maas produced a faithful copy of that Russian map, translated to Latin. Von Ghelen's edition, committed to print here by Homann Heirs, presents for the first time indigenous toponymy east of the Caspian Sea. And indeed, Maas' map reveals a catalog of new place names: countries, administrative regions, deserts, seas, mountains, and towns which not previously known to western geographers. In addition, a network of roads between linking the Caspian to Kabul is shown.

Key Silk Road Routes

Beginning in the west with Baghdad (lower left) the major route reaching east can be seen running to Isfahan, and ultimately Kandahar. Northern branches link Samarkhand, Kabul, and Kashgar.

The Aral Sea

This is one of the first maps to detail the Aral Sea: then a massive endorheic lake, now an infamous desert. It is one of the earliest maps to distinguish the Aral as separate from the Caspian. Running east-to-west are the Amu and the Syr rivers, both flowing into the Aral. An ancient diversion of the Amu from the Aral Sea into the Caspian can also be seen.

A Beautiful Engraving

The map presents Maas' rich detail and copious notation clearly and legibly. Forests, mountains, and wetlands are shown pictorially. The Caspian shoreline is marked with depth soundings. An attractive cartouche depicts three Uzbeks and a Streltsy - a Muscovite infantryman - situated in a vineyard. At the base of the cartouche are laid a scimitar, a bow and arrow, and bunches of grapes. One of the Uzbeks is seated, his shoes removed, leisurely smoking a shisha pipe.

Publication History and Census

This map was engraved by the Homann Heirs as a separate issue, but was also included in made-to-order atlases. It is known in a single state. The separate map is well represented in institutional collections.