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. Moreover, it incorporates the first published records of the indigenous toponymy east of the Caspian.

A Closer Look

The map depicts 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. The map presents Maas' rich detail and copious notations. Forests, mountains, and wetlands are depicted pictorially. Depth soundings line the shoreline of the Caspian Sea. An attractive cartouche depicts three Uzbeks and a Streltsy (a Muscovite infantryman) in a vineyard. A scimitar, a bow and arrow, and bunches of grapes are at the base of the cartouche. One of the Uzbeks is seated, his shoes removed, leisurely smoking a shisha pipe.

Maas' Original Manuscript

Following Tsar Peter's 1723 annexation of the western coast of the Caspian Sea, an embassy was sent to Khiva, Bukhara, and Balkh. Maas is thought to have been in attendance. The embassy produced a map published in Moscow that year and submitted a manuscript to the Tsar, which is preserved in 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 the first indigenous toponymy east of the Caspian Sea. Indeed, Maas' map reveals a catalog of new place names: countries, administrative regions, deserts, seas, mountains, and towns previously unknown to Western geographers. In addition, a network of roads linking the Caspian to Kabul is illustrated.

Key Silk Road Routes

Beginning in the west with Baghdad (lower left), the primary route heading east connects 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. The Amu and the Syr rivers are running east-to-west, both flowing into the Aral. An ancient diversion of the Amu from the Aral Sea into the Caspian is also illustrated.

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.