كهاريطات الءواجه الءباحاري ليلأقاليم الءميصريياه / [Map of the Egyptian Regions facing the Sea].: Geographicus Rare Antique Maps

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1872 Mahmoud Bey Large Arabic Folding Map of the Nile Delta

LowerEgyptArabic-mahmoudbey-1872

$2,500.00

كهاريطات الءواجه الءباحاري ليلأقاليم الءميصريياه / [Map of the Egyptian Regions facing the Sea]. - Main View

كهاريطات الءواجه الءباحاري ليلأقاليم الءميصريياه / [Map of the Egyptian Regions facing the Sea]. - Alternate View 1

كهاريطات الءواجه الءباحاري ليلأقاليم الءميصريياه / [Map of the Egyptian Regions facing the Sea]. - Main View Thumbnail

كهاريطات الءواجه الءباحاري ليلأقاليم الءميصريياه / [Map of the Egyptian Regions facing the Sea]. - Alternate View 1 Thumbnail

Title

كهاريطات الءواجه الءباحاري ليلأقاليم الءميصريياه / [Map of the Egyptian Regions facing the Sea].
1872 (dated) 41 x 62 in (104.14 x 157.48 cm) 1 : 200000

Description

A striking, important, and rare Arabic-language chromolithographed map of the Nile Delta, prepared in 1872 by Mahmoud Bey al-Falaky. Aside from its aesthetic qualities, it also represented the most accurate map of the region when it was produced, combining the most up-to-date cartographic methods with extensive research on local placenames, terrain, and topography. As this map replaced French benchmark maps of the region from the early 19th century, it became the new gold standard and was continually used as the basis for most subsequent maps.

A Closer Look

Printed in stunning color, the map covers the Nile Delta, also known as Lower Egypt, between Cairo and the Mediterranean Sea. Cities, towns, and villages throughout are shaded red, as are railway lines connecting them (Egypt had a dense rail network in this part of the country by the 1870s); including the rail line between Cairo and Suez, prominent towards bottom-right. Roads (foot paths) are traced in dashed black lines. Cultivated areas are shaded green, while the Nile and other waterways are shaded blue. Shrines to Islamic saints are indicated with red symbols, as explained in the legend. A table below the title gives the coordinates for various important cities, landmarks, historical sites, both along the Nile and away from the river's banks. Areas of elevation are represented with hachures and shading.

Collaborative Cartography

In the text box at left, Mahmoud Bey al-Falaky explains that the earliest modern maps of Egyptian governorates were drawn by the French during the French invasion of Egypt at the turn of the 19th century. But, as the maps were made in the context of war and the makers did not have a command of Arabic, many mistakes were made, which were not corrected until Mahmoud Bey al-Falaky was tasked by the Khedivate with updating the by-then decades-old French maps. Given his background (discussed below), with a command of the French language, astronomy, and mathematics, he was the ideal person to undertake this work. Thus, the present map can be said to represent the first modern accurate map of the region in any language. In the same text box, Mahmoud Bey also discusses his methods for determining latitude and longitude given his lack of modern surveying equipment. He employs the Great Pyramid of Giza (الهرم الأكبر) near bottom as a Prime Meridian, resulting in a dual system of coordinates in the margin.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by Amin Sabbagh (صباغ أمين), better known as Mahmoud (Bey) al-Falaky (محمود حمدي الفلكي), perhaps the most accomplished Egyptian astronomer and cartographer of the era. It was prepared in 1872 on the orders of Ismail Pasha (r. 1863 - 1879), the modernizing Khedive of Egypt, and was printed by the firm Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus in Leipzig and published by 'A. Kauffmann,' a bookseller in Cairo about whom little is known. The only other known physical example of this map is held at the American University of Cairo, which has been digitized and reproduced in multiple libraries' catalogs. As this map replaced French benchmark maps of the region from the early 19th century, it became the new gold standard and was continually used as the basis for later maps by the likes of the British War Office (see, for example, their 1882 map of Lower Egypt held by the University of Minnesota Libraries, John R. Borchert Map Library, G8300 1882.G7).

CartographerS

Mahmoud Bey al-Falaky (محمود حمدي الفلكي ; 1885 - 1815), born Amin Sabbagh (صباغ أمين), was an Egyptian cartographer, astronomer, and government official in the Khedivate. In fact, his honorary title literally translates to 'Mahmoud Bey, the astronomer' (الفلكي). Born in Gharbia in the heart of the Nile Delta, he moved to Alexandria as a child with his older brothers and received primary education. He then trained at the Naval Arsenal School (مدرسة الترسانة البحرية) established by Mohammed Ali Pasha, learning shipbuilding from French and Italian teachers, and completing his training in 1833. He then attended the Polytechnic School (مدرسة البوليتكنيك), graduating first in his class and then becoming a mathematics teacher at the School of Engineering (مدرسة المهندسخانة) in Boulaq (Cairo) and undertook an intensive study of astronomy. Having gained fluency in French, he had access to the latest European publications on mathematics and astronomy, and used them to establish a state-of-the-art observatory. He became a trusted expert for the Khedivate, determining latitude and longitude for usage on maps of the Nile Delta that were used to determine tax obligations. In 1850, he and several other Egyptian scientists were sent on a mission to France, and spent most of the next decade in Europe, continuing his astronomical and cartographic studies and producing the most advance map of northwestern Europe in Arabic to date. On returning to Egypt in 1859, he oversaw a newly-constructed observatory in Abbassia (Cairo), became a member of the Egyptian Scientific Academy, and became president of the Egyptian Geographical Society. In 1860, he gained international attention for his notes on observations of a solar eclipse made from northern Sudan. Late in his career, Mahmoud al-Falaky undertook additional roles with the Egyptian government, including studies on flood control and irrigation on the Nile, and eventually rose to Minister of Works in 1882 and then serving as Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education. He continued to publish works, including on the Arabic calendar, the history of ancient Alexandria, and other topics. More by this mapmaker...

Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus (May 4, 1772 - August 20, 1823) was a German publisher and editor. He was born in Dortmund and from 1788 - 1793 apprenticed at a mercantile concern in Düsseldorf. He subsequently studied language and literature at the University of Leipzig, then went on to establish a Dortmund-based concern importing and selling English goods. He developed his business in Amsterdam for a time before economic pressures forced him to close. He turned to publishing, founding 'F. A. Brockhaus', in 1805. The firm was initially based in Amsterdam, but in 1811 relocated to Altenburg, Germany, then, in 1818, to Leipzig. There he established a large printing house dedicated to encyclopedias, scientific publications, and literature. Friedrich Arnold died in Leipzig in 1823, but the business was taken over by his sons, Friedrich Brockhaus (1800 - 1865), who retired in 1850, and Heinrich Brockhaus (1804 - 1874), under whom it was considerably extended. Their most significant publication was the Brockhaus Enzyklopädie, also known as Der Grosse Brockhaus. In 1953, after World War II (1939 - 1945), its Leipzig operations were nationalized by East Germany. Its West German successor established itself in Wiesbaden. Following German reunification, corporate headquarters were moved to Munich. The firm continues to publish as F. A. Brockhaus AG. Learn More...

Condition

Good. 4 sheets mounted on linen. Wear and slight loss along original fold lines and at fold intersections. Edge wear along bottom edge.

References

OCLC 60498063.

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