Arabia, Gulf Arab states – John Thomson, 1814

ONE OF THE BEST 19TH CENTURY MAPS OF ARABIA

“Arabia, Egypt, Abyssinia, Red Sea & c.” engraving made in 1814 by John and George Menzies for John Thomson‘s “New General Atlas” published in 1817. With original hand colouring. Size: 48.5 x 54.5 cm.

At the turn of the 19th century, the Arabian Peninsula was a patchwork of tribal confederations, local rulers, and a weakening Ottoman presence. In the central Najd region, the rise of the First Saudi State (1744–1818) under the Al Saud dynasty and their alliance with the puritanical Wahhabi movement marked a significant shift. This reformist alliance challenged Ottoman control and culminated in the capture of Mecca and Medina between 1803 and 1806. Alarmed by this development, the Ottoman Empire delegated military intervention to Muhammad Ali Pasha, the powerful viceroy of Egypt. By 1811, he launched a campaign into Arabia to suppress the Wahhabi-Saudi movement, an effort that was still ongoing at the time this map was published.

This finely engraved map of the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding regions was published by Scottish cartographer John Thomson (c. 1777 – c. 1840). Covering a vast area from the eastern Mediterranean to the Horn of Africa, and from the Libyan Desert to Persia. Bahrein, “Koueit” (Kuwait), and “Catura” (Qatar) are all marked, although the coastline of the Persian Gulf is somewhat inaccurate, and peninsula of Qatar itself is lacking.

Thomson’s map reflects the restrained elegance of early 19th-century British cartographic style, with topography rendered in fine hachure and an emphasis on clarity. It highlights cities, oases, pilgrimage and caravan routes, and major geographical features. Of particular note are the Hajj routes leading to Mecca and the caravan routes connecting the Nile Valley, the interior of Arabia, and the Levant, such as the road from Basra to Aleppo. There are numerous observations relating to sources of water when crossing the Arabian desert.

A key feature is the tracing of the 1789 route of the French frigate Venus through the Red Sea. Vice Admiral Rosily’s expedition demonstrated the sea’s viability for European trade, countering its longstanding reputation as unnavigable and hazardous. This insight helped to reshape European maritime strategy in the region.

Thomson drew heavily on earlier maps, especially that of French geographer Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d’Anville. D’Anville’s map, itself based on Ottoman sources, had been the standard for over half a century. However, by 1814, newer accounts had emerged from pioneering European explorers such as James Bruce and Carsten Niebuhr, who ventured deep into the Arabian interior. Thomson synthesized these contemporary findings with older data, producing a map that was not only richly detailed but also remarkably current for its time.

Price: Euro 495,-