General Maps of Persia 1477 - 1925 / / Cyrus Alai.

• VerfasserIn: Alai, Cyrus,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden : : BRILL,, 2010.
• Year of Publication: 2010
• Language: English
• Series: Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 1 The Near and Middle East ; 80
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (xv, 321 pages) :; illustrations, map.

Iran, or Persia as it was known in the West for most of its long history, has been mapped extensively for centuries but the absence of a good cartobibliography has often deterred scholars of its history and geography from making use of the many detailed maps that were produced. This is now available, prepared by Cyrus Alai who embarked on a lengthy investigation into the old maps of Persia, and visited major map collections and libraries in many countries. With over four hundred separate map entries and over two hundred illustrations this work covers all the important printed general maps of Persia from the early editions of Ptolemy at the end of the 15th century until 1925 when the Qajar dynasty was overthrown. Useful historical accounts provide the background to this wealth of cartographic achievement. After a description of the many editions of Ptolemy, later maps are divided into groups according to the country where they were produced: Italy, the Low Countries, France, Germany, Great Britain, Russia, America, Persia, Turkey, and Spain with Portugal. This permits the work of a single cartographer to be handled in an uninterrupted sequence, thus aiding quick reference to a particular style of map, and its later offshoots. At the end of each major entry, further details concerning different editions and variations, other related maps, historical notes and unique or important features are provided, thus fitting the map into its chronological background. The large number of indexes at the end of the book should enable map collectors, dealers and librarians to identify any map of Persia with ease. This book is a good balance between history and geography, and will appeal to a wide range of readers. Many Persian maps have surely been rescued from obscurity, and it is now possible to study sequence of developing geographical knowledge over a historically and economically important part of Asia. It is unlikely to be superseded for a very long time. This second, revised edition includes two new maps and a list of addenda.

Table of Contents

To General Maps of Persia (second, revised edition) -- Key to Special Abbreviations -- Acknowledgements -- Foreword by Tony Campbell -- Preface -- Introduction -- Chapter One: The Ptolemaic Maps of Persia -- Historical Background -- Ptolemy's Life and His Mapping of Persia -- The Fifth Map of Asia Depicting Persia -- Group PTOL-1, Bologna -- Group PTOL-2, Rome -- Group PTOL-3, Florence -- Group PTOL-4, Ulm -- Group PTOL-5, Early Venice -- Group PTOL-6, Schott, Strasbourg -- Group PTOL-7, Grueninger, Strasbourg -- Group PTOL-8, Basel -- Group PTOL-9, Gastaldi, Venice -- Group PTOL-10, Ruscelli, Venice -- Group PTOL-11, Mercator Plates, Cologne -- Group PTOL-12, The Netherlands -- Group PTOL-13, Magini, Venice; Cologne; Arnhem; Padua -- Group PTOL-14, Sessa, Venice -- Chapter Two: General and Regional Maps of Persia -- Historical Background -- Section One: Italian Maps -- Section Two: Maps from the Low Countries -- Section Three: French Maps -- Section Four: Germanic Maps -- Section Five: British Maps -- Section Six: Russian Maps -- Section Seven: American Maps -- Section Eight: Persian Maps -- Section Nine: Turkish Maps -- Section Ten: Spanish and Portuguese Maps -- A Curiosity Map, Persia as a Persian Cat -- List of Consulted Map Collections -- List of Figures -- List of Plates -- Bibliography, Excluding Maps, Atlases and Old Books (pre-1925) -- Chronological Index of Map Entries -- Index of Personal and Institutional Names -- Index of Geographical Names -- Addenda (including the maps: The Persian Empire, by Thomas Herbert, 1638 and Persiae ut et Maris Caspii Terrarumq vicinarum Delineatio noua A 1725 by Andreae Gro¨nwall).