Early 19th century map of Arabia

THOMSON, John.

Arabia, Egypt, Abyssinia, Red Sea &c.
Edinburgh, 1814. Original colour. 500 x 610mm.

A detailed map of Arabia, published in the New General Atlas. While the mapping is the most up-to-date, especially around the Blue Nile, the mapping of the Persian Gulf is still incredibly vague, with the Qatar peninsula still lacking. This highlights how unwelcoming the waters were to European shipping: the British even called the environs of Ras al-Khaimah 'The Pirate Coast'.
In Abyssinia there is a note: 'Here the Portuguese found King David encamped in the Year 1520'. This refers to the supposed son of Prester John, the mythical Christian king of Abyssinia, to whom the Ortelius map of the area was dedicated.


Stock ID : 20034