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Click on this image
for more on the fascinating
16th century map of Piri Reis


Click on this image
for Ptolemaic Maps of
Asia Minor




For those who have stumbled into
this site looking for
a current map of Turkey
Click on the section of interest







Anatolia, being a centre of early civilisations and the crossroads of trade routes, has been displayed even in the earliest maps.

The 16th and 17th centuries, generally considered the "golden age" of Western map making, correspond to the height of Ottoman Empire. All the important map publishers of the time have included very decorative maps of Turkish Empire in their Atlases, often with cartouches depicting the cultural and territorial conflicts between Ottomans and their neighbouring European Nations.

The 18-19th century maps corresponding to the period of decline of the empire are also interesting, for they record the emergence of many new nation states.

As a collector of maps of Turkey, I thought it would be interesting to display some these examples all together.

I am by no means an expert in antique maps and I don't claim that the information here are accurate. I would welcome contributions to my site in the form comments, additional information or images of maps.

I tried to include links to other sites where there are detailed information on cartography, map makers and history of the region posted by experts.

The purpose of this site is to enable the interested collector to see the important maps available on the area for reference and also observe the changes in the political divisions of one of the most interesting and complex areas in the world.

I hope you will find the site interesting.

Ali Turan



Sultan Ab-dul Mejid (1839-1861) posing with a map

 


150 States 1500 Sultans
An excellent book on Islamic Coins. Highly recommended. Please click on picture for more information.

 

Early MapsPtolemaic MapsMedieval16th-17th Century Maps18th-19th Cehtury MapsLinks
 

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