C. Wenng: Die Uebergangslander von Asien und Afrika begreifrend Arabien
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Cartographer:
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C. Wenng
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Title:
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Die Uebergangslander von Asien und Afrika begreifrend Arabien
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Date:
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1845
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Published:
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Munich
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Width:
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20 inches / 51 cm
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Height:
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18 inches / 46 cm
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Map ref:
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MEAST4377
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Description:
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Map of Arabia together with the Nile Valley, the Levant and part of Iran.
This is an extremely rare map of Arabia and the surrounding region published as a supplement to the account of the journeys of Duke Maximialian Joseph of Bavaria. The Duke travelled to the Middle East in 1838, mainly in Egypt, the Nile Valley and the Levant. Upon his return, a work was published, commemorating his journey, entitled Wanderung nach dem Orient im Jahre 1838. It was finished in 1839 and consisted of a portfolio of printed images chronicling his route and his experiences. One glaring omission in the work was a map of the general area. In 1845, this was corrected by the addition of Wenng’s map of the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding region.
Geographically, the map is highly detailed, following the model of the Weimar Institut, which in turn followed the map included in Heinrich Berhgaus’s Atlas von Asia. It bears very early mentions of the cities of Dubai (Debai), Abu Dhabi (Abuthubbi) and Kuwait (El Koueit). Several caravan routes are marked between Basra and the west coast of Arabia while the most prominent settlement in the interior is Diriyah (El Derreyeh), the seat of the first Saudi Kingdom. In fact, this entity had been dissolved in 1818 and the area was now ruled by the Second Saudi State, from the small town of Riyadh (El Ryad) shown next to Diriyah.
Duke Maximillian’s route is marked by the towns which are underlined in orange, concentrating mainly in the Nile Valley and the Levant.
Apart from his journey to the Middle East, Duke Maximillian was known as one of the great 19th century patrons of Germanic folk music and in one of the more eccentric episodes narrated during his trip is his command that as he ascended the Great Pyramid he was to be accompanied by a chorus of yodelling provided by his servants. Original hand colour. [MEAST4377] |