Karte von Arabia Petraea [Map of Arabia Petraea]

Combining the modern and the ancient with an early 20th-century survey of the Roman region of Arabia Petraea.

This wonderfully detailed map covering much of the Levant was the product of several years of study throughout the region by Alois Musil. Musil (1868 – 1944) was a Czech adventurer, scholar, and author who traveled extensively throughout the Arab world and is credited with discovering the desert castle of Qusayr ‘Amra (now a UNESCO World Heritage Site).

The map was first prepared in 1906 to accompany a volume published by Musil the following year, Arabia Petraea; the first scientific survey of Nabataean antiquities (including the ruins of Petra). The extensive legend identifies the symbols used for numerous different features, ranging from telegraph wires to dilapidated walls. The four different maps, printed across three sheets, capture a wealth of information about historic sites that remain endangered today, over a century later.

The map was published around 1907 in Vienna by the Imperial Academy of Sciences. Copies could be obtained from the local bookstore, according to text in the lower margin.

Source: New York Public Library