Old Map of Syria, 1843: Damascus, Aleppo, Jerusalem, Jordan R., Sinai inset

2026-04-25T23:48:12+01:00

Price: 0.00 - 1975.00 (42 variants)

Entitled Syria, this 1843 map from the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge presents a lucid portrait of the Levant as understood in the early nineteenth century. It spans the Mediterranean littoral to the inland plateaus, encompassing territories that today include Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel, while centering the historical Syrian heartland. The composition balances terrain and polity: mountains are etched with disciplined hachures, the Jordan River is traced from its northern sources, and administrative demarcations are crisply drawn. Damascus and Aleppo anchor an articulate network of towns, and the coastal sequence from Latakia through Tripoli and Beirut to Haifa is cleanly paced. An inset of the Sinai Peninsula broadens the frame, underscoring the hinge between Egypt and the Levant.

Conceived under the SDUK’s reformist banner, the map fuses rigorous scholarship with clarity. Founded to widen access to dependable knowledge, the Society distilled travel narratives, consular intelligence, missionary geography, and Ottoman descriptions into authoritative, affordable references. Issued just after the upheavals of the 1830s and on the threshold of Tanzimat reforms, this sheet fixes a region whose administration and allegiances were shifting, yet it conveys that complexity with sober organization. Its precise linework and neatly lettered toponyms reflect the SDUK’s commitment to accuracy, while the ornamental cartouche nods to the classical aura the Levant held for the era’s learned public.

Physically, the map is a study in relief and water. The Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon ranges are rendered in fine gradations that carve out the Beqaa corridor and the traditional approaches to Damascus. Northward, the Orontes River bends past Hama and Homs toward the sea; southward, the Jordan River threads the rift from the Galilee to its terminal basin. Bays and capes articulate an active seaboard, guiding the eye along the ports that mediated Mediterranean exchange. Inland, the mapping of steppe margins against cultivated valleys conveys the delicate transition from sown to desert, while the uplands and passes signal the routes by which pilgrims, merchants, and officials historically traversed the land.

Urban and historical geographies are interleaved with care. Damascus appears as the emporium of the interior, seat of administration and caravan nexus toward the Hauran and Arabia. Aleppo, long a commercial magnet, anchors northern circuits that tie to Anatolia and the Euphrates routes. Homs and Hama punctuate the Orontes corridor; Latakia complements the beating coastal heart of Tripoli and Beirut. Southward, Jerusalem and the Galilee form a spiritual and cartographic fulcrum, plotted in relation to the Jordan valley and to Haifa’s anchorage. To the east, Amman and Jerash (ancient Gerasa) attest to the cartographer’s sensitivity to antiquity, situating modern habitations amid the enduring lattice of Roman and biblical landscapes.

Politically, the sheet outlines the Ottoman provincial fabric—the pashaliks and districts that ordered authority from Aleppo to Damascus—rendering borders as both markers of governance and membranes of exchange. Drawn in the immediate wake of the Egyptian interlude in Syria, these lines capture a moment when diplomacy, reform, and geography met on paper. The Sinai inset enlarges that perspective, illuminating the land bridge that linked Nile and Levant and the pilgrimage, postal, and military corridors that animated it. The result is a work in which administrative intelligence and physical geography are inseparable—a vivid, learned snapshot of how mid-nineteenth-century Europe understood Syria’s terrain, cities, and frontiers at the crossroads of empire, faith, and trade.

Cities and towns on this map

Damascus

Aleppo

Homs

Hama

Latakia

Beirut

Tripoli

Amman

Jerash

Jerusalem

Galilee

Haifa

Notable Features & Landmarks

Major geographical features: Includes bodies of water like the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.

Mountain ranges: Indicates the Anti-Lebanon Mountains and other notable elevations.

Political borders: Outlines the boundaries of provinces or territories in the region.

Insets: Includes inset maps providing additional detailed views of specific regions like the Sinai Peninsula.

Historical and design context

Year of creation: 1843

Mapmaker/publisher: Published by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK).

Interesting context about the mapmaker: SDUK was established in the early 19th century in Britain, aimed at promoting education and knowledge through well-researched and accessible publications, including maps.

Topics and themes: The map covers both political boundaries and geographic features, emphasizing the physical terrain as well as demarcations of administrative regions.

Design/style: The map features a detailed line drawing style with a clear layout of geographical features and settlements. The cartographer used a traditional 19th-century aesthetic with an ornate cartouche and meticulous detail.

Historical significance: This map is significant as it reflects the political and territorial perceptions of the region in the early 19th century, which were influenced by colonial interests and regional dynamics.

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 70in (180cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.