A map of Arabia with an early depiction of the Qatari Peninsula as well as a variety of trade and pilgrim routes marked.

This map was engraved by J. & C. Walker for the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK) and was first published in 1843. After the dissolution of the SDUK in 1848, the maps were acquired by several other publishers including Edward Stanford, Charles Knight and Mason and Payne into the 1880s.

It became a standard part of the atlas and was substantially augmented throughout its publishing history. This example, issued in 1875 by Edward Stanford and is unusual as it is in full body colour. This colouring is used to show the new geo-political divisions of the Peninsula. The green on the west coast is the restored Ottoman Sharifate of Mecca with part of the northern Gulf coast also restored to the Ottomans; the interior is the Second Saudi Kingdom also known as the Emirate of Nejd, showing Riad and Dereyah in the region of Yemamah as the main settlements. The small red region on the south coast is the British enclave of Aden while the purple section on the east coast is the Empire of Oman. The north and central part of the Peninsula shows the routes of intrepid explorers including Lewis Pelly and William Palgrave in 1864 and 1863 respectively. These routes are interweaved with a network of caravan, pilgrim and trade routes in northern Arabia which are centuries old. The east coast shows Kuwait, under its old name of “Grane” as well as Sharjah, Deba (Dubai) and Abothubi (Abu Dhabi). Following the earlier edition, the Qatari Peninsula is clearly shown under the name “Katar”. Original colour. [MEAST4548]