Description

This unique, large manuscript Ottoman map of Ottoman Syria, embracing the area from what are today Syria, Lebanon, Palestina and Israel, was made in 1831 or 1832, during First Egyptian–Ottoman War, by the Ottoman Surveying Office.

The First Egyptian–Ottoman War or First Syrian War was fought from 1831, when the governor of Egypt, Muhammad Ali Pasha demanded control of Greater Syria, as a reward for helping the Sultan during the Greek War of Independence. In the autumn of the same year, the navy and land army forces, led by Muhammad Ali’s son Ibrahim Pasha, attacked and besieged Acre (Akka). Within a year the Egyptian army conquered major cities of Ottoman Syria and entered Anatolia, where in November 1832 it defeated the Ottoman Army at Konya. The attack on Istanbul by the Egyptian army was prevented by a harsh winter, whish also permitted the Sublime Porte to make an alliance with the Russian Empire, whose army presence eventually prevented the Egyptian troops’ progress towards Istanbul. The peace agreement between Egypt and the Sultan was signed in 1833 at the Convention of Kütahya, where the Syrian provinces were ceded to Egypt, and Ibrahim Pasha was made the governor-general.

Egypt controlled the area until the Second Egyptian–Ottoman War, which lasted from 1839 until 1841.

The present map, which was probably based on contemporary Westen maps, showcases the territory of Ottoman Syria during the first year of the war. The inset map presents the Dead Sea (بحر لوط ). Especially detailed is the the Bay of Haifa, Palestinian’s only natural harbour, which is marked with sea depths, and the location of the initial attack of the Egyptian army.