Description

The detailed map of a French town Belfort and its surroundings, a place of a battle in 1870 and 1871 during the Franco-Prussian War, was photolithographed by the Ottoman Imperial Ministry of War. Especially eye-catching are numbers in margins, marking the elevation, and a diagram showing contour lines under the title.

The map of the area, somehow irrelevant for Ottoman history, appears to be made for a cartographic and surveying course at the Ottoman Military school with emphasis on representing elevation. The basis would probably be a French map, showcasing the Siege of Belfort. In the late 19^th century France was an ally of the Ottoman Empire and introduced most of the surveying techniques to the empire.