The collision of Empires as seen from Istanbul: the border of British-controlled Egypt and Ottoman Palestine as reflected in Ottoman maps

What is it about?

This article analyses the historical and cartographical understanding of the creation of the border between Egypt and Ottoman Palestine - Israel’s current southern border - by examining Ottoman maps from the period between the mid nineteenth century and World War I. These maps deal with different stages of the border’s definition and demarcation, and shed light on the Ottoman view of the region and its borders, which differs considerably from the more widely known British perspective. Most of these maps were not produced to deal directly with the issue of the border, but when embedded within the broader Ottoman cartographic and geopolitical framework, provide crucial information which allows us to trace the process of border definition.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

To date, most research on the historical geography of the border between Ottoman Palestine and Egypt has been based on British documents and maps, with almost no reference to Ottoman sources. This article highlights the opportunities provided by Ottoman sources now available to researchers to achieve a more balanced and nuanced picture of these border negotiations. Taken together, the newly discovered Ottoman maps presented here provide a clearer view of the Ottoman perception of the border between Sinai and Palestine, which differs from the better-known British perspective.