Sotheby’s will auction a rare and important map of the Arabian Peninsula on 6th May in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />London. The first to show a number of internal features of the area, the map became the most up-to-date depiction of Arabia when it was published in c. 1662. Mecca and Medina are clearly named as major cities, along with Zibith, Mocha, Fartach, Gubelhaman, Albinali, Massa and Mascalat. This highly decorative map can only be found in Joannes Blaeu’s monumental Atlas Major, (lot 67, illustrated above), which will be offered in Sotheby’s sale of the Benevento Collection: Important Maps and Atlases with an estimate of £180,000-220,000.
The First Modern Map of Arabia, by renowned cartographer Giacomo Gastaldi, is also offered in the sale (lot 1, illustrated below). This map clearly depicts Bahrain and Qatar as well as a number of urban centres including Mecca (Lamech) and Jeddah (Alzidem), however, Gastaldi’s sources were poor and he incorrectly places a large lake in the middle of the peninsula. The map is part of Ptolemy’s Geography, 1548, which comes to the market with an estimate of £10,000-15,000.
