The story
The Wikimedia Commons file describes this map as “Makkah al-Mukarramah, map of the Ottoman Army General Staff, 1880 (1298 AH)”, and states that Umm al-Qura University contributed it and Al-Hussein Bin Talal University scanned it.
We show it as a starting point for getting to know the roads and neighbourhoods of Makkah at that time, not as a sole reference.
Look again: Find Masjid al-Haram on the map, then follow the roads leading out of it.
What do we know? What don’t we know?
What we know:
- What the Wikimedia Commons file description says about its maker, date and source.
What we do not know, or cannot be sure of:
- The archival details of the map’s origin (shelf number and holding institution): we have not yet verified them from an independent source.
- How accurate its positions are: the map shows how its makers pictured the city in their time.
Its catalogue details need confirming before wider public use.