1946 Survey of Egypt Arabic Map of Madinah (Medina), Saudi Arabia

Modernizing Madinah

This is a scarce 1946 Survey of Egypt map of the Islamic holy city of Medina (or Madinah), in the Hejaz, Saudi Arabia. The map illustrates the Saudi drive to modernize the infrastructure and access of Islam's second-holiest city.

A Closer Look

The map displays Madinah and environs, highlighting historic and religious structures, topography (hills - jabal جبل - noted with hachures and labeled, with elevation noted in the case of the taller jabal), terrain, wells and water sources, outlying villages, and more. In the center of Madinah, workshops, markets, and individual streets and alleys are labeled. Many sites are marked with a number corresponding to the index at right, including the Prophet's Mosque (ٱلْمَسْجِد ٱلنَّبَوِي‎, al-Masjid al-Nabawī), one of the holiest sites in Islam, near center. The mosque complex is also detailed in an inset at bottom-left on a scale of 1:1000. The green line running through the city traces a wadi, while red dashed lines are not explained but presumably indicate planned roads (part of a modernization drive, see below). The black, curved line in the southwestern part of the city is the remnant of the Hejaz Railway, which connected Damascus to Madinah between 1908 and 1920.

Modernizing Madinah

During the mid-20th century, Madinah underwent a period of profound transformation as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia consolidated power and embarked on modernization efforts under the rule of King Abdulaziz Al Saud and his successors. Following the unification of the kingdom in 1932, Madinah - the second holiest city in Islam - came under centralized Saudi authority, marking the end of centuries of shifting Ottoman and local control. In the 1940s and 1950s, as oil revenues began to flow into the kingdom, the Saudi state initiated infrastructure improvements that reshaped the city. Roads, hospitals, and modern utilities were developed, and the Prophet's Mosque underwent the first of several major expansions in 1951 under King Abdulaziz's son, King Saud. This expansion introduced electric lighting, modern architectural reinforcements, and new facilities to accommodate the growing number of Muslim pilgrims visiting the city.

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared by the Survey of Egypt (مصلحة المساحة المصرية) in 1946. It might have been part of a pair or series by the Survey, which also included a 1948 map of Mecca (previously sold by us as Mecca-surveyofegypt-1948), which is even more directly focused on infrastructure and is similar to the present map in appearance. At the top, to the left of the title, is a stamp indicating that this map came from the library (that is, bookshop مكتبة) of Muhammed Saeed Kamal (1915-1995, محمد سعيد كمال) in Taif (اَلطَّائِفُ‎), Saudi Arabia. Kamal was a renowned scholar, jurist, historian, and bookshop owner of the era. The bookshop remains active. We are only aware of one cataloged example of the present map, located at the Library of Congress.

Cartographer

Survey of Egypt (c. 1898 - present; مصلحة المساحة المصرية) was the official surveying body of the Egyptian government from the turn of the 20th century until the founding of the Republic of Egypt. As Egypt was a British Protectorate for most of this period, the survey closely resembled government survey operations in other British colonies and protectorates. However, unlike many other surveys, the Survey of Egypt did not continue under its colonial name in the postcolonial period. Instead, in the independence era, the former Survey became known as the Egyptian General Survey Authority (الهيئة المصرية العامة للمساحة), from 1971 has been affiliated with the Ministry of Irrigation (وزارة الري).   Further Details...

Condition

Excellent.

References

OCLC 862874285.