Historic Arabic Belad Al-Sham (Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Turkey) Map Print

High-resolution print of an original Arab map of Belad Al-Sham (The Levant). This map was created by Syrian geographer Hamdi Tarabein.

History: "[This map] was published in Damascus, and while undated, was likely issued in the 1930s. Areas of elevation are shown in various gradients of shading, while cities and towns of various sizes are labeled, while railways, major roads and caravan routes are delineated. The map depicts the Levant during the restless period in the run up to World War II. Syria and Lebanon (which is additionally detailed in an inset map, lower right) were growing impatient with French rule and would soon take advantage of the upheaval caused by the war was to gain their independence in 1946 and 1944 respectively. Further south, Palestine has been divided into western and eastern parts. What is today Israel and the Palestinian Authority is still the unified mandate of Palestine, shown before it was divided by the UN into Jewish and Arab sectors, in 1948. Meanwhile, to the east is the Hashemite state of Transjordan (which became Jordan in 1949). To the north of the scene is the Republic of Turkey, ruled by Mustafa Kemal ‘Atatürk’. The map shows the boundary between Syria and Turkey as it was up to 1938, before the Hatay Province (containing the grand old cities of Iskenderun and Antakya) succeeded from Syria before joining Turkey in 1939. It must be noted, however, that Syria has never recognized the departure of Hatay, and Syrian-published maps even up the present day still show the province to be a part of Syria." (Alexander Johnson, 2020)