Historic Islamic Caliphate Maps from Ball State University Libraries

Maps in the News:  Iraq and the Middle East

World news has been focused on Iraq and Syria as the Islamist militants fighting in the countries have now declared an Islamic “caliphate” near the borders of the two countries.  The Ball State University Libraries’ Atlas Collection on the second floor of Bracken Library includes atlases describing the history of the Middle East with maps of the original caliphate dating back to the seventh century.

The top two maps (click to enlarge) are from Historical Atlas of the Middle East published by Simon and Schuster in 1993.  The maps depict Arabia at the time of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (570 AD) to the Caliphate of Abu Bakr (632 AD).

The bottom map is from Great Empires: An Illustrated Atlas published by National Geographic in 2011.  This map shows the extent of the Abbasid Caliphate from 786-809 AD.  It was during this dynasty that the split between Sunni and Shiite Muslims occurred.

Atlases from the Atlas Collection circulate for 28 days or longer.  For more information about atlases and other cartographic resources, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.