Antique Map of the District of Beit el Fakih, Niebuhr, 1776

This is an original antique copper engraving from 1776, plate LXII of the first volume of Carsten Niebuhr's account of his travels in Arabia, a folding plate. The Latin title in the cartouche at the upper right reads AGRI BEIT EL FAKIHensis Delineatio geographica, "Geographical delineation of the district of Beit el Fakih", the town now called Bayt al-Faqih in Yemen. Unlike most plates in the volume it has no Dutch and French caption.

The town of BEIT EL FAKIH lies near the center as a stippled area with a ragged edge, with a circular compass below it to the right. Around it the fields are drawn as patches of fine parallel strokes, and areas of scrub and small trees spread between them. Wadis wind across the sheet from right to left, one lettered Wadi Elhânnasch, and dotted tracks link the villages. The villages are drawn as small groups of buildings, among them Schöbbra, Samanie, Choddrie and Mehalle el Aues. An inset at the lower right, drawn on an unrolled scroll, gives the plan of an enclosure lettered A with its own scale in Pass: geom:. The cartouche at the upper right is framed by a flowering vine and holds two scales, 2000 Passus geometrici and Dimidium Milliar: german:.

The engraver's name Th. Koning, fec. is lettered at the lower right below the border, and the plate number Tab. LXII. at the upper right.

The plate comes from the first volume of Carsten Niebuhr's Voyage en Arabie & en d'autres Pays circonvoisins, Traduit de l'Allemand (translated from the German), published A Amsterdam, chez S. J. Baalde and A Utrecht, chez J. van Schoonhoven & Comp., with the date MDCCLXXVI (1776) on the title page. Carsten Niebuhr (1733 to 1815) was a German born surveyor in Danish service and the only member of the Danish expedition to Arabia (1761 to 1767), sent by King Frederick V of Denmark, to return alive. The account was first published in German at Copenhagen; this is the French translation printed in Amsterdam and Utrecht.

Light uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Marked handling soiling along the left edge. Foxing over much of the margin. Folding plate, original center fold as issued. Slight wear at the bottom left corner.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.