Map/Chart > The Persian Collection

The Arabian or Southern side of the Gulf of Persia (UAE). Central sheet.

This historic chart of part of the coast of the UAE was produced from a number of smaller surveys covering the entire length of the coastline of Arabia stretching from what is now Kuwait to the northeast and Oman to the southwest.

Further Information

This chart is available in the following standard sizes and formats

The surveys which led to the production of this, and two other charts in the same series (see A702a & A702c) were the primary work of surveyors working for the Honorable East India Company Marine Service, which was known as the ‘Bombay Marine’.  The surveyors in question were Lieutenants J. M. Guy and G. B. Brooks. The overall survey was compiled between 1821 and 1825. This central sheet was produced shortly after 1824, and as a direct result of a period of great unrest in the Gulf region - especially through the Straits of Hormuz and along the Arabian Peninsula, which now forms Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The chart itself was published in 1826.

As the British Empire expanded its trade interests in the early nineteenth century, the trade routes from British India (Bombay in particular) to Britain had become significantly more important.   The Honorable East India Company (HEIC) was the instrument by which the British traded and their merchant ships, known as East Indiamen and 'country vessels', carried millions of pounds worth of goods.  The ports of the Gulf were an integral part of the trade route, providing intermediate trading.  As part of the H.E.I.C’s growing interest in trade with towns and ports along the Arabian coastline the ‘Bombay Marine’ undertook its own surveying programme, the results of which it shared with the British Admiralty.  On a grander scale, as they had done 50 years earlier on the North American coast-line, the British were surveying with a view to gaining a better understanding of the region in which they were looking to either expand or defend their interests. Although no key is provided with the chart, the surveyors and the engraver, John Bateman, all stick firmly to the traditions of British map and chart-making utilising standardized symbols for rocks along the coast-line; significant hill formations on land which may be recognizable from the sea; cliff formations; marsh and other treacherous/foul land; and major settlements with an indication of size and population.   Significantly, there is no indication given as to potential anchorages rather that the detailed hydrography speaks for itself.  What is also of note is the abundance of vegetation and trees along the coast east of what is now Abu Al Abyadh Island (labelled 'Jezeerat Biliyard') towards Abu Dhabi. With time, the shape of the coastline has also changed with the shifting sands.  Most noticeable of all is the naming of the islands off the coast as the 'East India Company Islands', which in itself is an indication as to the extent of British interest in the region at the time. Finally, one of the most important features marked on the map is the town of Abu Dhabi itself; now the capital city of the United Arab Emirates and the seat for the Government, as well as the home for the Abu Dhabi Emiri Family.  As the city has changed and developed considerably over the past 40 years, many of its historical monuments have been lost; however, this map clearly shows the existence of a tower to the south east of the city.