Asia - Iran / Irak; A. Ortelius - Percici sive Sophoru (...) - 1581-1600

This historic map by Abraham Ortelius, produced between 1581 and 1600, depicts regions of Asia including parts of modern-day Iran and Iraq, focusing on the Percici sive Sophoru area. Ortelius was a seminal cartographer of the late Renaissance, acclaimed for creating the first modern atlas—the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. His maps capture geographic knowledge during an era of exploration and scholarly synthesis of classical and contemporary sources. Iran and Iraq, ancient lands with rich histories as centers of Persian and Mesopotamian civilizations, are represented with place names period-appropriate to Ortelius's time. Such maps offer insight into early modern European perceptions of Asia and serve as important artifacts documenting cartographic and geopolitical understanding from the late 16th century.