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Historical map · 1500

Map of the Middle East in 1500

In 1500, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 27 states, empires and other polities in the Middle East. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were Aq Qoyunlu, the Mamluk Sultanate and the Timurid Empire.

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States and empires in the Middle East in 1500

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Aq Qoyunlu Wikipedia1.7 million km²1.7 million km²1407–1511
Mamluk Sultanate Wikipedia1.4 million km²1.5 million km²1241–1518
Timurid Empire Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.9 million km²1375–1506
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia703,000 km²929,000 km²1305–1923
Tahirid Sultanate379,000 km²379,000 km²1459–1515
Makuria Kingdom Wikipedia213,000 km²213,000 km²347–1518
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia202,000 km²394,000 km²1272–1935
Nogai Horde Wikipedia127,000 km²702,000 km²1450–1737
Alodia Wikipedia124,000 km²124,000 km²347–1506
Adal Sultanate Wikipedia101,000 km²150,000 km²1415–1578
Shaybanids Wikipedia97,000 km²395,000 km²1497–1511
Bahrani Dynasty Wikipedia70,000 km²70,000 km²1260–1520
Shirvan Wikipedia47,000 km²47,000 km²825–1539
Samtskhe-Saatabago Wikipedia43,000 km²43,000 km²1468–1506
Beylik of Dulkadir Wikipedia30,000 km²30,000 km²1344–1515
Kingdom of Georgia Wikipedia28,000 km²28,000 km²1010–1802
Ramadanid Emirate Wikipedia24,000 km²24,000 km²1385–1515
Kingdom of Kakheti Wikipedia23,000 km²23,000 km²1468–1762
Republic of Venice Wikipedia20,000 km²64,000 km²705–1796
Principality of Mingrelia Wikipedia13,000 km²13,000 km²1468–1810
Kingdom of Imereti Wikipedia11,000 km²11,000 km²1468–1810
Principality of Wallachia Wikipedia7,400 km²74,000 km²1314–1858
Principality of Abkhazia Wikipedia6,050 km²6,050 km²1468–1829
Republic of Genoa Wikipedia5,370 km²26,000 km²1010–1795
Mahdids Wikipedia4,410 km²4,410 km²1169–1506
Principality of Guria Wikipedia4,170 km²4,170 km²1468–1829
Astrakhan Khanate Wikipedia2,660 km²161,000 km²1468–1768

"In the data" gives the first and last year the dataset draws the state under this identity; states often existed earlier or later in another form.

What changed since 1492

New on the map: Shaybanids.

Gone from the map: Kazakh Khanate.

What comes next: 1550

Appear by 1550: Safavid Dynasty, Funj Sultanate, Khanate of Khiva, Kazakh Khanate, Portuguese Empire, Kingdom of Portugal, Khanate of Bukhara.

Gone by 1550: Aq Qoyunlu, Mamluk Sultanate, Timurid Empire, Tahirid Sultanate, Makuria Kingdom, Nogai Horde, Alodia, Shaybanids, Bahrani Dynasty, Shirvan, Samtskhe-Saatabago, Beylik of Dulkadir, Ramadanid Emirate, Mahdids.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in the Middle East in 1500?

The map data draws 27 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1500. The largest by land were Aq Qoyunlu, the Mamluk Sultanate, the Timurid Empire, the Ottoman Empire and the Tahirid Sultanate.

What was the largest empire in the Middle East in 1500?

Of the states on this map, the Timurid Empire held the most land in total: about 1.9 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore the Middle East in 1500 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1500, zoom into any region, move through the years, and ask the history guide questions: it answers in plain words and draws places, armies and borders on the map.

About these borders

The borders come from Cliopatria (v0.2.1, Seshat Global History Databank, CC BY 4.0), the dataset behind our interactive map, with our audited name and border corrections. It records each state's territory year by year from 3400 BC to 2024. Borders before modern surveys are reconstructions: the data draws a state where it held control, and frontier zones, nomadic realms and loose overlordships are approximate. Areas are measured on an equal-area projection. Read how we make our maps.

Middle East in other years

Other regions in 1500