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Historical map · 1550

Map of the Middle East in 1550

In 1550, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 20 states, empires and other polities in the Middle East. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Ottoman Empire, the Safavid Dynasty and the Funj Sultanate.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the Middle East in 1550. Zoom in, move the year slider to watch the borders change, or ask the history guide a question and it draws the answer on the map.

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States and empires in the Middle East in 1550

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia2.9 million km²3.3 million km²1305–1923
Safavid Dynasty Wikipedia2.3 million km²2.4 million km²1502–1737
Funj Sultanate Wikipedia632,000 km²632,000 km²1507–1821
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia315,000 km²529,000 km²1272–1935
Khanate of Khiva Wikipedia123,000 km²125,000 km²1512–1919
Kazakh Khanate Wikipedia90,000 km²2.4 million km²1468–1847
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia80,000 km²602,000 km²1502–1910
Kingdom of Portugal Wikipedia77,000 km²173,000 km²1147–1911
Sultanate of Harar Wikipedia61,000 km²88,000 km²1415–1578
Khanate of Bukhara Wikipedia39,000 km²430,000 km²1516–1787
Kingdom of Georgia Wikipedia28,000 km²28,000 km²1010–1802
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
Principality of Guria Wikipedia4,290 km²4,290 km²1468–1829
Astrakhan Khanate Wikipedia2,690 km²162,000 km²1468–1768
Republic of Genoa Wikipedia1,350 km²13,000 km²1010–1795

"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 1500

New on the map: Safavid Dynasty, Funj Sultanate, Khanate of Khiva, Kazakh Khanate, Portuguese Empire, Kingdom of Portugal, Khanate of Bukhara.

Gone from the map: 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.

What comes next: 1600

Appear by 1600: Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire, Spanish Empire, Principality of Moldavia, Iberian Union, Tsardom of Russia.

Gone by 1600: Portuguese Empire, Kingdom of Portugal, Sultanate of Harar, Kingdom of Georgia, Kingdom of Kakheti, Principality of Mingrelia, Kingdom of Imereti, Principality of Wallachia, Principality of Abkhazia, Principality of Guria, Astrakhan Khanate.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in the Middle East in 1550?

The map data draws 20 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1550. The largest by land were the Ottoman Empire, the Safavid Dynasty, the Funj Sultanate, the Ethiopian Empire and the Khanate of Khiva.

What was the largest empire in the Middle East in 1550?

Of the states on this map, the Ottoman Empire held the most land in total: about 3.3 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 1550 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1550, 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 1550