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Historical map · 1600

Map of the Middle East in 1600

In 1600, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 14 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. The Spanish Empire reached well beyond the Middle East: its whole territory measured about 13.6 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the Middle East in 1600. 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.

OPEN 1600 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1600

States and empires in the Middle East in 1600

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia3.5 million km²4.3 million km²1305–1923
Safavid Dynasty Wikipedia1.9 million km²2.2 million km²1502–1737
Funj Sultanate Wikipedia632,000 km²632,000 km²1507–1821
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia312,000 km²526,000 km²1272–1935
Khanate of Khiva Wikipedia123,000 km²125,000 km²1512–1919
Kazakh Khanate Wikipedia90,000 km²2.6 million km²1468–1847
Khanate of Bukhara Wikipedia39,000 km²337,000 km²1516–1787
Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire Wikipedia7,870 km²7.3 million km²755–1870
Spanish Empire Wikipedia7,870 km²13.6 million km²1516–1931
Principality of Moldavia Wikipedia7,400 km²256,000 km²1363–1858
Republic of Venice Wikipedia6,490 km²50,000 km²705–1796
Iberian Union Wikipedia5,290 km²796,000 km²1582–1639
Tsardom of Russia Wikipedia1,440 km²4.8 million km²1547–1720
Republic of Genoa Wikipedia1,350 km²16,000 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 1550

New on the map: Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire, Spanish Empire, Principality of Moldavia, Iberian Union, Tsardom of Russia.

Gone from the map: 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.

What comes next: 1648

Appear by 1648: Sultanate of Darfur, Qasimids, Yarubid dynasty, Wadai Empire, Kingdom of Kartli, Principality of Mingrelia, Kingdom of Imereti, Kalmyk Khanate, Principality of Wallachia, Principality of Abkhazia, Principality of Guria, Portuguese Empire, Kingdom of Portugal.

Gone by 1648: Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire, Spanish Empire, Principality of Moldavia, Iberian Union, Republic of Genoa.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in the Middle East in 1600?

The map data draws 14 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1600. 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 1600?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 13.6 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 1600 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1600, 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 1600