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Historical map · 1648

Map of the Middle East in 1648

In 1648, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 22 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. Tsardom of Russia reached well beyond the Middle East: its whole territory measured about 10.0 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the Middle East in 1648. 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 1648 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1648

States and empires in the Middle East in 1648

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia2.8 million km²3.5 million km²1305–1923
Safavid Dynasty Wikipedia2.3 million km²2.6 million km²1502–1737
Funj Sultanate Wikipedia629,000 km²629,000 km²1507–1821
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia376,000 km²590,000 km²1272–1935
Sultanate of Darfur Wikipedia296,000 km²296,000 km²1609–1876
Qasimids Wikipedia214,000 km²214,000 km²1636–1802
Khanate of Khiva Wikipedia123,000 km²125,000 km²1512–1919
Kazakh Khanate Wikipedia90,000 km²2.2 million km²1468–1847
Yarubid dynasty Wikipedia88,000 km²88,000 km²1626–1743
Khanate of Bukhara Wikipedia39,000 km²427,000 km²1516–1787
Wadai Empire Wikipedia24,000 km²281,000 km²1636–1910
Kingdom of Kartli Wikipedia15,000 km²15,000 km²1463–1705
Principality of Mingrelia Wikipedia13,000 km²13,000 km²1468–1810
Kingdom of Imereti Wikipedia11,000 km²11,000 km²1468–1810
Kalmyk Khanate Wikipedia10,000 km²163,000 km²1632–1771
Principality of Wallachia Wikipedia7,400 km²74,000 km²1314–1858
Principality of Abkhazia Wikipedia5,820 km²5,820 km²1468–1829
Principality of Guria Wikipedia4,650 km²4,650 km²1468–1829
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia4,600 km²2.1 million km²1502–1910
Kingdom of Portugal Wikipedia4,600 km²101,000 km²1147–1911
Republic of Venice Wikipedia1,720 km²45,000 km²705–1796
Tsardom of Russia Wikipedia1,270 km²10.0 million km²1547–1720

"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 1600

New on the map: 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 from the map: Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire, Spanish Empire, Principality of Moldavia, Iberian Union, Republic of Genoa.

What comes next: 1700

Gone by 1700: Portuguese Empire.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in the Middle East in 1648?

The map data draws 22 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1648. The largest by land were the Ottoman Empire, the Safavid Dynasty, the Funj Sultanate, the Ethiopian Empire and the Sultanate of Darfur.

What was the largest empire in the Middle East in 1648?

Of the states on this map, Tsardom of Russia held the most land in total: about 10.0 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 1648 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1648, 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 1648