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Historical map · 1789

Map of the Middle East in 1789

In 1789, 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 the Ottoman Empire, the Zand Dynasty and the Funj Sultanate. The Russian Empire reached well beyond the Middle East: its whole territory measured about 16.2 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the Middle East in 1789. 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 1789 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1789

States and empires in the Middle East in 1789

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia2.6 million km²2.9 million km²1305–1923
Zand Dynasty Wikipedia901,000 km²901,000 km²1748–1793
Funj Sultanate Wikipedia629,000 km²629,000 km²1507–1821
Qajar Iran Wikipedia579,000 km²579,000 km²1788–1923
Durrani Empire Wikipedia446,000 km²1.8 million km²1748–1827
Khanate of Khiva Wikipedia300,000 km²334,000 km²1512–1919
Sultanate of Darfur Wikipedia296,000 km²296,000 km²1609–1876
Emirate of Diriyah Wikipedia275,000 km²275,000 km²1744–1819
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia224,000 km²241,000 km²1272–1935
Khanates of the Caucasus Wikipedia194,000 km²194,000 km²1748–1796
Qasimids Wikipedia154,000 km²154,000 km²1636–1802
Sultanate of Oman Wikipedia92,000 km²121,000 km²1744–2024
Kazakh Khanate Wikipedia91,000 km²2.1 million km²1468–1847
Kingdom of Georgia Wikipedia55,000 km²55,000 km²1010–1802
Russian Empire Wikipedia32,000 km²16.2 million km²1721–1916
Wadai Empire Wikipedia24,000 km²281,000 km²1636–1910
Kingdom of Imereti Wikipedia11,000 km²11,000 km²1468–1810
Principality of Abkhazia Wikipedia10,000 km²10,000 km²1468–1829
Karamanli Dynasty Wikipedia9,850 km²86,000 km²1713–1839
Principality of Wallachia Wikipedia7,400 km²74,000 km²1314–1858
Emirate of Bukhara Wikipedia7,370 km²266,000 km²1788–1919
Kuwait Wikipedia5,510 km²5,510 km²1757–2024
Principality of Mingrelia Wikipedia5,030 km²5,030 km²1468–1810
Principality of Guria Wikipedia3,720 km²3,720 km²1468–1829
Principality of Svaneti Wikipedia2,500 km²2,500 km²1721–1833
House of Khalifa Wikipedia1,580 km²1,580 km²1783–1894
Republic of Venice Wikipedia550 km²45,000 km²705–1796

"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 1776

New on the map: Qajar Iran, Emirate of Bukhara, House of Khalifa.

Gone from the map: Khanate of Bukhara, Bahrain.

What comes next: 1800

Appear by 1800: French Consulate, Septinsular Republic.

Gone by 1800: Zand Dynasty, Khanates of the Caucasus, House of Khalifa, Republic of Venice.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in the Middle East in 1789?

The map data draws 27 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1789. The largest by land were the Ottoman Empire, the Zand Dynasty, the Funj Sultanate, Qajar Iran and the Durrani Empire.

What was the largest empire in the Middle East in 1789?

Of the states on this map, the Russian Empire held the most land in total: about 16.2 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 1789 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1789, 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 1789