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Historical map · 1815

Map of the Middle East in 1815

In 1815, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 24 states, empires and other polities in the Middle East. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Ottoman Empire, Qajar Iran and the Emirate of Diriyah. The Russian Empire reached well beyond the Middle East: its whole territory measured about 17.3 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the Middle East in 1815. 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 1815 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1815

States and empires in the Middle East in 1815

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia2.0 million km²2.2 million km²1305–1923
Qajar Iran Wikipedia1.7 million km²1.7 million km²1788–1923
Emirate of Diriyah Wikipedia968,000 km²968,000 km²1744–1819
Funj Sultanate Wikipedia629,000 km²629,000 km²1507–1821
Muhammad Ali dynasty Wikipedia606,000 km²606,000 km²1805–1865
Khanate of Khiva Wikipedia549,000 km²737,000 km²1512–1919
Sultanate of Darfur Wikipedia296,000 km²296,000 km²1609–1876
Durrani Empire Wikipedia258,000 km²1.6 million km²1748–1827
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia224,000 km²241,000 km²1272–1935
Russian Empire Wikipedia217,000 km²17.3 million km²1721–1916
Imamate of Yemen Wikipedia96,000 km²96,000 km²1814–1872
Emirate of Bukhara Wikipedia89,000 km²368,000 km²1788–1919
Sultanate of Oman Wikipedia76,000 km²76,000 km²1744–2024
Kazakh Khanate Wikipedia29,000 km²1.8 million km²1468–1847
Wadai Empire Wikipedia24,000 km²281,000 km²1636–1910
Karamanli Dynasty Wikipedia9,850 km²76,000 km²1713–1839
Principality of Abkhazia Wikipedia9,740 km²9,740 km²1468–1829
Principality of Wallachia Wikipedia7,400 km²74,000 km²1314–1858
Kuwait Wikipedia5,430 km²5,430 km²1757–2024
Principality of Guria Wikipedia3,770 km²3,770 km²1468–1829
Serbia Wikipedia3,430 km²41,000 km²1805–1915
Principality of Svaneti Wikipedia2,380 km²2,380 km²1721–1833
House of Khalifa Wikipedia880 km²880 km²1783–1894
Septinsular Republic Wikipedia550 km²3,000 km²1800–1819

"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 1800

New on the map: Muhammad Ali dynasty, Imamate of Yemen, Serbia, House of Khalifa.

Gone from the map: Qasimids, Kingdom of Georgia, French Consulate, Kingdom of Imereti, Principality of Mingrelia.

What comes next: 1830

Appear by 1830: Emirate of Nejd, Emirate of Afghanistan, Talpur Dynasty, British Empire, Trucial States, Caucasian Imamate, Greece, Qatar, United Kingdom.

Gone by 1830: Emirate of Diriyah, Funj Sultanate, Durrani Empire, Principality of Abkhazia, Principality of Wallachia, Principality of Guria, Septinsular Republic.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in the Middle East in 1815?

The map data draws 24 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1815. The largest by land were the Ottoman Empire, Qajar Iran, the Emirate of Diriyah, the Funj Sultanate and Muhammad Ali dynasty.

What was the largest empire in the Middle East in 1815?

Of the states on this map, the Russian Empire held the most land in total: about 17.3 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 1815 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1815, 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 1815