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Historical map · 1850

Map of the Middle East in 1850

In 1850, 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, Muhammad Ali dynasty and Qajar Iran. The Russian Empire reached well beyond the Middle East: its whole territory measured about 20.9 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the Middle East in 1850. 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 1850 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1850

States and empires in the Middle East in 1850

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia2.0 million km²2.1 million km²1305–1923
Muhammad Ali dynasty Wikipedia1.8 million km²1.8 million km²1805–1865
Qajar Iran Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1788–1923
Khanate of Khiva Wikipedia653,000 km²847,000 km²1512–1919
Emirate of Nejd Wikipedia533,000 km²533,000 km²1824–1925
Sultanate of Darfur Wikipedia295,000 km²295,000 km²1609–1876
Russian Empire Wikipedia277,000 km²20.9 million km²1721–1916
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia224,000 km²241,000 km²1272–1935
Emirate of Afghanistan Wikipedia185,000 km²666,000 km²1828–1925
Sultanate of Oman Wikipedia177,000 km²177,000 km²1744–2024
British Empire Wikipedia159,000 km²11.8 million km²1706–1999
Ottoman Tripolitania Wikipedia107,000 km²896,000 km²1840–1911
Imamate of Yemen Wikipedia96,000 km²96,000 km²1814–1872
Trucial States Wikipedia74,000 km²74,000 km²1820–1894
Caucasian Imamate Wikipedia35,000 km²35,000 km²1828–1858
Greece Wikipedia30,000 km²44,000 km²1822–1940
Qatar Wikipedia25,000 km²25,000 km²1820–2024
Wadai Empire Wikipedia24,000 km²281,000 km²1636–1910
Omani East Africa (Swahili coast)16,000 km²186,000 km²1814–1855
Emirate of Bukhara Wikipedia7,120 km²268,000 km²1788–1919
Kuwait Wikipedia5,510 km²5,510 km²1757–2024
United Kingdom Wikipedia4,010 km²348,000 km²1709–2024
Serbia Wikipedia3,380 km²41,000 km²1805–1915
House of Khalifa Wikipedia880 km²880 km²1783–1894

"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 1830

New on the map: Ottoman Tripolitania, Omani East Africa (Swahili coast).

Gone from the map: Talpur Dynasty, Kazakh Khanate, Karamanli Dynasty, Principality of Svaneti.

What comes next: 1871

Appear by 1871: Khedivate of Egypt, Emirate of Jabal Shammar, British Raj, Majeerteen Sultanate, Romania.

Gone by 1871: Muhammad Ali dynasty, Caucasian Imamate, Omani East Africa (Swahili coast), Emirate of Bukhara.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in the Middle East in 1850?

The map data draws 24 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1850. The largest by land were the Ottoman Empire, Muhammad Ali dynasty, Qajar Iran, the Khanate of Khiva and the Emirate of Nejd.

What was the largest empire in the Middle East in 1850?

Of the states on this map, the Russian Empire held the most land in total: about 20.9 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 1850 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1850, 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 1850