Turky in Asia. Original antique map of Turkey in Asia by Thomas Jeffrys. Published c. 1760.

Original antique map by Thomas Jerrfrys depicting the Asian domains of the Ottoman Empire.

Published around 1760, it frequently appeared in editions of Salmon’s A New Geographical and Historical Grammar.

The map spans from the Mediterranean Sea and Aegean coasts to the Middle East, covering the modern-day territories of Turkey (Anatolia), Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Iraq, and parts of the Arabian Peninsula.

The decorative title cartouche was a characteristic feature of his maps.

By the end of the eighteenth century, Britain had established itself as the world’s leading naval superpower, a development which went hand-in-hand with cartographic advancement. One of the cartographers who contributed to this phenomenon was Thomas Jefferys (c. 1719-1771), Royal Geographer to King George III. We know little of his background, save that he married in 1750 and seemed to identify primarily as an engraver, rather than as a geographer.

In 1766 he went bankrupt, which gave publisher Robert Sayer the opportunity to purchase a large portion of Jefferys’ materials and plates. Following this setback, Jefferys did continue to publish maps in partnership with the younger William Faden.