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Title Evolution of the Representation of Safavid Persia in European Cartography from 1501 to 1736 AD
Type Presentation
Keywords Safavid Persia, European Cartography, Geographic Information System, Transliteration;
Abstract The maps and cartographic materials prepared by Europeans from Safavid Persia show a change in the level of geographical and political knowledge about the Iranian world between the 15th and 18th centuries. Although multiple reasons could be involved in this evolutionary process, the increasing commercial and political relations between the Europeans and the Safavids is undoubtedly one of the main reasons for this development. But if we put aside the investigation of its reasons and focus on the study of the characteristics of this process by having a close look at the layer of information of these cartographic materials, an obvious evolution could be observed in some factors, such as transformation of geographic names, changes in the level of accuracy in drawing geographic features of the main land of Persia and its neighboring political territories. The purpose of this article is to identify the areas of impact of data collected by European travelers and diplomatic missions on various characteristics of the cartographic materials from Safavid Persia between 1501 to 1736 AD. In a further step, it aims to illustrate the characteristics of the course of change in general knowledge of the Europeans from the Iranian world on the basis of the features of this evolutionary process.
Researchers Ali Mashhadi Rafi (First Researcher)