Mare Rubrum seu Sinus Arabicus

Chart of the Red Sea from Niebuhr's account of the Royal Danish Expedition to Arabia, with particular emphasis on the western coast of the Arabian Peninsula.

This chart was drawn by Niebuhr during the early part of the Expedition; the cartouche states the surveying dates as 1762-3. Due to its first-hand knowledge, even when published ten years later, it was the most accurate rendition of the western Arabian coast up to that point. The detail on the coast is astonishing, showing the position of modern Saudi cities such as Mecca, Jeddah and Medina as well as Mocha, Aden and Sana in the Yemen. Even more unusual is the presence of small villages dotted all along the coast, many of which do not exist any more or have been amalgamated into larger settlements.

Niebuhr was the only European survivor of the Expedition. It took six years (1761-7) and upon his return to Copenhagen, he spent the next five years compiling his notes, maps, drawings and conclusions before his first publication of his journey in 1772. Between 1774-7, he expanded his publication to two volumes. A third volume was published but long after his death, in 1837.

His legacy was extraordinary; a great deal has been written about his journey and its account and they have been enormously admired by Arabists throughout history. It has been cited that the contribution he made to Orientalist knowledge of the MIddle East was the greatest addition by a single individual in the 18th century.

William Gifford Palgrave, another famous traveller and explorer who was active a hundred years after Niebuhr, stated that "Niebuhr opened Arabia to Europeans" and dedicated his own book to him.[MEAST4685]