Afrique

A charming miniature map the east coast of Africa in the last days of the five Muslim independent States of the region.

According to the major 16th and 17th century source for Africa, Leo Africanus, these states were Mozambique, Sofala, Kilwa, Malindi and Mombasa. In 1698, Saif bin Sultan of Oman conquered the region and added it to the Empire of Oman. 

The map is based on a map first published by Nicholas Sanson in 1656. 

Published in Pierre Duval's Geographie Universelle, a pocket atlas composed largely of reduced versions of Nicolas Sanson's maps. Duval was Sanson's nephew and pupil, and he continued publishing Sanson maps long after his uncle's death, usually under his own imprint and with updates and modifications.

Original hand-colour. [AFR6486]