Qatif & The Arabian Gulf in European Maps: from the Renaissance to the Cold War

'No arms of the sea has been, or is of greater interest, alike to the geologist and archaeologist, the historian and geographer, the merchant, the statesman, and the student of strategy, than the inland water known as the Persian Gulf.

Sir Arnold Wilson, 1928

The oasis of Qatif in the east of modern Saudi Arabia has always maintained geo-political prominence for thousands of years. The following collection of maps manifests how changes in the geopolitical landscape of the region influenced the limits and dominance of "Historical Qatif" after the medieval period, and the emergence of Ottoman imperial power. In particular, the collection starts with  the Arabian gulf as viewed from the perspective of Renaissance Europe, along with rise of the Industrial Revolution all the way to Colonial Europe and the end of World War II and beginning of the Cold War.

1598

Qatif is repeated as the town “Catiffa” and the region “Elcatif.”. This map was published in 1598 by Flemish cartographer Jodocus Hondius (1563-1612). (source)

1602

A miniature map of the Persian Gulf published in 1602, from the first set of plates used to illustrate Bertius's 'Tabularum Geographicarum Contractarum'. Qatif appears as "Catiffa" (source).

1603

A miniature map of Arabia, an example of the first plate, without longitude or latitude scales. Map by BERTIUS, Petrus was published in Amsterdam in1603. Qatif appears as "Catiffa" and "ElCatif" (source).

1606

Map by Petrus Bertius Published Amsterdam 1606 by Cornelium Nicolai, in; "Tabularum Geographicarum Contractarum Libri Quinque". Qatif appears as "Catiffa". (source)

1610

A scarce map of Arabia, engraved by Heinrich Gross jnr. for a German edition of the travels of Ludovico di Varthema (or Barthema, c. 1470-1517), the first non-Muslim European to enter Mecca as a pilgrim. Qatif is mentioned as "Catiffa" and "Elcatif" (source).

A scarce map of the Persian Gulf, marking 'Barem', engraved by Heinrich Gross jnr. for a German edition of the travels of Ludovico di Varthema (or Barthema, c. 1470-1517). Qatif is mentioned as "Catiffa" (source).

1612

Barent Langenes map of the Straits of Hormuz first issued in his Caert-Thresoor and later re-published by Bertius in his Tabularum Geographicarum, beginning in 1600. Qatif apears as "Catiffa". This map was published in Amsterdam in 1612 (source)

1625

Hondius’ Map of the Turkish Empire from Samuel Purchas, Hakluytus Posthumus or Purchas His Pilgrimes, London 1625. The Arcadian Library (source). The map clearly labels the Arabian-Persian Gulf as "Mare elcatif"

1633

This map is from the 1633 German edition of the famous Mercator-Hondius Atlas. The cartography is largely based on the Ortelius map of 1570 which in turn drew on an earlier map by the Venetian geographer Jacobo Gastaldi (1500-1566).  The map labels the gulf as "Sinus Arabicus" or Arabian Gulf and identifies it as "Mare Elcatif", meaning the Sea of Al-Qatif. This map often cited as "historical evidence" of the use of the name Arabian Gulf (source).

1654

17th Century French Cartographer Nicolas Sanson created this map in 1654 in Paris. Qatif maked as "Cattif" in region of Bahrain (referred to as "Bahraim"), bordering the Arabian gulf named as "Mer d'El Cattif". The borders of the region resemble that of the Ottoman Lahsa Eyalet. (more can be found in this source).

source

1658

The town of Katife, ElCatif Desertum, and The Arabian Gulf is called “Mare elcatif olim Sinus Persicus” (Al Qatif Sea formerly known as the Persian Gulf). The map was published by the Dutch cartographer Johannes Janssonius (1588-1664), or Jan Jansson in 1658. (source). A very similar map can be found here.

1675

Qatif is clearly marked as the town of "Catifa", and the Arabian Gulf is called “Mare Elcatif ol Sinus Persicus” (Al Qatif, Persian Gulf). This portolan map by the Dutch engraver, publisher, and map seller Frederick de Wit in 1675. (source)

1707

Qatif is labeled as "El-Catif", and the map gives three names for Al Ahsa: “Ahsa,” “Labsa,” and “Lessa.” This 1707 map of the Arabian Peninsula and adjacent regions is the work of Dutch publisher Pieter van der Aa (1659-1733). (source).

1721

Qatif is marked as "El Catif", Al Hasa is labled as "El Ahsa" in this 1721 map by French mapmaker Guillaume de L’Isle. (source).

1740

Qatif is marked as "Al Katif", with the largest font of all cities around the Arabian Gulf. This 1740 map is by the French cartographer and hydrographer Jacques-Nicolas Bellin (1703-72). (source). A similar but colored map can be viewed here.

1745

Cropped section of German version of Jacques-Nicolas Bellin's engraved map of Arabia showing "Al Katif" (source).

1749

French map drafted by Robert de Vaugoudy. Qatif appears as "El Catif" and "Tarout" (source).

1774

Map published in Amsterdam by S.J. Baalde and Utrecht by J. van Schoonhoven & comp., 1774. (source)

1805

Map published in 1805, where Qatif is mentioned as "el Katiff". (source)

1835

This is one of the first American maps of the Arabian Gulf. Qatif is marked as "Katif", Tarout Island is labeled "Taroot", and Al-Hasa as "Lahsa". This 1835 map was made by Thomas Gamaliel Bradford, a Bostonian of a distinguished New England family. (source).

1842

The town of Qatif, labeled as "elKatif", is marked as the largest and most signficant city on the Arabian gulf. Also clearly marked is the peninsula of Ras Tannurah, the city of Hofuf as in "el Hofhuf" and Al-Hasa as in "El Hassa". This map defines the region of "El Katif" as extending from Half Moon Bay south of Dhahran all the way to Ras Al-Khair (Also called Ras Al-Zour, Ras Azzour) labeled as "Ras el-Ghas". This map was published in Paris in 1842 by French cartographer and engraver Pierre M. Lapie. (Source).

1848

Qatif town labeled as "el Katif", Saihat as "Seihat", Ras Tannurah and Djilla Assagn all included in the region of "el Katif". This 1848 map was made by by the French cartographer and engraver Pierre M. Lapie. (source).

1852

This 1852 map from the New Universal Atlas (USA) by the Philadelphia publisher Thomas, Cowperthwait & Co. show the town and Bay of Qatif as "ElKatif", "El Katif", along with Tarout as "Taroot", and Al-Hasa as Lasha. (source). Another 1864 map can be found here.  

1855

The map was published by J.H. Colton, New York in 1855. Showing Qatif as "El Katif". (source).

1866

The map was issued by the Geographical Institute of Weimar in 1866. Showing Qatif as "El-Katif" and the city of Kuwait as in "Kueit". (source).

1868

Samuel Augustus Mitchell (1792–1868) was a renowned American geographer and cartographer, who published this map in 1868, marking Qatif as "ElKatif". (source)

1871

This map appeared in William Gifford Palgrave's book: "Personal Narrative of A Year's Journey Through Central and Eastern Arabia (1862-63), published in 1871. The map engraved by J. Sulzer, Berlin, and published by Macmillan & Convent Garden, London in 1865. (source)

1885

This 1885 map by British London publisher Edward Stanford shows the region of Qatif under Ottoman territory marked all the way to Half Moon Bay south of Dhahran. The city of Qatif, labaled as "El Katiff", is connected to four different major routes, leading to Ha'il (home of Shammar), Diriyah, Al-Buraimi (in Oman) and Basra in the north.  The map also marks Ras Tanoora, and Tarout Island, labeled as "Terhat". Also, this is the first map that mentions Daman island, which is most likely associated with the settlement of Dammam (source). A similar map can be found here.

1891

This map of the Ottoman Vilayet of Basra (published by Gotha: Justus Perthes) shows the road routes in the former region of Lahsa Eyalet from Basra all the way to  the main Gulf coastal city of Qatif (El Katif)  passing through Kasima (Kadhima or Kazema) and Kuwait (Koeit) (Source: Adolf Stielers Handatlas).

1900's

Map by Edward Stanford, London nd ca 1900. Cover title: London Atlas Map of Persia. Qatif appears in the bottom of the map as "El Katiff" (source).

British map published by missionary and professor at Princeton University, Dr. Samuel Marinus Zwemer in 1900 in his book "Arabia: The Cradle of Islam". (Source)

This map was made at the beginning of the 20th century by Gustav Freytag. Highlighted here are el-Katif (Qatif), Tarut (Tarout), Ras Tannura (Ras Tanura) and Thahran (Dhahran). (source)

1922

Map of Arabia showing "El Katif" (source).

1922

Map of Arabia showing Qatif. Henry William Mardon - Encyclopædia Britannica, v. 30, 1922, p. 164 (source).

1926

Map of Arabia from The History of the Arabian Mission by Alfred Mason and Frederick Barney, 1926 (source).

1949

A 1949 map showing Queyt (Kuwait), Katif (Qatif), Bahreyn (Bahrain) and Hofuf (Hofhuf) as the only major cities in the eastern coast of Arabia. The whole region is defined as Hasa and Katif. (source).

1955

This map of the Middle East, originally published in August 1950 and revised in February 1955, was issued by the Aeronautical Chart and Information Center, Air Photographic and Charting Service, Military Air Transportation Service (MATS), of the United States Air Force. The map is one of the first ones using the standardized latin name for Qatif. (source)

It is very evident that Qatif remained to be the most prominent coastal town in Eastern Arabia, despite the wide variety of spellings used ( ranging from Catifa, Catiffa, Katif, ELKatif, Kateef , Katyf, Katiff, Katiffe, Qateef, El Katiff, Qaif, El Quatiff, Khatif, Cattif,  Catif, Katife, ElCatif, Cateef, Kutiffe, Kuteef, Khatif, ElKhatif to EL Cattif).

A Nostalgic Journey to Qatif's Old City

In the last few decades the city of Qatif has expanded in area and population in ways that makes it very challenging for new generations to even imagine the old Qatif, and the life-style Qatifis sustained for hundreds of years, if not thousands. 

According to Captain G. Forster Sadlier, the population of Qatif in 1819 was a little over 25 thousand people (source). 90 years later, the British Resident, John Gordon Lorimer, estimated the population of Qatif to be almost 30,000, specifying the population of "Qatif town" to be around 10,000 (source). Such population estimates indicate that Qatif's fortified city had a significantly high population density (reaching that of modern day Manhattan), especially given the small area of the fortified city and its suburbs (less than 0.4 km²).

Keeping that in mind, we try to go through a nostalgic journey back to the past in the following pictures with the aid of the modern map of Qatif.

The modern city of Qatif consists of Tarout Island, the towns of Al-Awamiyah, Anak, and other villages (Al-Bahari, Al-Qudaih, Al-Taubi, Al-Al-Jaroudiya, Al-Khuwailidiya, Hellat-Muhaish, Al-Malahha, Al-Jish,). The city sits at the heart of the Oasis which extends from Saihat all the way to Safwa, and is the remaining area of what used to be Historical Qatif.

Examining the landscape of Central Qatif, we can clearly observe a major change in the layout of the ruins of Qatif's Fortified City. As mentioned in the previous post, the land that remained after the demolition of Qatif's Fortified City was left as a barren land for more than 20 years, until after 2006 when the municipality began the construction of a public park. 

Above: The demolished area of Qatif's Fortified City was left as barren land for more than 20 years, until it was replaced with a modern park (below).

The current layout of the streets in central Qatif are heavily influenced by the limits of the Fortified City. As an example, let's examine the following area highlighted in red.

Central Qatif, highlighted in red, is known to be Qatif's oldest area.

The selected area includes the neighborhoods of AshShammassiyah, Bab Ash Shamal, Mayyas, Jarrari, Al-Shariah and Al-Gal'ah (the local name for the Fortified City). 

The existing small streets and large roads in Central Qatif correspond to ancient ones, as seen in the red square.

Now, we attempt to trace back the highlighted area to match those neighborhoods accordingly.

A superimposition of Qatif's Fortified City and its dependencies on modern Central Qatif.

Let's look at the city from its southern gate. Notice the area highlighted in the red box.

Central Qatif as viewed from the city's southern gates.

The selected area includes the neighborhoods of Ad-Dababiyyah, Al Kuwaykib, Umm Al -Jizam, Mayyas, and part of Al-Gal'ah (the local name for the Fortified City). 

A superimposition of Qatif's old Qatif on modern Central Qatif.

As we superimpose the images of Qatif's ancient city on the modern one, we notice:

• The complete destruction of the city's ancient buildings, squares, souks, hammams (public bathrooms) and other public spaces and facilities.
• The complete loss of all the palm-tree forests that surrounded the ancient city.

Modern Qatif (with old Qatif superimposed), as viewed form the City's southern gates.

As we zoom-out, we can clearly notice the growth of the city. and the complete loss of green habitat in Central Qatif.

Comparison of Qatif's Fortified City and its dependencies with the size of modern Qatif.

The above comparison allows us to better acknowledge the growth of city's size, and its expansion towards the sea and on agricultural land (see other posts on the extent of Land-reclamation & Urban Encroachment).

The modern Town of Tarout in the center of Tarout Island.

Next we looked at the town of Tarout on Tarout Island, and we attempted to examine the expansion of the town's settlement.

A superimposition of the ancient town of Tarout on its modern map.

Just like the case of Central Qatif, the expansion of Tarout Town came at the expense of agricultural land.

Qatif's mangrove wetlands (source) were destroyed for the development of an urban area, currently known as Al-Nassirah Neighborhood.

Next, we examine the change in the landscape and the complete loss of Qatif's major coastal wetlands, known to be the center of the oasis' mangrove forests. This historical forest area has been destroyed in favor of urbanization, and is currently referred to as Al-Nassirah neighborhood.

The coastal wetlands of Qatif can bee seen in the horizon of this picture. (source)

Qatif's landscape in the last 40 years has been subject to intense urbanization. (source)

A sketch of the Qatif Oasis looking due West. The Qatif  ancient waterfront has been completely urbanized via land-reclamation (source).

The nostalgic trip that these pictures took us through should be an essential historical journey to all residents of Qatif and Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province conurbation of the cities of Khobar-Dhahran-Dammam-Ras Tanura.
The knowledge of Qatif's historical landscape is critical to understanding the identity of this ancient coastal oasis.