On 21-23 April 2020 the ICA Commission on the History of Cartography and the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) – Department Istanbul will jointly host the 8th International Symposium on the History of Cartography. The venue will be the Library of the DAI, located in the heart of Istanbul, next to Taksim Square.
Since its massive expansion under Sultans Selim I (1512-20) and Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-66), the Ottoman Empire extended from the Algerian shores to Georgia in the Caucasus and from Hungary in the heart of Europe to Yemen on the shores of the Indian Ocean. Albeit in a long decline thereafter, the core of this multi-cultural conglomerate survived into the early 20th century, before it finally disintegrated after World War I. Throughout these five centuries, the Ottomans deeply influenced these heterogeneous countries with at times closer or looser ties to the metropolis Constantinople, leaving a multi-faceted cartographic legacy behind.
The symposium is open to everyone with an interest in the cartography of the (former) Ottoman countries during, but not limited to, the 16th to 20th centuries. The symposium will focus on two main themes:
1) “Cartography of the Ottoman Countries in Europe, Asia and Africa”
- Ottoman cartography (maps and charts, city and cadastral plans, thematic maps)
- Foreign cartography of Ottoman countries
- Geodesy and surveying methods developed under Ottoman rule and by foreign cartographers working in these areas
- The impact of the military on the development of cartography
- Cartographic collections in the former Ottoman countries and around the world
2) “Mapping Archaeological Sites, Landscapes and Excavations in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th and 20th Centuries”
- Technical and conceptual development of archaeological cartography, from the earliest site plans to the introduction of GIS and 3D reconstructions
- Dichotomy between “accurate” cartographic representation and archaeological interpretation when mapping manmade artefacts, features and landscapes
- Relationship between cartography, archaeology and the military
The venue of the 8th International Symposium on the History of Cartography will be the Library of the German Archaeological Institute in Istanbul in the heart of the city next to Taksim Square. To explore the city and its cartographic heritage, optional technical and social tours are planned.
Submission guidelines
- Deadline for submissions: 1 November 2019
- Notification of acceptance: 30 November 2019
All submissions must be sent electronically via the online submission system on the conference website. Please find all details here.
As with previous international symposia the organizers plan to publish accepted and presented papers and posters in the ICA series “History of Cartography” by Springer (Heidelberg et al.).
Questions regarding submissions can be addressed to:
The event is jointly organized by the ICA Commission on the History of Cartography and the German Archaeological Institute (DAI), Department Istanbul. For more information on the symposium and for the submission of abstracts please visit history.icaci.org/istanbul-2020.
