A truly beautiful road map of Iraq, designed by Abbas Sahab (1921-2000), a man “considered by many as the father of modern Persian cartography” (Firooznia, Encyclopaedia Iranica). While most of Sahab’s output focused on Iran, his company also produced handsome maps of regional neighbours in the Middle East.
This road map of Iraq expertly mixes utilitarian clarity with pictorial flourishes. Delineating the road network of the country, it not only shows the main paved roads but also unpaved roads and smaller roads still suitable for motor vehicles. A table of distances fills the bottom third of the sheet and a selection of attractive illustrations enliven the negative space. The illustrations include an Arab horse, a bedouin on camelback and Al-Kadhimiyya Mosque.
Sahab moved to Tehran at the age of seven and entered the new education system established under Reza Shah Pahlavi, showing unusual ability in the fields of drawing and drafting. Encouraged by his father, the famous author Ostad Abolghasem Sahab Tafreshi, he began making maps as a teenager - his first detailed effort was a map of Tehran, duplicated in “a few hundred blueprints” (ibid.).
Perhaps encouraged by his son’s enthusiasm, Abolghasem established the Sahab Geographic and Drafting Institute (SGDI) in 1935, which was the first private enterprise of its kind in Iran. Abbas duly entered the family business and eventually took over from his father, devoting himself to cartography and gaining international respect with the quality and range of his output. Thanks to its strong foundations, the business still runs today, led by Abbas’s sons.
Firouz Firooznia, ’Sahab, ‘Abbas’ in Encyclopaedia Iranica, Jan. I, 2000 (accessed 14 December 2021).
