Carte des Costes de Perse, Guzarat et Malabar. Kaart van de Kusten van Persie, Guzaratte en Malabar

Antique original map of the coasts of Persia, Gujarat and Malabar, engraved by Jacques-Nicolas Bellin and published in Amsterdam around 1750. The title appears in French and Dutch: ‘Carte des Costes de Perse, Guzarat et Malabar’ and ‘Kaart van de Kusten van Persie, Guzaratte en Malabar’. The map covers a large area of the western Indian Ocean, from the coasts of the Persian Gulf in present-day Iran to the Malabar coast in south-western India, by way of the Gujarat region. During the 18th century, this area was one of the busiest trade routes in the world, connecting Europe with Asia through ports where spices, textiles and other goods were exchanged. The European powers, especially France, the Netherlands and England, competed for control of the maritime trade in these waters. Jacques-Nicolas Bellin (1703-1772) was geographer to the French Ministry of the Navy and the author of numerous nautical maps used for navigation and trade.