Description

A large separately published my of Asia in Turkish language was possibly issued in the first year of the mandated Turkish alphabet, which was a part of the Atatürk’s Reforms.

The map is beautifully adorned on both sides with flags, including (on the left, top to bottom:) Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Hejaz, Siam, Syria, (on the right, top to bottom:) Russia, Japan, Yemen, Afghanistan, Annam (French protectorate encompassing Central Vietnam) and China.

The map can be dated in 1928, immediately after the transition of the Turkish script from Ottoman to Latin letters. Many names appear to be vocal transcriptions from the Ottoman and were later replaced by more uniformed Turkish worlds.

The Chinese flag is still represented as the  First flag of the Republic of China, or “Five-colored flag”, which was changed in 1928 and the Syrian flag is the one from the time of the State of Syria (1925-1930) under the French Mandate. The most unusual flag is the Afghan flag, which seems to be an improvised version of more elaborate drafts used under the rule of King Amanullah in the 1920s (last used in 1929, before being replaced by the more known tricolor).