{"product_id":"cairus-quae-olim-babylon-aegypti-maxima-urbs-1572","title":"1572 Cairus, Quae Olim Babylon, Aegypti Maxima Urbs","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn exceptionally detailed 16th-century bird's-eye view of Cairo, depicting one of the largest and most important cities in the Islamic world, together with the Nile River, the pyramids of Giza, and the Great Sphinx.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePublished by Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg in their celebrated Civitates Orbis Terrarum, first issued in 1572, the engraving presents an expansive panorama of Egypt's capital, with thousands of closely packed buildings, mosques, minarets, fortified walls, gardens, and surrounding agricultural lands. The city's immense scale is emphasized by the dense arrangement of buildings stretching toward the distant mountains.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eCairo and the Wonders of Ancient Egypt\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe view depicts Cairo during the period of Ottoman rule, which began in 1517. The Nile winds across the foreground, with boats navigating its waters and crocodiles appearing along its banks. On the right, the pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx are illustrated among the desert hills, accompanied by Latin commentary describing these ancient monuments. The surrounding countryside includes orchards, cultivated fields, villages, and roads approaching the city. In the foreground, travelers ride horses and donkeys, groups of mounted men engage in exercises, and figures in traditional dress provide a glimpse of Egyptian life as interpreted by European artists of the period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eBraun and Hogenberg's Great City Atlas\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe engraving was published in the first volume of Civitates Orbis Terrarum, the ambitious six-volume atlas of city views assembled by Georg Braun and engraved principally by Frans Hogenberg. Issued between 1572 and 1617, the work brought together hundreds of European and international cities, combining detailed urban views with information about their inhabitants, architecture, and customs. The Cairo panorama was based on an earlier view attributed to the Venetian artist Matteo Pagano, produced around 1549, and became one of the most recognizable early European depictions of the Egyptian capital.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe title, Cairus Quae Olim Babylon, Aegypti Maxima Urbs, translates approximately to “Cairo, formerly Babylon, the greatest city of Egypt,” referring to the ancient settlement of Babylon in Egypt near present-day Old Cairo. The original Latin descriptive text remains printed on the reverse of this example, providing an account of the city's buildings, population, customs, and history. With its extensive architectural detail and depictions of both ancient monuments and contemporary life, the engraving offers an unusually comprehensive European view of Cairo during the sixteenth century.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"New World Cartographic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44376211030077,"sku":"13436","price":1000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0390\/9705\/files\/13436a_Cairus_Quae_Olim_Babylon_Aegypti_Maxima_Urbs_Braun_Hogenberg_1572.jpg?v=1793832843","url":"https:\/\/nwcartographic.com\/products\/cairus-quae-olim-babylon-aegypti-maxima-urbs-1572","provider":"New World Cartographic","version":"1.0","type":"link"}