This article analyses the processes by which the small territory of Mount Lebanon, an administrative subdivision of the Ottoman Empire known as a mutasarrifate, was described by Ottoman, European, and American map-makers. Among its key themes are the language(s) in which maps were presented, the evolving processes of knowledge transfer and the range of purposes-military, administrative, educational, and missionary-for which each example of regional map-making was aimed. Examining the role played in the territory and its mapping by military forces from Istanbul's imperial rivals over several decades, it recognises the pivotal role played by German officers seconded to the Ottoman Military Academy in Istanbul. One officer, Major Huber, was singularly influential in mapping politics and sectarianism in late Ottoman Mount Lebanon and across the wider empire, at a time when reforms had supposedly eradicated such administrative sectarianism.
How and why early modern printed maps, atlases, and globes were used is a central part of their material and cultural history, yet these questions form significant challenges. This article adopts an encounter-oriented approach to map history, using 'map encounters'-cartographic experiences documented in contextual sources-to analyse cultures of map use in the past. The central case study is the published travel journal of the German traveller and map collector Zacharias Conrad von Uffenbach. Retracing his 'cartographic journey' through the Dutch Republic (1710-1711), the article examines four key aspects of early modern map encounters: the spaces where they took place, the objects and actors involved, and the experiences they produced. The article shows how maps were kept and used in different settings, identifies which maps were considered curious or noteworthy (and why), and captures personal, physical, and emotional engagements with maps. It argues that map encounters reveal a wide range of cartographic experiences, many of which did not require critical analysis or full comprehension, highlighting the broader diversity of people and practices involved in early modern map use.
