The Mongolian Maps
The collection of Mongolian maps from the late Qing period presented here originates from the estate of Hermann Consten. Consten gained renown for his travels to Mongolia, undertaken around the time of the fall of the Manchu dynasty in 1911–1912, which he later documented in a work that remains compelling reading to this day (Weideplätze der Mongolen, 2 vols., Berlin 1919–1920). During his subsequent residence in Beijing, which lasted until 1946, he assembled a collection of Mongolian manuscript maps. Following his death, the collection passed into the possession of the West German Library in Marburg and is now held by the State Library.
The collection was catalogued by Walther Heissig. His 'Mongolische Handschriften, Blockdrucke, Landkarten', a work of considerable scholarly significance, was published as the inaugural volume of the series Verzeichnis der Orientalischen Handschriften in Deutschland and serves as the essential reference for the maps presented here in digital form. Thanks to the generous permission of Franz Steiner Verlag, the catalogue's foreword was made available on the original version of this database when it launched in 2008.
You can find an overview of all the maps here.
Individual regions can be searched directly below:
A. Provinz Kansu (Nr. 672-673)
B. Provinz Sinkiang (Nr. 674-676)
C. Äußere Mongolei (Nr. 677-679)
I. Kobdo-Uriyangkhai-Distrikt (Nr. 677-687)
II. Dzasakhtu Khan-Distrikt (Nr. 688-701)
III. Sayin Noyan Khan-Distrikt (Nr. 702-706)
IV. Tüsiyetü Khan-Distrikt (Nr. 707-732)
V. Setsen Khan-Distrikt (Nr. 733-779)
D. Innere Mongolei (Nr. 780-853)
I. Stämme des Nonni-Tales (Nr. 780)
III. Dzosutu-Bund (Nr. 791-796)
V. Shilinghol-Bund (Nr. 807-828)
VI. Ulantsab-Bund (Nr. 829-832)
VII. Yeke Dzuu-Bund (Nr. 833-853)
The metadata for each map has been drawn selectively from Heissig's catalogue entries; for full details, readers are referred to that publication. Map titles have been reproduced as given in the catalogue, without modification. The same applies to dates (where recorded), receipt notes from the Chinese authorities in Beijing, collation notes including dimensions, and geographical classifications by Chinese province or present-day Mongolia (referred to by Heissig as 'Outer Mongolia'). Shelf marks of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin and catalogue numbers corresponding to Heissig's map descriptions are also included. All of this information is fully searchable via the search box.
In September 2008, the President of Mongolia, Nambaryn Enkhbayar, became the first recipient of a digital copy of this map collection, presented to him by Federal President Horst Köhler during his official state visit to Mongolia. On this occasion, full-size reproductions of selected maps were also presented. The photograph below conveys something of the form, scale, and aesthetic quality of these remarkable historical maps.
Presentation of full-size reproductions by Federal President Horst Köhler to the President of Mongolia, Mr Nambaryn Enkhbayar, in September 2008.