A Map of Arabic Presses and Publishing Houses in the Levant and Egypt (18th–19th Centuries)

For my midterm/final project, I would like to create a historical map of publishing houses and presses in the Levant and Egypt during the 18th and 19th centuries. This period marks the birth of the printing industry in the Middle East and a major turning point in the region’s intellectual and cultural life. The emergence of publishing houses and presses was closely tied to the Arabic Awakening (Nahda), which revitalized literature, science, and political thought.

The map will document the locations of key publishing houses and presses and indicate whether they were state-owned, private, or missionary institutions. I will research historical bibliographies and academic sources to gather information about their names, active periods, and notable works produced. By visualizing this information, the project will provide a clearer understanding of how publishing activity was distributed across the region during this transformative era.

This project will offer insights into the early history of Arabic print culture and the intellectual environment of the time.