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Middle East & North Africa in 1520

This map shows the 36 states and peoples the data has for Middle East & North Africa in that year.

Map of Middle East & North Africa in 1520 with 36 states and peoples
Borders: Cliopatria, Seshat Global History Databank (CC BY 4.0). Coarse outlines: check and adjust them for your story.

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States and peoples in Middle East & North Africa in 1520

Largest first, by area on this map.

  • Safavid Dynasty
  • Ottoman Empire
  • Kingdom of Spain
  • Songhai Empire
  • Funj Sultanate
  • Wattasid dynasty
  • Hafsid Dynasty
  • Bornu Empire
  • Mali Empire
  • Zayyanid dynasty
  • Khanate of Bukhara
  • Kingdom of Portugal
  • Ethiopian Empire
  • Khanate of Khiva
  • Nogai Horde
  • Bahrani Dynasty
  • Shirvan
  • Kingdom of Georgia
  • Kingdom of Kakheti
  • Papal States
  • Republic of Venice
  • Adal Sultanate
  • Republic of Genoa
  • Kingdom of Imereti
  • Principality of Mingrelia
  • Portuguese Africa
  • Holy Roman Empire Minor States
  • Principality of Guria
  • Kingdom of France
  • County of Foix
  • Republic of Ragusa
  • Portuguese Empire
  • Principality of Abkhazia
  • County of Urgell
  • Timurid Empire
  • Republic of Florence

New on the map since 1495

Safavid Dynasty · Kingdom of Spain · Funj Sultanate · Khanate of Bukhara · Khanate of Khiva · Portuguese Africa · Portuguese Empire

Gone from the map by 1545

Nogai Horde · Bahrani Dynasty · Shirvan · Timurid Empire

Animated maps of this time

Middle East & North Africa in other years

Other regions in 1520

The outlines are coarse and follow the Cliopatria dataset: borders before modern surveys are estimates, and a blank area means the data has no state on record there, not that nobody lived there. A state that changed hands during the year can appear together with its successor.