Этнографическая карта Дагестанской области. С показанием границ округов, полицейских участков и сельских обществ is Kondratenko’s audacious 1895 portrait of a land where language, lineage, and landscape interlock. One of the first detailed ethnographic maps of the Caucasus, it distills the mountainous marches between the Caspian littoral and the high ramparts of the Greater Caucasus into a lucid, color‑coded mosaic. Thirty distinct peoples—among them Persians, Tats, Avars, Tatars, and Jews—are differentiated with crisp clarity, their territories tinted in bright, discrete hues and keyed to an authoritative legend. Bold boundary lines thread across valleys and passes to mark districts and police jurisdictions, while rivers and ridgelines quietly reveal the natural logic behind many frontiers. A decorative cartouche and intricate title typography crown the composition, underscoring both scholarly ambition and courtly aesthetic refinement.

Its maker, Lieutenant‑General Elisey Isidorovich Kondratenko, was not merely an officer but a meticulous researcher intent on mastering the human geography of an unruly frontier. Drawing on family lists and the reach of state police networks, he assembled a dataset of unusual intimacy and scale, yielding a synoptic view rarely attainable in the 19th century. The map draws intellectual lineage from a separate atlas of Caucasian ethnography issued in 1893, here refined and expanded into a dedicated statement for Dagestan. In Kondratenko’s hands, administrative exactitude becomes ethnographic revelation: the careful dovetailing of social units and state districts serves both as an instrument of governance and as a rare scientific record of self‑defined communities.

Design carries the argument. Distinct, luminous colors settle into tessellated patches that follow foothills, river terraces, and alpine basins; each tint returns in the legend with an ethnonym that invites close reading. Boundary hierarchies are rendered with satisfying boldness—thicker lines for districts, finer strokes for police precincts—so the state’s administrative skeleton is visible at a glance. Relief shading and the disciplined tracing of mountain chains conjure the Caucasus as more than backdrop: a determining force in where peoples live and how they meet. Rivers like the Sulak and Samur, and the lowlands sweeping toward the Terek, double as cultural seams, while the title block’s calligraphy and the ornamental cartouche add a flourish of metropolitan polish to a map born of rugged terrain.

Kondratenko’s composition is as much a social diagram as a geographic one. The notation of rural communities (selskie obshchestva) discloses how kinship, village federations, and customary law knit together—and sometimes resist—imperial overlays. Ethnic distributions ripple from highland enclaves to steppe margins, articulating the complex identities for which Dagestan is renowned. With the region’s population estimated around 570,000 in the 1890s, density gradients and settlement clusters emerge without crowding the page, maintaining legibility where many sources falter. The result is a precise tableau of difference and adjacency, produced in a province that had formally joined the Russian Empire in 1802 yet retained a famously independent spirit—a tension the map captures with exact, unemotional linework.

Geography grounds the narrative in familiar names. Along the Caspian shore lie the precincts encompassing today’s Makhachkala, while southward the ancient stronghold of Derbent guards the famed Caspian Gates. North and west, the plains around present‑day Khasavyurt give way to the rising foothills that cradle Buynaksk, and farther north the vineyards and wetlands near Kizlyar meet the great northern rivers. Valleys carved by the Avar and Andi Koisu, uniting as the Sulak, mark corridors and divides that Kondratenko turns into legible boundaries. By aligning ethnic color fields with administrative districts and the sinew of mountain and river, the map lays bare the durable grammar of Dagestan—its passages, fortresses, watersheds, and peoples—rendered with a precision that continues to inform and fascinate.

Cities and towns on this map

• Makhachkala — Population: ~600,000
• Derbent — Population: ~120,000
• Khasavyurt — Population: ~120,000
• Buynaksk — Population: ~70,000
• Kizlyar — Population: ~50,000

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Delineation of different ethnic territories with distinct colors.
• Boundaries of districts and police stations marked with bold lines.
• A legend explaining the color coding related to different ethnic groups.
• Geographic features, including mountains and rivers serving as boundaries.
• The title block featuring intricate typography.

Historical and design context

• Year Created: 1895.
• The Dagestan region formally became part of the Russian Empire in 1802, yet its citizens retained a strong sense of independence.
• The region has a history of resistance against Russian control and has been involved in separatist movements.
• Kondratenko used data largely obtained through family lists and state police networks, making it a unique source of ethnographic data.
• The map was initially part of a separate atlas published in 1893, chronicling ethnographic studies of the Caucasian region.
• The map employs bright colors to represent different ethnic groups and administrative boundaries.
• Features a decorative cartouche that enhances the map's aesthetic appeal.
• It is considered one of the first detailed ethnographic maps of the Caucasian region.
• Reflects the complexity of nationality and identity in a region known for its diverse ethnic makeup.

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 90in (230cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 24x36in (60x90cm) version of this map.

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.

For most orders, delivery time is about 3 working days. Personalised and customised products take longer, as I have to do the personalisation and send it to you for approval, which usually takes 1 or 2 days.

Please note that very large framed orders usually take longer to make and deliver. 

If you need your order to arrive by a certain date, please contact me before you order so that we can find the best way of making sure you get your order in time.

I print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world. This means your order will be made locally, which cuts down on delivery time and ensures that it won't be damaged during delivery. You'll never pay customs or import duty, and we'll put less CO2 into the air.

All of my maps and art prints are well packaged and sent in a rugged tube if unframed, or surrounded by foam if framed.

I try to send out all orders within 1 or 2 days of receiving your order, though some products (like face masks, mugs and tote bags) can take longer to make.

If you select Express Delivery at checkout your order we will prioritise your order and send it out by 1-day courier (Fedex, DHL, UPS, Parcelforce).

Next Day delivery is also available in some countries (US, UK, Singapore, UAE) but please try to order early in the day so that we can get it sent out on time.

Read my full delivery and local production guide

My standard frame is a gallery style black ash hardwood frame. It is simple and quite modern looking. My standard frame is around 20mm (0.8in) wide.

I use super-clear acrylic (perspex/acrylite) for the frame glass. It's lighter and safer than glass - and it looks better, as the reflectivity is lower.

Six standard frame colours are available for free (black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white and antique gold). Custom framing and mounting/matting is available if you're looking for something else.

Most maps, art and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte (not shiny) cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced box wood frame, and then 'float' the piece within a wood frame. The end result is quite beautiful, and there's no glazing to get in the way.

All frames are provided "ready to hang", with either a string or brackets on the back. Very large frames will have heavy duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

See some examples of my framed maps and framed canvas maps.

Alternatively, I can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag and other materials.

If you want to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read my size guide first.

Alcune delle mie vecchie mappe sono ora disponibili come tele incorniciate. Per favore contattami se desideri ordinare una dimensione che non è disponibile nel mio negozio.

Le vecchie mappe su tela sono un'alternativa interessante alle mappe incorniciate in modo convenzionale. A seconda del tuo gusto personale e dell'arredamento della stanza, le mappe su tela possono "risaltare" un po' di più rispetto a una mappa incorniciata.

Scopri di più sulle mie mappe su tela incorniciate.

My maps are extremely high quality reproductions of original maps.

I source original, rare maps from libraries, auction houses and private collections around the world, restore them at my London workshop, and then use specialist giclée inks and printers to create beautiful maps that look even better than the original.

My maps are printed on acid-free archival matte (not glossy) paper that feels very high quality and almost like card. In technical terms the paper weight/thickness is 10mil/200gsm. It's perfect for framing.

I print with Epson ultrachrome giclée UV fade resistant pigment inks - some of the best inks you can find.

I can also make maps on canvas, cotton rag and other exotic materials.

Learn more about The Unique Maps Co.

Map personalisation

If you're looking for the perfect anniversary or housewarming gift, I can personalise your map to make it truly unique. For example, I can add a short message, or highlight an important location, or add your family's coat of arms.

The options are almost infinite. Please see my map personalisation page for some wonderful examples of what's possible.

To order a personalised map, select "personalise your map" before adding it to your basket.

Get in touch if you're looking for more complex customisations and personalisations.

Map ageing

I have been asked hundreds of times over the years by customers if they could buy a map that looks even older.

Well, now you can, by selecting Aged before you add a map to your basket.

All the product photos you see on this page show the map in its Original form. This is what the map looks like today.

If you select Aged, I will age your map by hand, using a special and unique process developed through years of studying old maps, talking to researchers to understand the chemistry of aging paper, and of course... lots of practice!

If you're unsure, stick to the Original colour of the map. If you want something a bit darker and older looking, go for Aged.

See some amazing examples of Aged maps.

Se non sei soddisfatto del tuo ordine per qualsiasi motivo, contattami per un rimborso senza problemi. Si prega di consultare la nostra politica di reso e rimborso per ulteriori informazioni.

Sono molto sicuro che ti piacerà la tua mappa restaurata o la stampa d'arte. Lo faccio dal 1984. Sono un venditore Etsy a 5 stelle. Ho venduto decine di migliaia di mappe e stampe d'arte e ho oltre 5.000 recensioni reali a 5 stelle.

Utilizzo un processo unico per restaurare mappe e opere d'arte che richiede molto tempo e lavoro. Trovare le mappe e le illustrazioni originali può richiedere mesi. Utilizzo tecnologia all'avanguardia e incredibilmente costosa per scannerizzare e restaurarle. Di conseguenza, garantisco che le mie mappe e stampe d'arte siano superiori alle altre - ecco perché posso offrire un rimborso senza problemi.

Quasi tutte le mie mappe e stampe d'arte sembrano fantastiche a grandi dimensioni (200 cm, 6,5 piedi+) e posso anche incorniciarle e consegnarle a te, tramite un corriere speciale per oggetti di grandi dimensioni. Contattami per discutere delle tue esigenze specifiche.