This book is a historical study of the survey and mapping system of Palestine under the British Mandate. It traces the background and the reasoning behind the establishment of the survey programme, examines the foundations upon which the system was based, and strives to understand the motivation of those who implemented it. This study shows that the roots of the modern survey system of Palestine are to be sought in the Balfour Declaration and its implications regarding land in Palestine. The land issue was at the core of the mapping of Mandatory Palestine, and it remains as a core issue at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.

Reviews

'It is a tribute to Dr Gavish that he has so successfully incorporated and interwined the many threads relating to the survey, personalities involved and the effect of changing national and international politics. The result is an extremely fascinating, readable and learned account of the Survey of Palestine.' - IMCoS Journal

'Dr Dov Gavish of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is to be congratulated for his masterly control of the fascinating subject of his book. The research undertaken has been based on extensive, and quoted, source material.' - IMCoS Journal

'The appearance of this book is to be applauded: Gavish has succeeded… in resurrecting an otherwise forgotten yet nonetheless important cartographic episode.' - Matthew H. Edney, Imago Mundi, Volume 59 Issue 2, 2007

Contents

Part 1: The Mapping of Palestine: Historical Background 1. The First Maps Based on Original Surveys 2. The Transitional Period - From the Land Problem Under the Military Administration to the Survey System of the Government of Palestine Part 2: The Survey System 3. Organizing the System 4. Geodetic and Cartographic Considerations Part 3: The Cadastral Survey 5. The Survey and Land Settlement Systems, 1920-1927 6. The Cadastral Maps 7. The Survey and Land Settlement Systems, 1928-1948 Part 4: The Topogrp 8. The Topographic Map - A National Monument 9. The Topographic Map - Layout, Structure, Sources Part 5: The Map of Mandate Palestine 10. The Map of Palestine and the Imperial Cartographic System

Author Bio

Dov Gavish is Director of the Ariel Photographs Archives, and also lectures in the Department of Geography, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His previous publications include 50 Years of Mapping Israel, 1948-1999, Salt of the Earth: From the Palestine Potash to the Dead Sea Works and Land and Map: The Survey of Palestine, 1920-1948.