https://www.davidrumsey.com/blog/2025/9/28/map-of-near-and-middle-east-oil-1965 [ ] * Home [ ] + The Collection * About [ ] + Collection History + David Rumsey + A Stranger Quest Film + Copyright and Permissions + Panoramas of Original Rumsey Library Space + Flash Collection Tour + David Rumsey Map Center at Stanford Library * View Collection [ ] + View Collection + LUNA Viewer external + AI Search Assist + Interactive Globes + Georeferencer external + MapRank Search external + Google Earth external + Google Maps external + Second Life external + Insight Java Client 6.3 + Collections Ticker + Atlases + View All Illustrated Categories + Browse By Categories: What, Where, Who, When + Past Ways to View The Collections * Publications [ ] + Cartographica Extraordinaire + Past Time, Past Place + Mapping the West + San Francisco in Maps + Reproductions + Rumsey Map Catalogs + Maps Up Close * Blog [ ] + All Categories + Recent Additions + News + Featured Maps + Related Collections + Videos * Help [ ] + Help Center + Contact + Switch Site Colors + Join Our Mail List * * Share [ ] + [ ] (*)by Maps ( )by Text on Maps [Go] David Rumsey Map Collection Cartography Associates powered by Luna Imaging Browse 142,380 Maps and Images [ ] * Featured Maps * September 28, 2025 * Share this Post Link to share:[ ] Shortcuts: FacebookTwitterMyspaceDelicious BloggerLinked InRedditStumbleUpon DiggSlashdotTechnoratiEmail Close Menu Map of Near and Middle East Oil 1965 [16659000] 7th edition of the Map of Near and Middle East Oil. Published by B. Orchard Lisle, International Oil Consultant, Pertroleum Technologist, Research Analystd, 1965. Majestic Bldg., Fort Worth Texas Networks are a central visual and analytical feature of this map. Here's a breakdown of the networks present, what they mean, and how they relate to the map's context: --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Oil and Gas Pipeline Networks * Major Pipelines: Heavy lines traverse the map, notably from Iraq (Kirkuk) to the Mediterranean (Tripoli, Haifa), from the Persian Gulf inland, and across the Arabian Peninsula. These pipelines connect oilfields to export terminals and refineries, forming the literal backbone of the Middle Eastern oil economy. + Example: The Iraq Petroleum Company pipeline runs from northern Iraq westward to the Mediterranean. + Additional Examples: Pipelines from Abadan (Iran), Dhahran-Dammam (Saudi Arabia), and Kuwait to coastlines and terminals. * Legend: The legend at lower center distinguishes between types of pipelines (existing, under construction, projected). 2. Oilfield and Refinery Networks * Fields and Refineries: Networks of oilfields (clusters of wells, symbolized by icons) are shown in: + Southeastern Iran + Kuwait + Eastern Saudi Arabia (Ghawar, Dhahran) + Northern Iraq + Bahrain + Qatar + Baku (Azerbaijan) * Refineries and Terminals: These are networked nodes, connected by pipelines and shipping routes. 3. Concession and Ownership Networks * Company Areas: Shaded patterns and color blocks delineate which multinational or national company controls which areas. + Inset tables and lower text blocks list the principal owners, revealing a web of corporate and political control stretching across national borders. * Contracts and Permits: These are mapped as overlapping zones, emphasizing the legal and economic network underlying physical infrastructure. 4. Maritime and Shipping Networks * Tanker Terminals: Coastal nodes show where oil is loaded for maritime transport, connecting Middle Eastern production to global consumption. * Shipping Routes: While not always explicitly drawn, the proximity of terminals to major sea lanes (Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Mediterranean) suggests the networked nature of oil export. 5. Regional and International Networks * Inset Maps: Marginal insets provide high-density detail for network nodes (e.g., Kuwait, Dhahran, Baku), showing how networks become denser at critical points. * Transnational Connections: Pipelines and concession boundaries frequently cross modern political borders, underlining the supra-national character of the oil network. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Interpretive Significance * Technical and Political Network: The map reveals not just the physical infrastructure but the political-economic web of relationships--companies, concession boundaries, and intergovernmental arrangements. * Historical Context: In 1965, these networks were dominated by Western companies, but the complexity also hints at coming shifts (nationalization, OPEC). * Integrated System: The map visually asserts that the Middle East's oil is not a collection of isolated sites, but a tightly interwoven system shaping global politics and economics. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Conclusion The map is a diagram of networks--pipelines, oilfields, terminals, company concessions, and shipping routes--depicting the Middle East's oil as a vast, interdependent system. These networks are both physical (infrastructure) and abstract (ownership, contracts), making the map a powerful tool for understanding the strategic importance and international entanglement of oil in the mid-20th century. 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Learn more Twitter --------------------------------------------------------------------- Tweets by DavidRumseyMaps Reproductions --------------------------------------------------------------------- Buy prints through LUNA Viewer. Learn more AR Globe --------------------------------------------------------------------- [ar-globe-7] Try an augmented reality experience with historical globes. Download the AR Globe App Globes 1.2 for Apple Vision Pro --------------------------------------------------------------------- [globes-app] Explore the most beautiful globes from the David Rumsey Map Center at Stanford Libraries. Enlarge the globes to view the finest details, see them as large 360-degree panoramas, and animate them to cycle through a selection of your favorite globes. Download the app for your Apple Vision Pro Find our maps and others on Webby Award winner in Technical Achievement Registered Data Provider Browse * Home * About * View Collection * Publications * Blog * Help Luna Imaging LUNA is a web-hosted software solution developed to display, manage and preserve all types of digital archive collections, image collections, special collections and library collections. Learn more Reproductions Buy prints through LUNA Viewer. Learn more Apps [ar-globe-7] AR Globe Try an augmented reality experience with historical globes. Download the AR Globe App [globes-app] Globes 1.2 for Apple Vision Pro Explore the most beautiful globes from the David Rumsey Map Center at Stanford Libraries. Download the app for your Apple Vision Pro Acknowledgements Webby Award winner in Technical Achievement Registered Data Provider Share Mailchimp Join Our Mail List Discover Find our maps and others on Copyright (c)2025 Cartography Associates. All Rights Reserved. Learn more