Old Map of Pakistan and the Indus by John Cary, c.1813

Pakistan and the Indus Valley in the Early Nineteenth Century

John Cary published this map in 1813 as Sindetic Hindoostan, or the Countries Occupied by the Sinde or Indus & its Branches. It formed part of his New Universal Atlas, an ambitious collection containing separate maps of countries and regions throughout the known world. The surviving catalogue record gives the map an approximate scale of 1:5,500,000 and describes its geographical subject as north-western India, with the relief represented by hachures.

Although we describe it today as an old map of Pakistan, the modern nation did not yet exist. Cary was portraying a much older geographical and political landscape, more than 130 years before Pakistan became an independent country. The boundaries, regional names and centres of power shown on the map therefore belong to a very different period.

A map built around the River Indus

The defining feature of the map is the River Indus. Cary’s title refers to the “Sinde or Indus & its branches”, using an older European spelling associated with both the river and the province of Sindh.

From its northern reaches, the Indus flows southwards through a succession of mountain valleys and plains before reaching Sindh. Near the coast it divides into numerous channels, forming the great delta visible at the lower end of the map. The dense pattern of rivers across Punjab is equally prominent, showing why the region became known as the land of five rivers.

For centuries, these waterways sustained agriculture, supplied towns and settlements, and provided routes through an otherwise difficult landscape. On Cary’s map, rivers are not simply decorative geographical features. They form the framework around which much of the country is arranged.

The map includes the courses of major tributaries flowing through Punjab, together with a remarkable number of lesser rivers and streams. Roads and routes run between settlements, often following river valleys or passing through breaks in the mountain ranges.

Pakistan before its modern borders

The territory represented here was divided among several rulers and regional powers when the map was published. Punjab was undergoing a period of considerable change under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, whose expanding Sikh kingdom was centred upon Lahore. In 1813—the same year in which Cary’s map appeared—Ranjit Singh gained control of the strategically important fort at Attock on the Indus. Multan and Kashmir would be incorporated into his territories during the following years.

Further south, Sindh was governed by the Talpur Mirs, a dynasty of Baluch origin whose principal centre was Hyderabad. They retained their independence for several more decades after Cary’s map was published. Sindh was not annexed by the British until 1843, while Punjab followed in 1849. Cary’s map therefore records the region before those major nineteenth-century changes in government and administration.

Afghan influence remained important to the north and west, particularly around Kabul and the approaches to Peshawar. The map extends beyond the limits of modern Pakistan because the Indus Valley was connected to a much broader network of trade, migration and political influence stretching towards Afghanistan, Persia and Central Asia.

Mountain passes provided the principal links between these regions. Cary gives considerable visual weight to the surrounding ranges, especially around Kashmir, Kabul and the north-western frontier. The dark lines of engraved hachures make the mountains appear almost like walls enclosing the river valleys and plains.

Historic towns and changing place names

Many familiar cities can be found on the map, although their names are sometimes written in older forms. Lahore stands prominently in Punjab, with Amritsar nearby. Multan lies further south, while Peshawar appears close to the mountain routes leading towards Kabul.

Hyderabad and Thatta are shown in Sindh, together with numerous smaller settlements along the lower Indus. Delhi appears near the eastern edge of the map, while Kashmir occupies the mountainous country in the north.

The spelling of place names was not yet standardised. European mapmakers often relied upon earlier maps, travel accounts, military reports and information supplied by merchants or officials. As a result, names such as Cashmere, Cabul, Sinde and Hindoostan appear in forms that differ from modern English usage.

These older spellings are part of the map’s historical interest. They show how British and European readers encountered the geography of South Asia at the beginning of the nineteenth century.

John Cary and his distinctive mapmaking style

John Cary was one of the leading British map engravers, publishers and globe makers of his period. Born around 1754, he began working independently in 1779 and later established his business in the Strand in London. His premises at 181 Strand became closely associated with the Cary name and appeared on many of his maps and globes.

Cary’s maps are generally admired for clarity rather than excessive ornament. Earlier eighteenth-century maps were often surrounded by elaborate cartouches, figures and symbolic decoration. Cary preferred a cleaner presentation in which roads, rivers, settlements, boundaries and physical geography remained the principal focus.

That approach is clearly visible here. The title is contained within a restrained oval cartouche, leaving most of the sheet available for geographical information. Fine engraved lettering allows hundreds of names to be included without overwhelming the map, while the lightly coloured boundaries help separate the different territories.

Mountain relief is shown with hachures—short engraved strokes laid closely together to suggest slopes and ranges. This was a common method before the widespread adoption of contour lines. The technique gives the northern mountains a strong physical presence and provides an effective contrast with the more open plains of Punjab and Sindh.

A record of the Indus world

Seen today, this map offers more than an early geographical representation of Pakistan. It records a landscape connected by rivers, mountain passes and historic cities at a moment when the political map of the region was changing rapidly.

Modern borders had not yet been drawn, railways had not transformed travel, and cities such as Karachi had not grown into the vast urban centres known today. Instead, Cary presents a world shaped by the Indus and its tributaries, by the mountains of Kashmir and Afghanistan, and by the old routes linking Lahore, Multan, Peshawar, Hyderabad, Kabul and Delhi.

The map’s soft colouring, delicate engraving and wealth of historic detail make it an attractive decorative print. At the same time, its old place names and vanished boundaries provide a rewarding subject for closer study—particularly for those with family, cultural or historical connections to Pakistan and the wider Indus Valley.