Nautical atlas of Sharafī al-Ṣifāqsī, 'Alī ibn Aḥmad in Portolan atlas containing a world map, regional maps of the Mediterranean, and astronomical and chronological tables, c. 1571 - Accession: MS. Marsh 294, Oxford, Bodleian Library
The radial lines of the grid underneath the Kaaba remind us of nautical atlases that were used to guide Muslim prayer to qibla, the direction of the Kaaba. The example of a nautical atlas in the image above dates back to the sixteenth century, with names of places near guiding lines leading to the Kaaba. The Kaaba signals both the direction of prayer and the path of hajj journey, turning Muslims to face a common center.
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