Members of the Geography Department have been involved in negotiating for historic Hagannah maps now in private hands. They learned of the existence of these maps during a survey they have been conducting of the location of map archives and of public and private cartographic collections. The intention is to establish a national repository of the historic mapping of Israel, in part to document developments both in this field itself and in spatial aspects of the area. Some of the maps of the Land of Israel date back to the 16th century.

Maps and aerial photos that the Department cannot obtain, it hopes to photocopy in the effort to set up a computerized database of historic maps and aerial photos of Israel. The Department was selected to undertake the important national project by the Ministry of Housing’s Center for the Mapping of Israel.

Heading the project are Dr. Ammatzia Pelled, Dr. Arnon Golan, and Mr. Giora Heth of the Department of Geography. The Department has been involved in cartography since its establishment.

There are four categories of maps that the researchers are attempting to uncover:

1. historic maps, from the Middle Ages to the present day;
2. historic-cartographic maps, which began to be produced in the mid-19^th century, some of them by private individuals like researchers and European tourists and others by governmental authorities like the British Mandatory Government and the State of Israel;
3. geographic and topographic maps prepared in recent years, which will constituted a basis for future historical research;
4. various thematic maps produced by different parties who were involved in describing such spatial phenomena as population dispersal, boundaries, vegetation growth, geological activity, and more.

The resultant databank will enable researchers and all other interested parties convenient access to raw material. This will permit the initiation of studies that currently are too difficult to undertake because of the great amount of time and expense involved in gathering this material.

The Geography Department has issued a call to anyone who has a historic map of the Land of Israel or an aerial photograph of the area to donate the material or at least get in touch with one of the researchers. It would make a nice 50^th birthday gift for the State.