1878 Wyld’s Military Staff Map of Central Asia and Afghanistan.

This remarkable, highly detailed large-scale map was created during a military conflict known as the Second Anglo-Afghan War, one of three such wars, each of which pitted the British Raj (Crown rule in India) against Afghanistan. The wars were fought due to the British desire to establish a buffer between themselves in India and the rapidly, ever-expanding Russian Empire. The third of these wars resulted in defeat for the British and the establishment of Afghanistan as a sovereign state.  Issued as a folding map on linen backing, the work is divided into forty sections with outline hand coloring for territorial boundaries. The map covers a broad swathe of territory starting from the Caspian Sea and Niriz, Persia (modern day Iran) at its westernmost points and extending eastward as far as Issik Kul Lake in the northeast, and Delhi in the southeast. Created specifically for military use, the map could scarcely be more highly detailed, and would have been of great value in the field. A fe