Mapping Power : History of Landscape in the Jordan Valley

Ben Gitai

ISBN 10: 2889156729 / ISBN 13: 9782889156726

Published by Presses Polytechniques Et Universitaires Romandes Aug 2026, 2026

About this Item

Neuware - An excavation of the Jordan Valley's hidden history, depicting how mapping has not only documented territorial disputes but actively shaped them. For millennia, landscapes have been battlegrounds of power, history, and identity--nowhere more so than in the Jordan Rift Valley. In Mapping Power: History of Landscape in the Jordan Valley, Ben Gitai unearths the hidden forces that have shaped Naharayim/Al-Baqoura, a politically charged site at the crossroads of empire and conflict. Blending political geography and historical analysis, Gitai reveals how mapping and cartography have been wielded as tools of control by successive rulers, ranging from the Ottoman Empire and the British Mandate to present-day territorial disputes. Over one hundred and fifty years, this valley has been transformed by competing visions of land, water, and national identity, making it a microcosm of the enduring tensions in the Holy Land. Offering an intricate analysis of place and power, this book challenges conventional narratives of landscape history and exposes how maps do not merely document history but shape it.

Seller Inventory # 9782889156726

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Mapping Power : History of Landscape in the Jordan Valley
• Publisher: Presses Polytechniques Et Universitaires Romandes Aug 2026
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 2889156729
• ISBN 13: 9782889156726
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 215W x 215H x 14D millimeters 215 millimeters width by 215 millimeters height by 14 millimeters depth
• Weight: 590 grams

About this title

Synopsis

An excavation of the Jordan Valley’s hidden history, depicting how mapping has not only documented territorial disputes but actively shaped them.

For millennia, landscapes have been battlegrounds of power, history, and identity—nowhere more so than in the Jordan Rift Valley. In Mapping Power: History of Landscape in the Jordan Valley, Ben Gitai unearths the hidden forces that have shaped Naharayim/Al-Baqoura, a politically charged site at the crossroads of empire and conflict. Blending political geography and historical analysis, Gitai reveals how mapping and cartography have been wielded as tools of control by successive rulers, ranging from the Ottoman Empire and the British Mandate to present-day territorial disputes.

Over one hundred and fifty years, this valley has been transformed by competing visions of land, water, and national identity, making it a microcosm of the enduring tensions in the Holy Land. Offering an intricate analysis of place and power, this book challenges conventional narratives of landscape history and exposes how maps do not merely document history but shape it. 

About the Author

Ben Gitai is an architect who integrates the disciplines of territory, landscape, and architecture in his practice. He is the head coordinator at the Habitat Research Center at EPFL, where he currently leads the Atlas of Landscapes for the city of Paris.