The Mappa mundi of Albi
Documentary heritage submitted by France and recommended for inclusion in the Memory of the World Register in 2015.
The Mappa mundi of Albi, one of the first two non-symbolic and non-abstract world maps, is a representation of the known world drawn up on parchment in the 8th century. It is a document of exceptional importance for global cartographic history and, more widely, for the history of the representation of space. Depicting 25 countries on three ‘continents’ or geographic spheres, its content is of universal interest. It is a record of particular significance for the early Middle Ages.