1801
National Library of France
Paris, France
Napoleon I promoted the use of telegraph in the territories he conquered. In his military campaigns, he recognised the importance of technical innovations.
1883
The British Library
London, United Kingdom
This map was included in a guide with sailing indications for British ships crossing the Red Sea on the route to India. Submarine telegraph cables had been installed between Suez, Sawakin and Jiddah (ports on the Red Sea). Telegraph communication developed also between ports and along strategic trade and mail routes.
10 cents an issue. Le Télégraphe. Morning Newspaper. Special connections with the whole world.
1886
National Library of France
Paris, France
Towards the end of the 19th century, telegraph had developed and was widespread and familiar. It was seen as another sign of progress.
Document attesting to the 'Telegraph Crisis' between Morocco and Great Britain
1887
General Library and Archives
Tetouan, Morocco
European diplomatic and economic interference in Morocco, consolidated by the Commercial Treaty of 1856, is illustrated by the crisis over the Tangier–Gibraltar telegraph line. The British Eastern Telegraph Company built the line in 1884–87 without the permission of the Sultan Mulay al-Hasan as a fait accompli and in spite of his protests.
A telegram from the Khedive of Egypt to the Ottoman sultan
15 December 1897
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Alexandria, Egypt
Telegrams were a widespread form of communication at the political and official level.
1907
Itisalat al-Maghrib Museum
Rabat, Morocco
During the reign of Sultan Mulay ‘Abd al-Aziz telegraph lines were introduced in Morocco.
Newspaper to commemorate the installation of wireless telegraph
1907
Itisalat al-Maghrib Museum
Rabat, Morocco
During the reign of Sultan Mulay ‘Abd al-Aziz, on the eve of the French protectorate, wireless telegraph communication was made possible between Paris and French ships in the port of Casablanca. This newspaper celebrates Edouard Branly and Guglielmo Marconi, two pioneers of radiocommunication.
1912
Istanbul Postal Museum
Istanbul, Turkey
A telegraph transmitter from the Postal Museum in Istanbul. Telegraph was a global tool. The first telegraph networks in the Ottoman Empire were started between 1847 and 1855.