Tartaria sive Magni Chami Imperium

A pleasing example of Blaeu's map of Tartary (Siberia) and Central Asia, extending from Mongolia and Xanadu to the Caspian and the Volga River, and to Tibet and the Upper Ganges River.
Modern day Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kirgizistan and Tadzhikistan all appear on the map.The Great Wall of China appears prominently in the right lower quadrant.
Much of the map is based on the travel accounts of Marco Polo. The area of the map is also known as the Great Khan’s Empire.

There are several mythical and legendary references, like the devils and dragons in the Lop Desert, to the northwest of the Great Wall. A note in Latin warns the reader that there, in the Lop Desert, “men are thought to be seduced by wonderful illusions and diabolical spitting.”
The title appears on a camel blanket of a dromedary ridden by a child and driven by two Mongols. There is also a decorative scale cartouche with two interesting characters that are apparent explorers.

The Amsterdam based Blaeu clan represented the single most important family in the history of cartography. The firm was founded in 1596 by Willem Janzoon Blaeu (1571-1638) and taken over by his sons, Cornelius (1616-1648) and Johannis (1596-1673).
Their greatest cartographic achievement was the publication of the magnificent multi-volume Atlas Major. To this day, the Atlas Major represents one of the finest productions in cartography and deemed to be the crowning glory of the Dutch 'Golden Age of Cartography'.

Reference: Koeman/V.d.Krogt, Atlantes Neerlandici, Vol.2, 112.2.