[Sonol Israel Ltd]

Israel Motor Map [Pre-1967 Borders, Bilingual Road System, Petrol-Company Issue]

[Tel Aviv]: Merkaz le-mipui Yiśraʼel.; Sonol Israel, ltd., c1960. Second Edition. Folding color road map.

A mid-century Israeli motor map produced for motorists during the country’s early statehood years, prior to the territorial changes of 1967. Issued by Sonol Israel Ltd. as a petrol-station distribution piece, the map reflects the period’s reliance on branded service-station maps as practical navigation tools rather than decorative souvenirs.

Its bilingual Hebrew and English presentation suggests use by both domestic drivers and international visitors during a formative phase of national infrastructure development.

Physical Description: Color folding road map printed on period paper stock, with tabbed sections directing users to informational panels. Includes inset city maps of Haifa, Jerusalem, and Tel-Aviv–Yafo, along with extensive tables of distances, road signs, service stations, and general motoring information. Scale 1:500,000. Measures approximately 8 × 5.25 inches folded, opening to approximately 15.5 × 38 inches. 

Condition: The bindings are tight and square. Map is clean and fully intact, with light, even age-toning consistent with mid-century paper stock. No splits or tears. Minor ink notation on the front panel. Second Edition. 

Scarcity Note: Petrol-company road maps from Israel’s early decades were produced for utilitarian use and were rarely preserved. WorldCat/OCLC records document few surviving examples of Sonol-issued motor maps, with limited representation in map and ephemera collections.

This map documents Israel’s highway network, urban approaches, and service infrastructure at a moment when private motoring was expanding rapidly and cartographic standards were still being established.

The combination of national road coverage, city insets, and practical reference tables places it firmly within the tradition of mid-century commercial cartography, where petroleum companies functioned as informal navigational publishers. As a pre-1967 issue, the map also preserves a geopolitical snapshot valued by collectors of modern Middle Eastern cartography. 

Contextual / Historical Significance: Produced during Israel’s first two decades of statehood, the map reflects early efforts to standardize transportation, signage, and intercity travel. Sonol, founded in 1953 and later sold by Mobil in 1969, was among the country’s leading fuel brands, and its cartographic material forms part of the visual and commercial record of Israel’s early infrastructure development. There is no film adaptation or fictional tie-in. 

Subjects: Israel road system, pre-1967 borders, petrol-company advertising, bilingual maps, service-station ephemera, mid-century travel cartography, urban inset plans, Cartography, Middle Eastern History, Transportation Ephemera.

Bibliographic References: OCLC/WorldCat: record no. 1014137604 Comparative Sonol and regional petrol-company road maps, 1950s–1960s on Roma, cartographic listings (online reference)

Item #21074

Price: $80.00