This study, produced by the well regarded geographer Wilhelm Tomaschek, considers the topography of Asia Minor during a period of intense historical interest, the era spanning the Crusades. The coastal regions of Turkey and the routes of the Crusades set the parameters for this study. Included in this study are a brief overview of the island settlements, various standard roads taken, and regional descriptions. The routes of the first and second crusades, the return track of Henry III, and the path of the third crusade are all described. Useful for historians of the Middle Ages and especially those interested in the events surrounding the use of Asia Minor as a bridge to the distant lands of the Holy Land, this brief examination will retain its value. Presenting Turkey as it was seen during the Ottoman period, this topographical history will also appeal to historians of the final days of the empire.

Wilhelm Tomaschek (1841-1901) was a geographer from the region of Austria and the Czech Republic as well as an Orientalist. He taught at the Universities of Graz and Vienna.