From the years 1860 onwards, spaces and identities were transformed within the Muslim world.
The entire Eastern Mediterranean was being restructured. The old maritime scales and new ports became the points of origin for the penetration and circulation of goods and raw materials. Initially , the ports were linked to the interior by modern roads rather than caravan trails. Situated at regular distances, they thus acquired a hinterland. Secondly , a port hierarchy was established with a vast hinterland, soon defined by a network of railroads. New towns such as Jaffa and Beirut benefited more than old cities such as Tripoli and Saida. These modern ports became stops on regular steamship lines and were linked to Europe by telegraph in the years 1860. We enter the world of Jules Vernes.