Why is the North always marked upper side of a map?

Why is the North always marked upper side of a map?

When you look at a map hanging on the wall, or printed in books, you may noticed that the north is always shown on the upper side. For example, in the map of India, Kashmir, the northernmost state in India, is always on top. In fact, there is no scientific reason behind this practice. We can only assume that it is a practice that has been followed since the art of mapping began.

The ancient Egyptian scientist Ptolemy made the first map. He believed that Egypt was the centre of the world. At the time Egypt, had good relationships with the Mediterranean coast and Greece, which lie to the north of Egypt. So, Ptolemy placed Greece and Mediterranean on the upper side of his map. That is, he drew a map in which the North was above. This style is followed even today. During the time of Crusades, some Army generals drew maps showing east on the upper side. But this practice was short lived, and never became popular universally