Four corners of the world

At the center may lie a sacred mountain, garden, world tree, or other beginning-point of creation.

[1] From the point of view of the Akkadians, the northern geographical horizon was marked by Subartu, the west by Mar.tu, the east by Elam and the south by Sumer; later rulers of all of Mesopotamia, such as Cyrus, claimed among their titles LUGAL kib-ra-a-ti er-bé-et-tì, "King of the Four Corners".

The Tigris runs to Assyria, the Euphrates to Armenia, the Pishon to Havilah or Elam, and the Gihon to Ethiopia.

[1] Another similar account from Jain cosmology features a model of the universe with the world of humans located in the middle.

Past this boundary in the four corners of the world are four temples enshrining Jinas, flanked by celebrants and celestial attendants.

The astronomical symbol of Earth represents either the four quadrants of the world or the four continents .
Tibetan conception of four rivers dividing the world into quadrants