European / Levant maps through the mediaeval period frequently placed east at the top of the map. This is where the sun rose, and "to orient" is "to determine where East lies", and was (for Europeans) the direction toward Jerusalem.

I suspect that north-as-top orientations were strongly influenced by the invention / importation of the magnetic compass.

<https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/58426/why-north-always-m...>