author
John Lewis Burckhardt
1784–1817
A brilliant, restless traveler who crossed the Middle East in disguise, he became famous for bringing Petra and Abu Simbel back to wider attention. His journeys combined nerve, language skill, and a sharp eye for places many European readers knew only from rumor.
3 Audiobooks
Travels in Arabia; comprehending an account of those territories in Hedjaz which the Mohammedans regard as sacred
by John Lewis Burckhardt
Travels in Syria and the Holy Land
by John Lewis Burckhardt
Travels in Nubia
by John Lewis Burckhardt, Association for Promoting the Discovery of the Interior Parts of Africa
About the author
Born in Lausanne in 1784, John Lewis Burckhardt — also known as Johann Ludwig Burckhardt — was a Swiss traveler, geographer, and Orientalist. After studying in Europe and spending time in England, he was backed by the African Association and prepared for exploration by learning Arabic and immersing himself in the cultures of the regions he hoped to visit.
Traveling under the name Sheikh Ibrahim Ibn Abdallah, he moved through Syria, Egypt, Nubia, and Arabia. He is especially remembered as the first European in modern times to describe Petra and for reaching Abu Simbel. He also performed the Hajj and later published detailed writings on his travels, giving readers in Europe rare firsthand accounts of the places he visited.
Burckhardt died in Cairo in 1817, still only in his early thirties. Though his life was short, his journals and books left a lasting mark on travel writing and on European knowledge of the Middle East and North Africa.