Johann Ludwig Burckhardt (1784-1817) was a Swiss traveller, geographer and orientalist who explored the Middle East and North Africa in the early 19th century on behalf of a British association promoting African exploration. Travelling under the assumed identity of a Muslim scholar named Sheikh Ibrahim ibn Abdallah, and writing in French under the name Louis, he became one of the first Europeans in the modern era to visit and describe Petra, the ruined Nabataean city in present-day Jordan, in 1812, and later rediscovered the great rock-cut temples of Abu Simbel in Egypt in 1813. He died in Cairo while preparing to join a planned expedition to the interior of Africa, and his detailed travel accounts, published after his death, became important sources for the geography and society of the regions he visited.
Facts
RoleSwiss traveller, geographer and Orientalist; explorer who rediscovered Petra and Abu Simbel 1 Role
Role (category) FAQs
Why did Johann Ludwig Burckhardt go to Syria?
He went to learn Arabic and accustom himself to Muslim life.
In 1809, under the auspices of the Association for Promoting the Discovery of the Interior Parts of Africa, Burckhardt visited Syria to learn Arabic and to accustom himself to Muslim life. Britannica describes him as the first European in modern times to visit the ancient city of Petra and to arrive at the great Egyptian temple at Abu Simbel.
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In Era
Source Wikipedia: Johann Ludwig Burckhardt
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Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source Wikidata: Johann Ludwig Burckhardt
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Johann Ludwig Burckhardt
WikipediaYouth and early travels section, opening sentence
Burckhardt was born on 24 November 1784 in Lausanne, Switzerland to a wealthy Basel family of silk merchants, the Burckhardt family.
Later life section, death sentence
He was again stricken with dysentery and died in Cairo on 15 October 1817, never having made his intended journey to the Niger.
Introduction, opening sentence
was a Swiss traveller, geographer, and Orientalist
Introduction, parenthetical names
Johann Ludwig (also known as John Lewis, Jean Louis) Burckhardt
Travels in Syria section, alias sentence
Once in Syria, he adopted the alias Sheikh Ibrahim Ibn Abdallah to hide his true European identity.
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt: Gender
Travelling under the assumed identity of a Muslim scholar named Sheikh Ibrahim ibn Abdallah, and writing in French under the name Louis, he became one of the first Europeans in the modern era to visit and describe Petra, the ruined Nabataean city in present-day Jordan, in 1812, and later rediscovered the great rock-cut temples of Abu Simbel in Egypt in 1813.
In Era: The Late Modern Period, lead paragraph, lifespan
Johann Ludwig (also known as John Lewis, Jean Louis) Burckhardt (Arabic: يوهان لودفيك بركهارت; 24 November 1784 - 15 October 1817) was a Swiss traveller, geographer, and Orientalist.
View the Source Wikidata: Johann Ludwig Burckhardt
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