The British Explorer Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890)

  Hello everyone !!

Richard Burton was a British explorer, writer, orientalist scholar, soldier. 

He was famed for his travels and explorations in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, as well as his extraordinary knowledge of languages and cultures. According to one count, Burton spoke 29 languages.

Although he aborted his university studies, he became a prolific and erudite author and wrote numerous books and scholarly articles about subjects including human behavior, travel, falconry, fencing, and ethnography. A characteristic feature of his books is the copious footnotes and appendices containing remarkable observations and information. 

Burton was a captain in the army of the East India Company, serving in India, and later briefly in the Crimean War. Following this, he was engaged by the Royal Geographical Society to explore the east coast of Africa, where he led an expedition guided by locals and was the first European known to have seen Lake Tanganyika. In later life, he served as British consul in Fernando Pó (now Bioko, Equatorial Guinea), Santos in Brazil, Damascus (now Syria), and finally in Trieste (now Italy).

He was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and was awarded a knighthood in 1886.

Equipment carried in Mecca-Medina Exploration trip : (1853)

Watch, compass, money, notepapers, diary, pen-knife, pencils.

Thank you for reading !!