The Extraordinary Journeys of Johann Ludwig Burckhardt – from Basel to Petra, Abu Simbel and Mecca - five online talks by John Darlington

If you wish to register for this series after 19-Nov-25, please e-mail onlinetalks@martinrandall.co.uk

Johann Ludwig Burckhardt was one of the most remarkable explorers of the early 19th century. Born in Basel in 1784, Burckhardt remade himself as Sheikh Ibrahim, travelling through the Levant, Egypt, Arabia and Sudan. He was the first European to rediscover Petra and Abu Simbel, and his accounts of Mecca and Medina transformed Western knowledge of the Islamic world.

Burckhardt’s ten years of travel were also a journey of self-discovery. Disguised in plain robes, fluent in Arabic and immersed in Islamic culture, he succeeded where so many others failed. His journals describe not only the lost monuments of antiquity but also the warmth and cruelty of everyday life – from Bedouin campfires and Nile villages to plague-stricken cities and Ottoman courts.

Over five weeks, this series retraces Burckhardt’s odyssey, illustrated with contemporary paintings, sketches and maps of the places he saw. It follows his transformation from Swiss scholar to Muslim traveller and explores how his writings shaped European understanding of the Middle East.

They take place every Wednesday from 19 November to 17 December 2025 at 4.30pm (London) and, including Q&A, will last just under an hour. They are available for viewing for eight weeks after the last episode is streamed (until 11 February 2026).