3-065-841 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Burckhardt's Tomb at Cairo, 1874. 'The famous Swiss traveller, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, of Lausanne, died at Cairo in 1817, having passed many years in Egypt and Syria, and in the adjacent countries of Africa and Asia, disguised as a Mohammedan, under the name of Sheikh Ibrahim. He wandered about in the garb of a poor merchant or pedlar, walking barefoot, and driving an ass laden with goods for sale, while his attention was really occupied in exploring the ruins and other curiosities of the East. The ancient rock-hewn city of Petra, in Edom, was discovered and examined by him. His grave, in the Mohammedan cemetery of Bab-el-Nassr at Cairo, has lately been cared for by the British Consul, who has caused a marble monument to be erected over it. He was assisted in this good work by Hekekyan Bey. This monument bears on the headstone an Arabic inscription as follows: "God is everlasting. This is the tomb of the deceased, in the mercy of God, Sheikh Hajj Ibrahim al Mahdy, son of Abdallah Burckhardt, of Lausanne. The date of his birth is 10 Moharrem, a.h. 1199. The date of his death, in the mercy of God, in Cairo, 6 Zilhejje, A.H. 1232." Around the four faces of the cenotaph is inscribed that chapter of the Koran called "Ayat ul Korsy".' From "Illustrated London News", 1874.