Voyage en Syrie et en Égypte pendant les années 1783, 1784 et 1785

This 1787 two-volume revised French second edition gives an important account of travels in Ottoman Egypt and the Syrian region.

The French author and traveller Constantin-François de Chasseboeuf (1757–1820) adopted the pen name Volney. In 1783–5, he spent time in Ottoman Egypt and the historical region of Syria. Reissued here is the revised and corrected French second edition of his account, which appeared in two volumes in 1787.The French author and traveller Constantin-François de Chasseboeuf (1757–1820) adopted the pen name Volney, which combined the name of Voltaire and Ferney, where the great philosopher lived. A friend of Thomas Jefferson and other Enlightenment figures, Volney used an inheritance to further his education by travelling to Ottoman Egypt and the historical region of Syria, visiting areas of present-day Lebanon and Israel. He chose these lands as he believed he would gain political and philosophical insights from their ancient heritage. Very little had been written in the West about these areas before he published this two-volume account in 1787. It enjoyed great popularity and even accompanied Darwin aboard the Beagle on his own voyage of discovery decades later. Reissued here is the revised and corrected French second edition, which also appeared in 1787. Volume 1 delves into the geography, ethnic divisions, religious beliefs, commerce and politics of Egypt and Syria.