Sinai, the Hedjaz, and Soudan

the long version

"In three days our preparations for departure were made; a slender store of things needful in the Desert were provided; and, after the customary wrangling, camels were hired to carry them. Passports, also, must be had and paid for, signed and duly countersigned... Then there were a few friendly hands to press on parting; and then away for Suez, leisurely travelling on donkeys along the well-known route. Three nights we slept upon the road, and on the fourth morning reached our destination.". After a summer in Cairo, Hamilton was invited by a friend to travel to Suez, and decided to tour around the region before returning back up the Nile. His vivid picture of Jeddah, the last full account of the city before the massacre of the Christians in 1858, is full of entertaining details such as the etiquette of incense and the lives of the merchants. The Sudan was then barely known to westerners, and Hamilton saw Khartoum when it was just newly built. Commenting on all aspects of travel in his time, from foot-baths and hiring lodgings to local flora or the art of flattery, Hamilton's writings deserve to be placed amongst the works of the most famous travellers.