Orient Travels of the 19th Century and Early Archaeological Photography
Travels to foreign lands has become part of the education of European aristocrats by the 17th century and later also of the more affluent population. Soon, not only the Classical countries such as Italy, Greece and Asia Minor were the destination of this “Grand Tour”. Interest in the Eastern Mediterranean increased, which also led to travels to the Near East during the 18th century. By the beginning of the 19th century, the number of travelers that came to the Orient continued to grow. Aside from the personal desire of scattering, the greed for unbiased documents and authentic experiences was not the only reason for the travels. In a growing sense, local monuments were documented for the ones that have stayed home.