Two Months on the Nile

Thomas Sandwith’s Nineteenth-Century Egyptian Journey

Stephen Boys Smith

$170

Hardback

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English

I.B. Tauris
26 June 2025

Egyptian archaeology & Egyptology

British Consul with a long-standing interest in archaeology Thomas Sandwith’s account of his two months travelling in Egypt provides a valuable new primary source on a dynamic period in Egyptian history. In January 1893 he began a diary in which he recorded his journey on the Nile aboard a dahabiya. Possessing a keen interest in antiquities and experience in acquiring them during his consular career, he recounts visiting newly discovered archaeological sites and meetings with Egyptologists, providing a unique snapshot of the ‘golden age’ of Egyptology. His astute descriptions of his journey from Cairo to Aswan and back give a vivid new perspective on the growth of European tourism in British-occupied Egypt and early Egyptian industry.

Sandwith’s decades-long interest in archaeology and familiarity with the Levant mean this diary – until now on the long-hand pages as he wrote them on the boat – is thus unique among contemporary travel accounts. It is a valuable primary source for scholars interested in the history of the British in the Middle East, the history of travel in the Middle East and the history of archaeology and Egyptology.

By: Stephen Boys Smith
Imprint: I.B. Tauris
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 220mm, Width: 148mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 400g
ISBN: 9780755656066
ISBN 10: 0755656067
Pages: 216
Publication Date: 26 June 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , Undergraduate , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Thomas Backhouse Sandwith was a British diplomat who served in the Levant, as a Vice Consul in Syria and in Cyprus, then as Consul in Crete and Tunisia and Consul General in modern-day Ukraine. He developed a great interest in archaeology, acquiring antiquities for museums, collectors and himself. Stephen Boys Smith is the author of Thomas Sandwith: A British Consul in the Levant, 1855-1891, (2020) and co-editor of Studies on Ottoman Nicosia (2019). He was formerly a senior British civil servant.

Reviews for Two Months on the Nile: Thomas Sandwith’s Nineteenth-Century Egyptian Journey

This excellent edition of Thomas Sandwith’s diary takes readers on a fascinating two-month journey along the Nile. Seen through the eyes of a seasoned diplomat and discerning collector, the sights and sounds of Egypt are meticulously recorded without the embellishments or supercilious observations typical of so many nineteenth century travelogues. From Cairo to Aswan and back, Sandwith chronicles the contrasting wonders of the Nile. Hoopoes and cranes, ruins and monuments, glorious sunsets and dust-filled skies are among the many scenes witnessed as the Philae is blown along by a multitude of winds. People also occupy this space with local Egyptians and famous archaeologists coming in and out of the narrative. Not only will Sandwith’s perceptive account of Egypt provide an important addition to academic studies, but researchers and students will likewise benefit from the wealth of contextual information in the critical apparatus supplied by its editor. * Rebecca J. W. Jefferson, PhD, Author of The Cairo Genizah and the Age of Discovery in Egypt, University of Florida, USA * A fascinating diary of 19th-century Nile travel by a keen and interested observer, Two Months on the Nile is a worthwhile addition to a growing genre. * Toby Wilkinson, Egyptologist, Clare College, University of Cambridge, UK *