Charles Tilstone Beke

Charles Tilstone Beke (* October 10, 1800 in London, † July 31, 1874 London ) was a British explorer.

After an apprenticeship as a merchant Beke studied law. But soon he finished his studies in order to turn around historical, ethnographic and philological studies. During this time Beke wrote his first scientific works such as " Origen biblicae " (1834 ), which were however criticized sharply in Europe due to strict Bible loyalty Békés.

In 1837 he finally made ​​his first research trip. In Palestine, he examined the sink in the Dead Sea.

1840-1843 Beke finally traveled to Abyssinia; this expedition was to bring him lasting fame: He charted 181.3 thousand km ² of Ethiopia and explored previously unknown areas in the south of the country. Beke succeeded the approximate course of the Blue Nile to determine and he collected vocabulary of 14 different languages ​​and dialects. About this expedition appeared Bekes important work " Abyssinia. A statement of facts " (1846 ).

The more creative Bekes is mainly characterized by the search for the sources of the Nile, so, for example, his books "Essay on the Nile and its tributaries " (1847 ) and "The Sources of the Nile" (1860 ) dealt with the flow.

1865 brought him a mission to liberate British prisoners again to Abyssinia, but this failed. His impression was processed in the work "The British Captives in Abyssinia " (1865 ) Beke.

One last trip took Beke finally to Egypt, to the Bay of Aqaba and northwestern Arabia. About this last expedition, he wrote " Discoveries of Sinai in Arabia and of Midian" (1874 ), which was published posthumously by his widow.