• The Sphinx, the Great Pyramid and two lesser pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
    The Sphinx, the Great Pyramid and two lesser pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
  • The Prince of Wales and his group at the pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
    The Prince of Wales and his group at the pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
  • Fountain of Sultan Selim (Fountain of Ahmed III). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
    Fountain of Sultan Selim (Fountain of Ahmed III). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
  • Group of camp attendants in Beirut, Lebanon. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
    Group of camp attendants in Beirut, Lebanon. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
  • The Prince of Wales and his party among the ruins in the Hypostyle Hall, Temple of Amun, Karnak. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
    The Prince of Wales and his party among the ruins in the Hypostyle Hall, Temple of Amun, Karnak. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
  • The photographs from the Royal Tour are included in a virtual exhibition by the Barber Institute of Fine Arts. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
    The photographs from the Royal Tour are included in a virtual exhibition by the Barber Institute of Fine Arts. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
  • Mosque of Omar (Dome of the Chain, at the Dome of the Rock). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
    Mosque of Omar (Dome of the Chain, at the Dome of the Rock). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
  • Portion of the Propylon of the Temple from the Great Court (Temple of Horus, Edfu). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
    Portion of the Propylon of the Temple from the Great Court (Temple of Horus, Edfu). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
  • Portrait of ‘Abd al-Qadir, Damascus. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
    Portrait of ‘Abd al-Qadir, Damascus. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
  • Monolithic shrine in the Adytum of Temple of Edfou. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
    Monolithic shrine in the Adytum of Temple of Edfou. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
  • Temple of Athor, commonly called Pharaoh's Bed, and small chapel. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
    Temple of Athor, commonly called Pharaoh's Bed, and small chapel. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
  • Acropolis and Temple of Jupiter Olympus (Olympeion). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
    Acropolis and Temple of Jupiter Olympus (Olympeion). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020

12 photos from the first documented British royal tour of the Middle East


Alexandra Chaves
  • English
  • Arabic

In 1862, Albert Edward, son of Queen Victoria and then Prince of Wales, went on an educational tour of the Middle East in preparation to become king.

The four-month journey was documented by English photographer Francis Bedford, making it the first royal tour to be captured through photography.

Albert Edward – who would later become King Edward VII in 1901 – began his trip with his entourage in Egypt, then proceeded to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and Greece.

The expedition was arranged by Queen Victoria shortly after her husband Prince Albert's death. Through his trip, the royal was meant to learn history, religion and politics for his role as king.

More importantly, the British government sought to establish strong ties to Egypt’s then ruler Said Pasha. As the Ottoman Empire was set to collapse, Britain wanted to prevent the French from taking control of the Suez Canal.

Along the trip, Bedford's lens focused on the region's numerous historical landmarks, religious sites, as well as the desert landscapes and unique terrains. He created more than 200 images, during which he carried a caravan of equipment – from lenses, tripods, crates for chemicals, glass plates and more.

Bedford's albumen prints also provide insight into how Victorian England came to perceive the Middle East, and shone light on sites that had never been photographed before, including chapels and temples.

Click through the gallery to see photographs of the 1862 royal tour chronicled by Bedford.

The photographs are part of a virtual exhibition organised by Barber Institute of Fine Arts in Birmingham, entitled Sights of Wonder: Photographs from the 1862 Royal Tour. It is the institute’s first online-only show, created to adhere to the coronavirus lockdown in the UK.

Sights of Wonder is developed in collaboration with the University of Birmingham's department of art history and is curated by a small group of graduate students.

The Prince of Wales and party among the ruins in the Hypostyle Hall, Temple of Amun, Karnak. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
The Prince of Wales and party among the ruins in the Hypostyle Hall, Temple of Amun, Karnak. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020

While browsing the tour online, visitors are provided helpful information on the photographs and the prince’s activities during the tour. The show begins in Egypt, where the royal entourage visited the Pyramids of Giza, as well as temples in Edfu.

In Jerusalem, the tour stopped by the Dome of the Rock and the Garden of Gethsemane, while in Damascus, Bedford snapped a portrait of Abd Al Qadir, an Islamic scholar and military leader who helped Christians escape conflict between Maronites and Druze in Syria around the 1860s. The prince and Bedford eventually made it to Istanbul, stopping by Hagia Sophia, and then Greece.

The Middle East royal tour is only one of several trips the Prince of Wales had to undertake. In 1875, he visited 21 towns and cities in modern-day India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka, and was a guest at more than 90 royal courts.

Sights of Wonder virtual exhibition can be viewed online at sightsofwonder.barber.org.uk

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

Other must-tries

Tomato and walnut salad

A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.

Badrijani nigvzit

A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.

Pkhali

This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.

Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.

Draw:

Group A: Egypt, DR Congo, Uganda, Zimbabwe

Group B: Nigeria, Guinea, Madagascar, Burundi

Group C: Senegal, Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania

Group D: Morocco, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Namibia

Group E: Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Angola

Group F: Cameroon, Ghana, Benin, Guinea-Bissau

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

Results

ATP Dubai Championships on Monday (x indicates seed):

First round
Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
Fernando Verdasco (ESP) bt Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Marton Fucsovics (HUN) bt Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5)
Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) bt Karen Khachanov (RUS x4) 6-4, 6-1
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Milos Raonic (CAN x7) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4

Imperial%20Island%3A%20A%20History%20of%20Empire%20in%20Modern%20Britain
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Charlotte%20Lydia%20Riley%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Bodley%20Head%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20384%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Brown/Black belt finals

3pm: 49kg female: Mayssa Bastos (BRA) v Thamires Aquino (BRA)
3.07pm: 56kg male: Hiago George (BRA) v Carlos Alberto da Silva (BRA)
3.14pm: 55kg female: Amal Amjahid (BEL) v Bianca Basilio (BRA)
3.21pm: 62kg male: Gabriel de Sousa (BRA) v Joao Miyao (BRA)
3.28pm: 62kg female: Beatriz Mesquita (BRA) v Ffion Davies (GBR)
3.35pm: 69kg male: Isaac Doederlein (BRA) v Paulo Miyao (BRA)
3.42pm: 70kg female: Thamara Silva (BRA) v Alessandra Moss (AUS)
3.49pm: 77kg male: Oliver Lovell (GBR) v Tommy Langarkar (NOR)
3.56pm: 85kg male: Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE) v Rudson Mateus Teles (BRA)
4.03pm: 90kg female: Claire-France Thevenon (FRA) v Gabreili Passanha (BRA)
4.10pm: 94kg male: Adam Wardzinski (POL) v Kaynan Duarte (BRA)
4.17pm: 110kg male: Yahia Mansoor Al Hammadi (UAE) v Joao Rocha (BRA

2024%20Dubai%20Marathon%20Results
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWomen%E2%80%99s%20race%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Tigist%20Ketema%20(ETH)%202hrs%2016min%207sec%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Ruti%20Aga%20(ETH)%202%3A18%3A09%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Dera%20Dida%20(ETH)%202%3A19%3A29%0D%3Cbr%3EMen's%20race%3A%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Addisu%20Gobena%20(ETH)%202%3A05%3A01%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Lemi%20Dumicha%20(ETH)%202%3A05%3A20%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20DejeneMegersa%20(ETH)%202%3A05%3A42%3C%2Fp%3E%0A