Burton, Sir Richard Francis (1821-1890), was a British explorer and language expert who became famous for his travels in Africa and his translations of Arab literature. In 1858, Burton and fellow explorer John Hanning Speke became the first Europeans to see Lake Tanganyika in central Africa. Burton’s best-known translation was a 10-volume English version of the Arabian Nights that he wrote in the 1880’s. Burton also wrote about a dozen books about his travels. His two-volume The Lake Regions of Central Africa (1860) is a classic early account of the exploration of Africa.
Burton was born on March 19, 1821, in Devon, England. He served as a British officer in the Indian army from 1842 to 1861. In 1853, he disguised himself as an Arab in order to visit shrines in the holy Muslim city of Mecca. Only Muslims could enter Mecca, and a number of Europeans had been killed after being discovered at shrines there. In 1860, Burton visited the United States to study the Mormons of Utah. He later explored areas in West Africa that are now Benin, Gabon, and Nigeria. Burton also served as a British diplomat in what is now Equatorial Guinea as well as in Brazil, Syria, and Italy. He was knighted in 1886. Burton died on Oct. 20, 1890.
