Alois Musil’s Explorations of Southern Jordan in 1896–1902

This is a fascinating lecture, “Alois Musil’s Explorations of Southern Jordan in 1896–1902,” by Dr. Robert Schick, who has devoted most of his academic career to the history and archaeology of Jordan in the Late Roman to Islamic periods. Alois Musil (1864–1944) was a Czech explorer who traveled extensively in the Middle East from 1895 to 1917, including in southern Jordan and the Negev between 1896 and 1902, just after the Ottomans had reestablished government control of the region in 1894. He was the first explorer to travel systematically in southern Jordan and record archaeological sites and geographical features. He is best known for his discovery of Quseir ‘Amra in 1898.