Cairo to Constantinople: Early Photographs of the Middle East

Cairo to Constantinople: Early Photographs of the Middle East exhibition follows the journey taken by the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, in 1862, as he undertook a four month educational tour around the Middle East, travelling to Egypt, Palestine and the Holy Land, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and Greece.

This stunning exhibition explores the cultural and political significance Victorian Britain attached to the region, which was then as complex and contested as it remains today. Seen through the photographs of Francis Bedford (1815-94), the first photographer to travel on a royal tour.

On the royal party’s return to England, Francis Bedford’s work was displayed in what was described as ‘the most important photographic exhibition that has hitherto been placed before the public’.

Highlights include:

Pyramids at Giza, Cairo, Egypt, 5 March 1862

The Prince of Wales and party among ruins in Karnak, Thebes, Egypt, March 1862

Top tips

• Pick up the free exhibition audio guide.
• Visit The Queen’s Gallery shop for a souvenir of the exhibition.
• Children can pick up a free family activity bag from the Millar Learning Room.
• Listen to extracts from the BBC Radio 4 series ‘In a Prince’s Footsteps’ in the Millar Learning Room, where John McCarthy revisits many of the sites visited by the Prince of Wales in his Middle Eastern tour.
• Enjoy free re-admission for a year with a 1-Year Pass.