The fabled city of Petra was first brought to the attention of Europeans by the Swiss traveller Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in the early 19th century. Would-be tourists to the region were now offered organised trips to these far-flung destinations and assured safe and comfortable transport, hygienic and familiar food, translation services, protection and comfortable accommodation.

Jerusalem and Palestine had long been a key destination for religious tourists and pilgrims. The British firm Thomas Cook, which opened an office in the city in 1881, promoted organised tours to the Holy Land and the biblical sites.

Egypt’s pyramids had fascinated European travellers since the early 19th century. In 1869, the travel firm Thomas Cook began to establish the infrastructure for mass tourism in the country. From the office in Cairo, opened in 1872, Cook organised tours to the country’s ancient ruins and offered cruises on the Nile.

The construction of modern road networks and infrastructures, which were pioneered initially in Europe by British and French engineers in the 18th century, facilitated the progress of 19th-century travellers to the Middle East and North Africa. However, until the 1920s, when the first cars appeared in these cities, mostly horse-drawn coaches and equestrians travelled on them.

Sometimes kings and emperors could not resist becoming “tourists”, even when on official tours. This scene depicts Franz Joseph I’s visit to Egypt in 1869, which is described by the British artist William Simpson: “I went out one day and saw the Emperor of Austria lugged to the top of the Great Pyramid by two Arabs as if he had been only an overland passenger.”

Organised trips for groups that were intent on visiting the Arab and Ottoman world became common around the turn of the century. Egypt and the pyramids were a must-see for many, regardless that sometimes these excursions entailed considerable effort.

Many industries developed as a result of mass tourism, both in Europe and in the Middle East. Among these were the manufacturers and stores selling essential items for travellers, such as bespoke clothing designed for particular kinds of excursions, be that to the desert or the mountains.

Constantinople was undoubtedly among the most popular destinations for European tourists. As the number of visitors increased, local service industries catering for their needs and interests unfolded accordingly. This image was taken by the commercial photographic studio of the Abdullah Frères, in 1863. The Armenian brothers opened another studio in Cairo in 1886.

The 1830s saw the first steamship cruises in the Mediterranean. Ten years later, regular steamer lines for mail and passengers connected Europe with ports in the Ottoman Empire and North Africa.

As a consequence of the increasing interest and involvement of European powers in North Africa, tourism to and within the region expanded accordingly. This poster, dated 1885, advertises Hammam-Lif, a coastal town in Tunisia.

Precisely scheduled, international passenger services became increasingly available in the later 19th century. The Orient Express, originally launched by a Belgian company (CIWL) in 1883, linked Paris, and Vienna with Istanbul.

Reaching their destination, 19th-century tourists found a growing number of purpose-built hotels, restaurants and cafes designed to cater to their needs and tastes. The Pera Palace Hotel, which opened in 1892, served passengers arriving on the Orient Express in particular.

With the expansion of the tourist industry in the Middle East, organized tours, specific itineraries and tourist trails were developed by newly emerging tour agencies, foremost among which was the British firm Thomas Cook. Tour companies tended to work with local operators and service providers, which helped stimulate the local economy.

The Grand Continental Hotel, which opened in the second half of the 19th century in one of Cairo’s prime locations near the Old Opera Square, has hosted several high-profile guests, including prominent personalities attending the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.