FACT CHECK · COLONIAL HISTORY AND AFRICA
Claim: René Caillié was a French commander
FALSETHE ANSWER
Caillié was a French explorer, not a commander. He reached Timbuktu on 20 Apr 1828 dressed as a Muslim, posing as an Egyptian Arab, and was the first European to return alive. Prize: 9,000 francs.
His Journal d'un voyage à Temboctou appeared in 1830; the Société de Géographie gave him a 9,000-franc prize.
SOURCE
Wikipedia: René Caillié
PEOPLE ALSO SAY
- “Rene caillie”
- “French commander timbuktu”
- “First european timbuktu”
- “Caillie explorer”