Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje (1857–1936) was a prominent Dutch scholar of Oriental cultures, languages, and Islam. He is best known for his daring journey to Mecca in 1884–1885, where he lived as a student of Islamic learning and became the first Western photographer to capture images of the Holy City. During his stay, he adopted the name Abd al-Ghaffar and converted to Islam (though later admitted this was partly for research purposes). He served as an advisor on native affairs to the colonial government of the Dutch East Indies from 1889 to 1906, where he played a significant role in shaping policies regarding Islamic education and suppressing local rebellions during the Aceh War. He was a professor at Leiden University and authored numerous works on Malay language and Islamic history.[1,2]
