Christopher Costigan (12 May 1810 – 26 August 1835) was an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
priest noted for his geographical exploration of the
Jordan River and the
Dead Sea.
Costigan became interested in the geography of the
Holy Land while studying for the priesthood in Ireland. With no formal training in either sailing, navigation or geographical exploration, he arrived in
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
in August 1835 where he bought a small boat and hired a Maltese sailor to be his crew. He transported the boat by sea to
Acre, and then overland to
Tiberias
Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's F ...
on the
Sea of Galilee, with the intent of sailing down the Jordan from there to the Dead Sea. His timing was ill-advised, as the Jordan River was often unnavigable in the August dry season, and he and his mate needed to
portage their boat on several occasions. When his mate would go no further, Costigan abandoned his effort to sail the length of the Jordan after eight days, and instead traveled overland the remainder of the distance to the Dead Sea, arriving weakened by insufficient water supplies on the way.
Once he arrived at the Dead Sea, Costigan, having run out of his supplies of fresh water, resorted to drinking the water of the sea, leading to further dehydration and fever. Before his illness incapacitated him, he spent several days sailing back and forth about the sea, taking depth
soundings. Eventually, too ill to continue, he was taken by his mate to a local monastery and sent from there by donkey to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
for care. He died along the way and was buried on
Mount Zion.
Costigan is remembered today as the first modern European explorer of Jordan River and Dead Sea, and is memorialized in the naming of Cape Costigan, the northernmost tip of the
Lisan Peninsula.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Costigan, Christopher
Irish explorers