Travellers' Lane is a site located in the
Jardin des Compagnies, an ancient French colonial garden, in
Port Louis, Mauritius
Port Louis (, ; or , ) is the capital and most populous city of Mauritius, mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's financial and political centre. It is ad ...
.
History
It was created in 2010, during the Bicentenary Celebrations of the Battle of
Grand Port; the only naval battle won by
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
. Port Louis took part in those celebrations. This part of the garden, adjoining the Majestic movie theatre, was to host a
planisphere
In astronomy, a planisphere () is a star chart analog computing instrument in the form of two adjustable disks that rotate on a common pivot. It can be adjusted to display the visible stars for any time and date. It is an instrument to assist i ...
in honour of
Al Idrissi, a famous cartographer of
Roger II
Roger II or Roger the Great (, , Greek: Ρογέριος; 22 December 1095 – 26 February 1154) was King of Sicily and Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, became ...
of
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
and the only one known in the world.
Poet, travel-writer and
semiologist
Semiotics ( ) is the systematic study of sign processes and the communication of meaning. In semiotics, a sign is defined as anything that communicates intentional and unintentional meaning or feelings to the sign's interpreter.
Semiosis is an ...
Khal Torabully, a native of the capital, was requested to devise a permanent event in this corner of Jardin des Compagnies.
Weeks later, he aligned quotations of travelers such as
Ibn Masudi,
Marco Polo
Marco Polo (; ; ; 8 January 1324) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known a ...
,
Ibn Khodadbeh,
Ahmad bin Majid,
Joao de Barros and
Camoens. More than 20 testimonies were displayed on plaques, along two alleys and a fountain with an original dolphin sculpture, made by Bungshee, who was also commissioned to make the Al Idrissi planisphere.
A stamp celebrating Al Idrissi's contributions was released by the Mauritian Post Office. Travellers' Lane was unveiled during an official ceremony with
Navin Ramgoolam
Navinchandra Ramgoolam (born 14 July 1947) is a Mauritian politician and physician who is the current prime minister of Mauritius, serving since 2024. He previously held the office from 1995 to 2000 and from 2005 to 2014 and intermittently serve ...
, the former Prime Minister, and Mrs.
Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, the present Mauritian President.
References
External links
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{{coord missing, Mauritius
Gardens in Mauritius