Dobrogea văzută de un călător francez: Camille Allard
DOBROGEA AS SEEN BY A FRENCH TRAVELLER: CAMILLE ALLARD

Summary/Abstract: Foreign travellers have been valuable sources for historians in reconstructing the past of a settlement, region or even country. In Romanian historiography they are well known, but in this case, the richness of the details and the complexity of the information are what led me to focus on the writings of Camille Allard. The context of his arrival in the area is a turbulent one due to the Crimean War: 1853-1856, the purpose of the French mission of which he was part was to build a road for the French armies engaged in the fighting of this conflict. He spent a considerable amount of time in Dobrudja and in his account of his journey he captured aspects of the social organisation of the various ethnic groups he encountered, such as Turks, Tatars, Russians, Ukrainians, Gypsies and Romanians. Each population is analysed by the French doctor, presenting their physiognomy, their occupations, their religious beliefs or their inclinations towards certain branches of the folk arts, such as dances, music, poetry and legends. He also does not forget to mention aspects that he, as a western traveller, considers to be oriental traits, such as the little corruption of the customs officer in Constanta or magical practices. In addition, his work offers us some important engravings that are of great help in reconstructing the landscape and natural environment of that period. The French doctor concludes his work with an overview of Dobrudja, considering that this region had begun to progress towards a new stage of prosperity. Camille Allard's travel memoirs are therefore important sources for reconstructing Dobrudja's past during the last decades of Ottoman rule, in an era marked by the Russo-Turkish conflicts.

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