On February 8, 1857, Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje was born in Oosterhout, North Brabant, near the city of Breda. After completing his studies at HBS Breda, he pursued theology and literature at Leiden University. In November 1889, aged 23, he graduated with distinction with a dissertation on the haj pilgrimage, titled Het Mekkaansche Feest (the Mecca Festival). Then, between 1881 and 1887, this doctor of literature worked at the Institute for the