Ren?Cailli?(19 November 1799 - 17 May 1838) was a French explorer and the first European to return alive from the town of Timbuktu.

In April 1827 he set off across West Africa. He arrived in Timbuktu a year later and stayed there for two weeks before heading across the Sahara Desert to Tangier in Morocco.

On his return to France; he was awarded the prize of 10;000 francs by the Soci閠?de G閛graphie and helped by the scholar Edme-Fran鏾is Jomard; published an account of his journey. In 1830 he was awarded the Gold Medal by the Soci閠?de G閛graphie. Pictures From History