home Cosmetology A traveler who traveled across three seas. Afanasy Nikitin

A traveler who traveled across three seas. Afanasy Nikitin

In 1458, presumably the merchant Afanasy Nikitin left his native Tver for the Shirvan land (in the territory of present-day Azerbaijan). He has with him travel documents from the Grand Duke of Tver Mikhail Borisovich and from Archbishop Gennady of Tver. There are also merchants with him - they are traveling on two ships in total. They move along the Volga, past the Klyazma Monastery, pass Uglich and get to Kostroma, which was in the possession of Ivan III. His governor lets Athanasius pass further.

Vasily Panin, the Grand Duke's ambassador in Shirvan, whom Afanasy wanted to join, had already passed down the Volga. Nikitin has been waiting for two weeks for Hasan Bey, the ambassador of the Shirvanshah of the Tatars. He is riding with gyrfalcons “from Grand Duke Ivan, and he had ninety gyrfalcons.” Together with the ambassador, they move on.

Along the way, Afanasy makes notes about his journey across three seas: “the first sea is Derbent (Caspian), Darya Khvalisskaya; second sea - Indian, Darya Gundustan; the third Black Sea, Darya of Istanbul” (Darya in Persian means sea).

Kazan passed without obstacles. Ordu, Uslan, Sarai and Berenzan passed safely. The merchants are warned that the Tatars are lying in wait for the caravan. Hasan Bey gives gifts to informants to guide them on a safe path. The wrong gifts were taken, but news of their approach was given. The Tatars overtook them in Bogun (on the shallows at the mouth of the Volga). There were killed on both sides in the shootout. The smaller ship, which also contained Afanasy's luggage, was plundered. The large ship reached the sea and ran aground. And it was also plundered and four Russians were captured. The rest were released “naked heads into the sea.” And they went, crying... When the travelers came ashore, and then they were taken prisoner.

In Derbent, Afanasy asks for help from Vasily Panin, who safely reached the Caspian Sea, and Hasan-bek, so that they would intercede for the people captured and return the goods. After much hassle, people are released and nothing else is returned. It was believed that what came from the sea was the property of the owner of the coast. And they went their separate ways.

Some remained in Shemakha, others went to work in Baku. Afanasy independently goes to Derbent, then to Baku, “where the fire burns unquenchable,” from Baku across the sea to Chapakur. Here he lives for six months, a month in Sari, a month in Amal, about Rey he says that the descendants of Muhammad were killed here, from whose curse seventy cities were destroyed. He lives in Kashan for a month, a month in Ezda, where “the livestock is fed dates.” He does not name many cities, because “there are many more big cities.” By sea he gets to Hormuz on the island, where “the sea comes on him twice every day” (for the first time he sees the ebb and flow of the tides), and the heat of the sun can burn a person. A month later, “after Easter on the day of Radunitsa,” he sets off on a tava (an Indian ship without an upper deck) “with horses for the Indian Sea.” They reach Kombey, “where paint and varnish are born” (the main export products, except spices and textiles), and then go to Chaul.

Afanasy has a keen interest in everything related to trade. He studies the state of the market and is annoyed that they lied to him: “they said that there was a lot of our goods, but there was nothing for our land: all the goods were white for the Besermen land, pepper, and paint.” Afanasy brought the stallion “to Indian land,” for which he paid one hundred rubles. In Junnar, the khan takes away the stallion from Afanasy, having learned that the merchant is not a Muslim, but a Rusyn. The Khan promises to return the stallion and give a thousand gold pieces in addition if Afanasy converts to the Muslim faith. And he set a deadline: four days on Spasov Day, on the Assumption Fast. But on the eve of Spasov's Day, the treasurer Muhamed, a Khorasanian (his identity has not yet been established), arrived. He stood up for the Russian merchant. The stallion was returned to Nikitin. Nikitin believes that “the Lord’s miracle happened on Savior Day,” “The Lord God took pity... did not forsake me, a sinner, with His mercy.”

In Bidar, he is again interested in goods - “at the auction they sell horses, damask (fabric), silk and all other goods and black slaves, but there is no other goods here. The goods are all from Gundustan, but only vegetables are edible, but there are no goods here for the Russian land”...

Nikitin vividly describes the morals and customs of the peoples living in India.

“And here is the Indian country, and ordinary people walk naked, and their heads are not covered, and their breasts are bare, and their hair is braided in one braid, and everyone walks with their bellies, and children are born every year, and they have many children. Of the common people, the men and women are all naked and all black. Wherever I go, there are many people behind me - they are amazed at the white man.”

Everything is accessible to the curiosity of the Russian traveler: agriculture, the state of the army, and the method of warfare: “The battle is fought more and more on elephants, in armor and on horses. Large forged swords are tied to the elephants’ heads and tusks... and the elephants are dressed in damask armor, and turrets are made on the elephants, and in those turrets there are twelve people in armor, all with guns and arrows.”

Athanasius is especially interested in issues of faith. He conspires with the Hindus to go to Par-vat - “that is their Jerusalem, the same as Mecca for the Besermen.” He is amazed that in India there are seventy-four faiths, “but people of different faiths do not drink with each other, do not eat, do not marry...”.

Athanasius grieves that he has lost his way with the Russian church calendar; the sacred books were lost during the looting of the ship. “I don’t observe Christian holidays - neither Easter nor Christmas - and I don’t fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. And living among non-believers, I pray to God, may he protect me..."

He reads the starry sky to determine the day of Easter. On the “fifth Easter” Afanasy decides to return to Rus'.

And again he writes down what he saw with his own eyes, as well as information about various ports and trades from Egypt to the Far East, received from knowledgeable people. He notes where “silk will be born”, where “diamonds will be born”, warns future travelers where and what difficulties await them, describes wars between neighboring peoples...

Wandering around the cities for another six months, Afanasy reaches the port - the city of Dabhola. For two gold pieces, he goes to Hormuz by ship through Ethiopia. We managed to get along with the Ethiopians, and the ship was not robbed.

From Hormuz, Afanasy goes overland to the Black Sea and gets to Trabzon. On the ship, he agrees to go to Kafa (Crimea) for gold. Mistaken for a spy, he is robbed by the city security chief. Autumn, bad weather and winds make crossing the sea difficult. “We crossed the sea, but the wind carried us to Balaklava itself. And from there we went to Gurzuf, and we stood here for five days. By the grace of God I came to Kafa nine days before the Philippian fast. God is the creator! By the grace of God I crossed three seas. God knows the rest, God the patron knows. Amen!"

WALKING OVER THREE SEAS AFANASY NIKITIN

In the year 6983 (1475) "...". In the same year, I received the notes of Afanasy, a merchant of Tver; he was in India for four years, and writes that he set off on the journey with Vasily Papin. I asked when Vasily Papin was sent with gyrfalcons as an ambassador from the Grand Duke, and they told me that a year before the Kazan campaign he returned from the Horde, and died near Kazan, shot with an arrow, when Prince Yuri went to Kazan. I couldn’t find in the records in what year Afanasy left or in what year he returned from India and died, but they say that he died before reaching Smolensk. And he wrote the notes in his own hand, and those notebooks with his notes were brought by merchants to Moscow to Vasily Mamyrev, the clerk of the Grand Duke.

For the prayer of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, your sinful servant Afanasy Nikitin’s son.

I wrote here about my sinful journey across three seas: the first sea - Derbent, Darya Khvalisskaya, the second sea - Indian, Darya Gundustan, the third sea - Black, Darya Istanbul.

I went from the golden-domed Savior with his mercy, from my sovereign Grand Duke Mikhail Borisovich Tverskoy, from Bishop Gennady Tverskoy and from Boris Zakharyich.

I swam down the Volga. And he came to the Kalyazin monastery to the Holy Life-Giving Trinity and the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb. And he received a blessing from Abbot Macarius and the holy brethren. From Kalyazin I sailed to Uglich, and from Uglich they let me go without any obstacles. And, sailing from Uglich, he came to Kostroma and came to Prince Alexander with another letter from the Grand Duke. And they let me go without any obstacles. And he arrived in Plyos without any obstacles.

And I came to Nizhny Novgorod to Mikhail Kiselev, the governor, and to the exile Ivan Saraev, and they let me go without any obstacles. Vasily Papin, however, had already passed through the city, and I waited in Nizhny Novgorod for two weeks for Hasan Bey, the ambassador of the Shirvanshah of the Tatar. And he rode with gyrfalcons from Grand Duke Ivan, and he had ninety gyrfalcons. I swam with them down the Volga. They passed Kazan without obstacles, did not see anyone, and Orda, and Uslan, and Sarai, and Berekezan sailed and entered Buzan. And then three infidel Tatars met us and gave us false news: “Sultan Kasim is lying in wait for the merchants on Buzan, and with him are three thousand Tatars.” The Shirvanshah's ambassador, Hasan-bek, gave them a single-row caftan and a piece of linen to guide us past Astrakhan. And they, the unfaithful Tatars, took one line at a time, and sent the news to the Tsar in Astrakhan. And I and my comrades left my ship and moved to the embassy ship.

We sail past Astrakhan, and the moon is shining, and the king saw us, and the Tatars shouted to us: “Kachma - don’t run!” But we haven’t heard anything about this and are running under our own sail. For our sins, the king sent all his people after us. They overtook us on Bohun and started shooting at us. They shot a man, and we shot two Tatars. But our smaller ship got stuck near the Ez, and they immediately took it and plundered it, and all my luggage was on that ship.

We reached the sea on a large ship, but it became aground at the mouth of the Volga, and then they overtook us and ordered the ship to be pulled up the river to the point. And our large ship was robbed here and four Russian men were taken prisoner, and we were released with our bare heads across the sea, and were not allowed back up the river, so that no news was given.

And we went, crying, on two ships to Derbent: in one ship, Ambassador Khasan-bek, and the Teziki, and ten of us Russians; and in the other ship there are six Muscovites, six Tver residents, cows, and our food. And a storm arose on the sea, and the smaller ship was broken on the shore. And here is the town of Tarki, and people went ashore, and the kaytaki came and took everyone prisoner.

And we came to Derbent, and Vasily arrived there safely, and we were robbed. And I beat Vasily Papin and the Shirvanshah’s ambassador Hasan-bek, with whom we came, with my brow, so that they could take care of the people whom the kaytaks captured near Tarki. And Hasan-bek went to the mountain to ask Bulat-bek. And Bulat-bek sent a walker to the Shirvanshah to convey: “Sir! The Russian ship crashed near Tarki, and the kaytaki, when they arrived, took the people prisoner and plundered their goods.”

And the Shirvanshah immediately sent an envoy to his brother-in-law, the Kaitak prince Khalil-bek: “My ship crashed near Tarki, and your people, coming, captured the people from it, and plundered their goods; and you, for my sake, people came to me and collect their goods, because those people were sent to me. And what do you need from me, send it to me, and I, my brother, will not contradict you in anything. And those people came to me, and you, for my sake, let them come to me without obstacles.” And Khalil-bek released all the people to Derbent immediately without obstacles, and from Derbent they were sent to the Shirvanshah at his headquarters - koytul.

We went to the Shirvanshah’s headquarters and beat him with our foreheads so that he would favor us rather than reach Rus'. And he didn’t give us anything: they say there are a lot of us. And we parted, crying in all directions: someone who had something left in Rus' went to Rus', and whoever had to, went wherever he could. And others remained in Shemakha, while others went to Baku to work.

And I went to Derbent, and from Derbent to Baku, where the fire burns unquenchable; and from Baku he went overseas - to Chapakur.

And I lived in Chapakur for six months, and I lived in Sari for a month, in Mazandaran land. And from there he went to Amol and lived here for a month. And from there he went to Damavand, and from Damavand - to Ray. Here they killed Shah Hussein, one of the children of Ali, the grandchildren of Muhammad, and the curse of Muhammad fell on the killers - seventy cities were destroyed.

From Rey I went to Kashan and lived here for a month, and from Kashan to Nain, and from Nain to Iezd and lived here for a month. And from Yazd he went to Sirjan, and from Sirjan to Tarom, livestock here is fed with dates, and a batman of dates is sold for four altyns. And from Tarom he went to Lar, and from Lar to Bender - that was the Hormuz pier. And here is the Indian Sea, in Persian Daria of Gundustan; It's a four mile walk from here to Hormuz-grad.

And Hormuz is on an island, and the sea attacks it twice every day. I spent my first Easter here, and came to Hormuz four weeks before Easter. And that’s why I didn’t name all the cities, because there are many more big cities. The heat of the sun in Hormuz is great, it will burn a person. I was in Hormuz for a month, and from Hormuz after Easter on the day of Radunitsa I went in a tawa with horses across the Indian Sea.

And we walked by sea to Muscat for ten days, and from Muscat to Dega for four days, and from Dega to Gujarat, and from Gujarat to Cambay. This is where paint and varnish are born. From Cambay they sailed to Chaul, and from Chaul they left in the seventh week after Easter, and they walked by sea for six weeks in a tawa to Chaul. And here is the Indian country, and people walk naked, and their heads are not covered, and their breasts are bare, and their hair is braided in one braid, everyone walks with bellies, and children are born every year, and they have many children. Both men and women are all naked and all black. Wherever I go, there are many people behind me - they are amazed at the white man. The prince there has a veil on his head and another on his hips, and the boyars there have a veil over their shoulder and another on their hips, and the princesses walk with a veil over their shoulder and another veil on their hips. And the servants of the princes and boyars have one veil wrapped around their hips, and a shield, and a sword in their hands, some with darts, others with daggers, and others with sabers, and others with bows and arrows; Yes, everyone is naked, and barefoot, and strong, and they do not shave their hair. And women walk - their heads are not covered, and their breasts are bare, and boys and girls walk naked until they are seven years old, their shame is not covered.

From Chaul they went overland, walked to Pali for eight days, to the Indian mountains. And from Pali they walked ten days to Umri, an Indian city. And from Umri there are seven days' journey to Junnar.

The Indian khan rules here - Asad Khan of Junnar, and he serves Melik-at-Tujar. Melik-at-Tujar gave him troops, they say, seventy thousand. And Melik-at-Tujar has two hundred thousand troops under his command, and he has been fighting the Kafars for twenty years: and they have defeated him more than once, and he has defeated them many times. Assad Khan rides in public. And he has a lot of elephants, and he has a lot of good horses, and he has a lot of warriors, Khorasans. And horses are brought from the Khorasan land, some from the Arab land, some from the Turkmen land, others from the Chagotai land, and they are all brought by sea in tavs - Indian ships.

And I, a sinner, brought the stallion to Indian land, and with him I reached Junnar, with God’s help, healthy, and he cost me a hundred rubles. Their winter began on Trinity Day. I spent the winter in Junnar and lived here for two months. Every day and night - for four whole months - there is water and mud everywhere. These days they plow and sow wheat, rice, peas, and everything edible. They make wine from large nuts, they call it Gundustan goats, and they call them mash from tatna. Here they feed the horses peas, and cook khichri with sugar and butter, and feed the horses with them, and in the morning they give them hornets. There are no horses in the Indian land; bulls and buffaloes are born in their land - they ride on them, carry goods and carry other things, do everything.

A monument of ancient Russian literature, travel notes (genre of travel) of the Tver merchant Afanasy Nikitin about his journey to India in 1468-1474.

Characteristics of the work

“Walking across Three Seas” has come down to us in three editions, or editions. One of them is contained in the Second Sofia and Lviv Chronicles, dating back to the code of 1518, which, in turn, reflected the earlier chronicle code of the 80s of the 15th century; the second is included in the collection of the late 15th and early 16th centuries from the Museum Collection of the Russian State Library (which previously belonged to the Trinity Monastery and is therefore usually called Trinity); the third edition, which is part of the later chronicle-chronographic compilation, dates back to the 17th century. Excerpts from “Walking” are also read in the collection of the late 15th century - RSL, f. 178. No. 3271 (fol. 35 vol.).

We know nothing about Afanasy Nikitin, except for the information contained in the “Walking” and the note that preceded him in the chronicle edition. It is known that the author of “Walking” died around 1475, not far from Smolensk, and his diary was handed over to the clerk of the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily Mamyrev.

“Walking across Three Seas” is the first work of Russian literature to depict a journey that had not religious, but commercial purposes. Afanasy Nikitin descended the Volga from Tver to Astrakhan, crossed the Caspian Sea, passed through Persia and reached India through the Indian Ocean, where he lived for three years. The return route lay again through the Indian Ocean, Persia, and then along the Black Sea and Crimea. There is no reason to consider Afanasy Nikitin a particularly enterprising merchant who consciously strove to India; Nor was he a diplomat. The goods with which he set off were apparently intended for sale in the Caucasus. Β He left India “out of much trouble” after he was robbed in the lower reaches of the Volga. The only goods he delivered to India were a horse, bought along the way and sold with great difficulty. Nikitin's travel notes were, in essence, a diary, only without a breakdown into dates.

“Walking Beyond the Three Seas” provides rich ethnographic and historical material that, together with other sources, helps to reconstruct the history of the Muslim state of the Bahmanids, as well as the relationship with its southern neighbor, the Hindu Vijayanagar Empire. Afanasy Nikitin vividly and accurately describes the nature of India, its political system, trade, and agriculture. He boldly introduces autobiographical episodes and lyrical digressions into his narrative. The notes testify to the patriotism of their author, the breadth of his views and erudition. The language of the notes is close to colloquial and business speech in Moscow; Persian, Arabic, Turkic words and expressions are widely used.

In the 19th century I.I. Sreznevsky proposed dating the journey of Afanasy Nikitin to 1466-1472, which is rooted in literature. The chronology was revised in the mid-1980s by L.S. Semenov, who convincingly proved that the guest from Tver went to India in 1468 and stayed there from 1471 to 1474, and returned to Rus' in 1475.

Reflection in art

In 1958, the first Soviet-Indian film “Walking across Three Seas” was shot in the USSR at the Mosfilm studio. Directors: Vasily Pronin, Khoja Akhmad Abbas.

This work tells the story of the merchant Afanasy Nikitin, who leaves his homeland - Ryazan and moves to the lands of Shirvan. He took with him on the road travel documents that were given to him by Prince Mikhail Borisovich of Tver and Archbishop Gennady. Other merchants on ships also set off with Nikitin. They sail along the Volga, passing the Klyazma Monastery, pass Uglich and end up in Kostroma. Then the governor of Ivan the Third gives them way.

The ambassador of the Shirvan prince has already set off down the Volga. Afanasy Nikitin waits for two weeks for Ambassador Khasan-bek, with whom they continue their journey together.

On the road, Nikitin begins to work on his notes about sailing across three seas. The first sea is Derbent, the second is Indian and the third is Black.

The ship easily passed Kazan. Next, the merchants were told that the Tatars were waiting for them. Hassan-Bek bribes knowledgeable people with gifts with a request to lead them in a different direction. The offerings were accepted, however, and the Tatars were told about Nikitin’s approach. The clash resulted in deaths on both sides. When the ship was on land, the passengers were captured.

In Derbent, Nikitin finds help from Vasily Panin. After his intervention in the case, the prisoners were released.

Afanasy continues on his way. He lives for a short time in various cities, after which he goes beyond the Indian Sea. There he is engaged in trade and almost loses the stallion he brought. Treasurer Muhamed stands up for him, and the Muslims return the stallion. Nikitin considers what happened to be a miracle.

The traveler describes the life and customs of people living in India. He is especially interested in the issue of religion. Afanasy Nikitin laments the fact that he has already lost his way with the church calendar. By the stars he determines the onset of Easter. Then he returns to his homeland.

The traveler is engaged in describing what he saw. Goes into detail, talking about the ports. Delves into the details of what can await travelers, what problems they will encounter.

When Nikitin found himself across the Black Sea, he was mistaken for a spy. Because of this, the head of security robbed him. At the end of the story, Athanasius thanks God for his mercy and for the fact that he managed to cross all three seas.

Picture or drawing Nikitin - Walking beyond three seas

Hormuz

Nikitin went to Persia through Baku, after which, after crossing the mountains, he went further south. He made his journey without haste, stopping for a long time in villages and studying local languages, as well as engaging in trade. Athanasius arrived in the spring of 1449 in Hormuz, a large city located at the intersection of various trade routes: from India, China, Asia Minor and Egypt.

Products from Hormuz were already known in Russia. Hormuz pearls were especially famous. Afanasy Nikitin, having learned that horses were being exported to this city, decided to make a risky undertaking. He bought an Arabian stallion and boarded a ship in the hope of reselling it profitably in India. Afanasy went to the city of Chaul. Thus continued the Russian discovery of India. Afanasy Nikitin got here by sea.

First impressions of India

The voyage took six weeks. India made the strongest impression on the merchant. The traveler, not forgetting about trade, also became interested in ethnographic research. He wrote down in detail what he saw in his diaries. In his notes, India appears as a wonderful country, in which everything is completely different from in Rus'. Afanasy wrote that all the people here walk around naked and black. He was amazed that even poor residents wore gold jewelry. Nikitin himself, by the way, also amazed the Indians. Local residents had rarely seen white people before. Nikitin failed to sell his stallion profitably in Chaul. He headed inland, visiting a small city located in the upper reaches of the Sina, and then Junnar.

What did Afanasy Nikitin write about?

Afanasy Nikitin in his travel notes noted everyday details, described sights and local customs. This was almost the first description of the life of India not only for Rus', but also for Europe. Afanasy wrote about what food the locals eat, what they feed their livestock, what goods they trade, and how they dress. He even described the process of making intoxicating drinks, as well as the custom of housewives in India to sleep in the same bed with guests.

The story that happened in the Junnar fortress

The traveler did not stay in the Junnar fortress of his own free will. The local khan took the stallion from Afanasy when he learned that he was an alien from Rus', and not an infidel, and set a condition for the infidel: either he converts to Islam, or not only will he not return his horse, but will also be sold into slavery by the khan. Four days were given for reflection. Only chance saved the Russian traveler. He met Muhammad, an old acquaintance, who vouched for the stranger before the khan.

Nikitin studied the agricultural activities of the population during the two months he spent in Junnar. He noticed that in India they sow and plow wheat, peas and rice during the rainy season. He also describes local winemaking. Coconuts are used as raw material in it.

How Afanasy sold his horse

Athanasius visited the city of Alland after Junnar. There was a big fair here. The merchant wanted to sell, but this again failed. Even without him there were many good horses at the fair.

Afanasy Nikitin managed to sell it only in 1471, and even then without profit, or even at a loss. This happened in the city of Bidar, where the traveler arrived after waiting out the rainy season in other settlements. He stayed here for a long time and became friends with the local population. Afanasy told the residents about his faith and land. The Hindus also told a lot about their family life, prayers, and customs. Many of Nikitin’s recordings are devoted to issues of religion of local residents.

Parvat in Nikitin's notes

The next thing that Afanasy Nikitin discovered was the sacred city of Parvat. He arrived here on the banks of Krishna in 1472. Believers from all over India came from this city to the annual festivities that were dedicated. Nikitin notes in his diaries that this place is as important for Indian Brahmins as Jerusalem is for Christians.

The further journey of Afanasy Nikitin

The merchant traveled around India for another year and a half, trying to trade and studying local customs. But commercial enterprises (the reason why Afanasy Nikitin went across three seas) failed. He never found any goods suitable for export to Rus' from India.

Afanasy Nikitin visited Africa (east coast) on his way back. In the Ethiopian lands, according to diary entries, he miraculously managed to avoid robbery. The traveler paid off the robbers with bread and rice.

Return trip

Afanasy Nikitin's journey continued with him returning to Hormuz and going north through Iran, where military operations were taking place at that time. Afanasy passed Kashan, Shiraz, Erzinjan and ended up in Trabzon, a Turkish city located on the southern coast of the Black Sea. The return seemed close, but Nikitin’s luck turned away again. The Turkish authorities took him into custody because they mistook him for an Iranian spy. So Afanasy Nikitin, a Russian merchant and traveler, was deprived of all his property. All he has left is his diary.

Afanasy borrowed money for the journey on parole. He wanted to get to Feodosia, where he planned to meet Russian merchants and pay off debts with their help. He was able to reach Kafa (Feodosia) only in 1474, in the fall. Nikitin spent the winter here, completing his travel notes. In the spring, he decided to go back to Russia along the Dnieper, to Tver. This was the end of Afanasy Nikitin's trip to India.

Death of Afanasy Nikitin

But the traveler was not destined to return: he died in Smolensk under unclear circumstances. Probably, years of hardships and wanderings undermined Afanasy’s health. His companions, Moscow merchants, brought his manuscripts to Moscow and handed them over to Mamyrev, clerk, adviser to Ivan III. The records were later included in the chronicle of 1480.

They were discovered in the 19th century by Karamzin and published under the author's title in 1817. The three seas mentioned in the title of this work are the Caspian, Black and Indian Oceans.

What did Afanasy Nikitin discover?

Long before the arrival of Europeans in India, a Russian merchant found himself in this country. The sea route here was discovered by Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese merchant, several decades later.

Although the commercial goal was not achieved, the journey resulted in the first description of India. In Ancient Rus', before that, it was known only from legends and some literary sources. A man of the 15th century was able to see this country with his own eyes and talentedly tell his compatriots about it. He wrote about the political system, religions, trade, exotic animals (elephants, snakes, monkeys), local customs, and also recorded some legends.

Nikitin also described areas and cities that he had not visited himself, but which the Indians told him about. He mentions, in particular, the island of Ceylon, Calcutta, and Indochina, which were unknown to the Russians at that time. Therefore, what Afanasy Nikitin discovered was of great value. Carefully collected information today allows us to judge the geopolitical and military aspirations of the rulers of India at that time, about their army.

“Walking across Three Seas” by Afanasy Nikitin is the first text of this kind in the history of Russian literature. The unique sound of the work is given by the fact that the traveler did not describe exclusively holy places, like pilgrims before him. It is not the various objects of the Christian religion that come into his field of vision, but people with other beliefs and ways of life. The notes are devoid of internal censorship and officiality, which makes them especially valuable.

Ophthalmology. Urology and nephrology. Medicines. Allergy. Cosmetology. Proctology