In the spring of 1468, Afanasy Nikitin, a middle-income merchant from Tver, equipped two ships and headed along the Volga to the Caspian Sea to trade with his fellow countrymen. Expensive goods were brought for sale, including “soft junk” - furs that were valued in the markets of the Lower Volga and the North Caucasus.
2 Nizhny Novgorod
Having passed by water past Klyazma, Uglich and Kostroma, Afanasy Nikitin reached Nizhny Novgorod. There, for safety reasons, his caravan had to join another caravan led by Vasily Papin, the Moscow ambassador. But the caravans missed each other - Papin had already gone south when Afanasy arrived in Nizhny Novgorod.
Nikitin had to wait for the Tatar ambassador Khasanbek to arrive from Moscow and go with him and other merchants to Astrakhan 2 weeks later than planned.
3 Astrakhan
The ships safely passed Kazan and several other Tatar settlements. But just before arriving in Astrakhan, the caravan was robbed by local robbers - these were Astrakhan Tatars led by Khan Kasim, who was not embarrassed even by the presence of his compatriot Khasanbek. The robbers took away all the goods bought on credit from the merchants. The trade expedition was disrupted, Afanasy Nikitin lost two of the four ships.
The two remaining ships headed to Derbent, got caught in a storm in the Caspian Sea, and were thrown ashore. Returning to their homeland without money or goods threatened the merchants with debt and shame.
Then Afanasy decided to improve his affairs by engaging in intermediary trade. Thus began the famous journey of Afanasy Nikitin, which he described in travel notes entitled "Walking across the Three Seas".
4 Persia
Nikitin went through Baku to Persia, to an area called Mazanderan, then crossed the mountains and moved further south. He traveled without haste, stopping for a long time in villages and engaging not only in trade, but also studying local languages. In the spring of 1469, “four weeks before Easter,” he arrived in Hormuz, a large port city at the intersection of trade routes from Egypt, Asia Minor (Turkey), China and India. Goods from Hormuz were already known in Russia, Hormuz pearls were especially famous.
Having learned that horses that were not bred there were being exported from Hormuz to Indian cities, Afanasy Nikitin bought an Arabian stallion and hoped to resell it well in India. In April 1469, he boarded a ship bound for the Indian city of Chaul.
5 Arrival in India
The voyage took 6 weeks. India made a strong impression on the merchant. Not forgetting about the trade affairs for which he, in fact, arrived here, the traveler became interested in ethnographic research, recording in detail what he saw in his diaries. India appears in his notes as a wonderful country, where everything is not like in Rus', “and people walk around all black and naked.” It was not possible to sell the stallion profitably in Chaul, and he went inland.
6 Junnar
Athanasius visited a small town in the upper reaches of the Sina River, and then went to Junnar. I had to stay in the Junnar fortress against my own will. The “Junnar Khan” took the stallion from Nikitin when he learned that the merchant was not an infidel, but an alien from distant Rus', and set a condition for the infidel: either he converts to the Islamic faith, or not only will he not receive the horse, but will also be sold into slavery. Khan gave him 4 days to think. It was on Spasov Day, on the Assumption Fast. “The Lord God took pity on his honest holiday, did not leave me, a sinner, with his mercy, did not allow me to perish in Junnar among the infidels. On the eve of Spasov's day, the treasurer Mohammed, a Khorasanian, arrived, and I beat him with my brow so that he would work for me. And he went to the city to Asad Khan and asked for me so that they would not convert me to their faith, and he took my stallion back from the khan.”
During the 2 months spent in Junnar, Nikitin studied the agricultural activities of the local residents. He saw that in India they plow and sow wheat, rice and peas during the rainy season. He also describes local winemaking, which uses coconuts as a raw material.
7 Bidar
After Junnar, Athanasius visited the city of Alland, where a large fair was taking place. The merchant intended to sell his Arabian horse here, but again it didn’t work out. Only in 1471 Afanasy Nikitin managed to sell the horse, and even then without much benefit for himself. This happened in the city of Bidar, where the traveler stopped while waiting out the rainy season. "Bidar - capital city Gundustan of Besermen. The city is big and there are a lot of people in it. The Sultan is young, twenty years old - the boyars rule, and the Khorasans reign and all the Khorasans fight,” this is how Afanasy described this city.
The merchant spent 4 months in Bidar. “And I lived here in Bidar until Lent and met many Hindus. I revealed my faith to them, said that I was not a Besermen, but a Christian of the Jesus faith, and my name was Athanasius, and my Besermen name was Khoja Yusuf Khorasani. And the Hindus did not hide anything from me, neither about their food, nor about trade, nor about prayers, nor about other things, and they did not hide their wives in the house.” Many entries in Nikitin's diaries concern issues of Indian religion.
8 Parvat
In January 1472, Afanasy Nikitin arrived in the city of Parvat, sacred place on the banks of the Krishna River, where believers from all over India went to the annual festivals dedicated to the god Shiva. Afanasy Nikitin notes in his diaries that this place has the same meaning for Indian Brahmins as Jerusalem for Christians.
Nikitin spent almost six months in one of the cities of the “diamond” province of Raichur, where he decided to return to his homeland. During all the time that Afanasy traveled around India, he never found a product suitable for sale in Rus'. These travels did not give him any special commercial benefit.
9 Way back
On his way back from India, Afanasy Nikitin decided to visit the east coast of Africa. According to entries in his diaries, in the Ethiopian lands he barely managed to avoid robbery, paying off the robbers with rice and bread. He then returned to the city of Hormuz and moved north through war-torn Iran. He passed the cities of Shiraz, Kashan, Erzincan and arrived in Trabzon, a Turkish city on the southern shore of the Black Sea. There he was taken into custody by the Turkish authorities as an Iranian spy and stripped of all his remaining property.
10 Cafe
Afanasy had to borrow money on his word of honor for the journey to the Crimea, where he intended to meet compatriot merchants and with their help pay off his debts. He was able to reach Kafa (Feodosia) only in the fall of 1474. Nikitin spent the winter in this city, completing notes on his journey, and in the spring he set off along the Dnieper back to Russia.
Surely you would be curious to know what Afanasy Nikitin discovered. After reading this article, you will find out where this man visited. Years of life of Afanasy Nikitin - 1442-1474 (75). He was born in Tver, in the family of Nikita, a peasant, so Nikitin is a patronymic, not a surname of a traveler. Most peasants at that time did not have surnames.
His biography is only partially known to historians. There is no reliable information about his youth and childhood, only that he became a merchant at a fairly young age and visited the Crimea, Byzantium, Lithuania and other states on trade matters. Afanasy's commercial enterprises were quite successful: he returned safely to his homeland with overseas goods.
Below is the one located in Tver.
In 1468, Athanasius undertook an expedition during which he visited the countries of the East, Africa, India and Persia. described in a book called “Walking across Three Seas” by Afanasy Nikitin.
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 - Big 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. And so it continued Russian discovery 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, which were dedicated. Nikitin notes in his diaries that this place has the same 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. Sea route Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese merchant, discovered it here 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 state 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.
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 Hassan-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 Indian country, and simple people they walk naked, and their heads are not covered, and their breasts are naked, 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 a lot of people following me - they are amazed to the white man».
Everything is accessible to the curiosity of the Russian traveler: and Agriculture, and the state of the army, and the method of waging war: “The battle is being 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 cannons 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...”.
Afanasy grieves that he lost his Russian language 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 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!"
AND The name of the Tver merchant Afanasy Nikitin (c. 1433–1472) is on everyone’s lips. Everyone knows that he went to India and left the “Walk across the Three Seas”, and if you look at the map, you can even guess that the three seas are the Black, Caspian and Arabian. But how many have had the pleasure of enjoying this wonderful story?
Traveling across the three seas was not the first for Afanasy. Most likely, by the age of 33, when he went to Persia with the embassy of Ivan III, this enterprising man had managed to wander around the world a lot. Knew a lot, seen a lot. Maybe in those days the West and the East were not so far from each other? Maybe in the Middle Ages there was not such a gap between Europe and Asia, between Western and Eastern beliefs and customs? Maybe we cut ourselves off from each other later?
Be that as it may, we can safely say that it was the merchants, and not the scientists, conquerors and adventurers, who so persistently expanded the boundaries known world, searched and found new lands, established connections with new peoples. And this cannot be achieved by courage and recklessness alone, and cannot be achieved without the ability to compromise, respect for the new and friendliness. It’s only a pity that following, along the paths laid by trading people, came hordes of ruthless nomads and greedy rulers, burning out the timid shoots of mutual understanding and tolerance with hot irons. The merchant is looking for benefits, not quarrels: war is a shroud of trade.
Among the thousands of merchants who embarked on dangerous journeys in a desperate determination to sell at a higher price and buy at a lower price, you can count on one hand those who left travel notes. And Afanasy Nikitin is among them. Moreover, he managed to visit a country where, it seems, no European had ever set foot before - amazing, coveted India. His laconic “Walking across the Three Seas of Afonasy Mikitin” contained a whole scattering of precious information about Old Indian life, which has not yet lost its value. What is worth just the description of the ceremonial departure of the Indian Sultan, surrounded by 12 viziers and accompanied by 300 elephants, 1000 horsemen, 100 camels, 600 trumpeters and dancers and 300 concubines!
It is also very instructive to learn about the difficulties that the Christian Athanasius encountered in a foreign country. Of course, he was not the first to painfully search for a way to preserve his faith among people of other faiths. But it is his narrative that is the most valuable European document, showing an example not only of spiritual fortitude, but also of religious tolerance and the ability to defend one’s views without false heroism and empty insults. And one can argue until one is hoarse whether Afanasy Nikitin converted to Islam. But doesn’t the very fact that he strove with all his might to return to his homeland prove that he remained a Christian?..
Clear and measured, devoid of any literary excesses and at the same time very personal, the narrative of Afanasy Nikitin is read in one breath, but... poses many questions to the reader. How did this man, having lost all his property, get to Persia, and from there to India? Did he know overseas languages in advance, or did he learn them along the way (after all, he so accurately conveys Tatar, Persian and Arabic speech in Russian letters)? Was it common among Russian merchants to be able to navigate by the stars? How did he get his food? How did you collect the money to return to Russia?
The stories of other travelers - merchants and ambassadors, who have compiled an appendix to this book, will help you understand all this. Read the notes of the Franciscan Guillaume de Rubruk (c. 1220 - c. 1293), struggling to fulfill his mission and constantly complaining about the negligence of interpreters; Russian merchant Fedot Kotov, who went to Persia around 1623 and for whom trade benefits and the state of trade routes were in the first, second and third place; and the Venetians Ambrogio Contarini and Josaphat Barbaro, an ambassador and merchant who visited Russia on their way to the Eastern countries in 1436–1479. Compare their impressions. Appreciate how the world has changed over four centuries. And maybe the truth will be revealed to you...
Afanasy Nikitin. WALKING OVER THREE SEAS
Old Russian text Trinity list of the 16th century.
Z and the prayer of the saints, our fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, your sinful servant Afonasy Mikitin, son. He wrote about his sinful journey across three seas: the first sea of Derbenskoye, Doriya Khvalitska; the second Indian Sea, Doria Hondustanska; Third Black Sea, Doria Stembolska. I departed from the Holy Golden-Domed Savior with his mercy, from Grand Duke Mikhail Borisovich and from Bishop Gennady of Tver, went to the bottom of the Volga and came to the monastery of the holy life-giving Trinity and the holy martyr Boris and Gleb; and the brothers blessed the abbot at Macarius; and from Kolyazin he went to Uglech, from Uglech to Kostroma to Prince Alexander, with his new diploma. And the Great Prince released me from all Rus' voluntarily. And on Yeleso, in Nizhny Novgorod, to Mikhail, to Kiselyov, to the governor, and to the fee-paying agent Ivan Saraev, they were allowed in voluntarily. And Vasily Papin rode into the city, and Yaz waited in the Khiov city for two weeks for the ambassador of the Tatar Shirvashin Asambeg, and he was traveling from the Krechat from Grand Duke Ivan, and he had ninety Krechat. And you went with him to the bottom of the Volga. And Kazan, and the Horde, and Uslan, and Sarai, and the Verekezans passed through voluntarily. And we drove into the Vuzan River.
And then three filthy Tatars came to us and told us false news: Kaisym Soltan is guarding the guests in Buzan, and with him are three thousand Totars. And the ambassador Shirvashin Asanbeg gave them one row and a piece of canvas to lead them past Aztarkhan. And they took each other and gave the news to the king in Khazatorokhan. And I left my ship and climbed onto the ship for a word and with my comrades. Aztarkhan sailed for a month at night, the king saw us and the Tatars called to us: “Kachma, don’t run!” And the king sent his entire horde after us. And because of our sins, they overtook us on Bugun, they shot a man, and we shot two of them; and our smaller ship got underway, and they took it about that hour and plundered it, and all my junk was in the smaller ship. And the larger ship reached the sea, but it became aground at the mouth of the Volga, and they took us there, and pulled the ship back to the bottom. And then our larger ship was taken, and the Russians took 4 heads, and we were released with our naked heads over the sea, and the news of the division did not let us in. And two ships went to Derbenti: in one ship there was Ambassador Asambeg, and the Teziks, and the Rusaks with 10 heads of us; and in the other ship there are 6 Muscovite and 6 Tverich.
And the furship arose on the sea, and the smaller ship crashed on the shore, and the kaitaks came and caught all the people. And we came to Derbent. And then Vasily came to say hello, and we were robbed. And he beat with his forehead Vasily Papin and the Shirvanshin ambassador Asanbeg, who had come with him, so that he would grieve about the people that they were caught under Tarkhy Kaitaki. And Osanbeg was sad and went to the mountain to Bultabeg. And Bulatbeg quickly sent word to Shirvanshebeg: that a Russian ship was wrecked near Tarkhi, and the kaytaks came and captured the people, and plundered their goods. And the Shirvanshabeg of that hour sent an envoy to his brother-in-law Alilbeg, the Kaitak prince, that my ship was broken near Tarkhy, and your people came, captured the people, and plundered their goods; and you would have sent people to me and collected their goods, since those people were sent in my name; and what would you need from me, and you came to me, and I don’t stand for you, my brother, and you would have let them go voluntarily if I were to share them with you. And Alilbeg of that hour sent all the people to Derbent voluntarily, and from Derbent they sent them to the Shirvanshi in his quarters. And we went to Shirvansha in Koitul and beat him with his forehead so that he would favor us rather than get to Rus'. And he didn’t give us anything, but there are a lot of us. And we cried and dispersed in all directions: whoever had anything in Rus' went to Rus'; and some should, and he went wherever his eyes took him, while others remained in Shamakhi, and others went to work for Baka.
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.
