Flaman asıllı Jean Baptiste Tavernier (1605-1689) coğrafya haritaları satan bir tüccarın oğluydu. Yolculuklar için beslediği tutkuyla daha 22 yaşını doldurmadan Avrupa'nın birçok ülkesini gezmiş (İtalya, Fransa, İngiltere, Almanya, Polonya, Macaristan, İsviçre) ve bu ülkelerde konuşulan belli başlı dilleri öğrenmişti. Osmanlı İmparatorluğu ve İran'a doğru ilk seyahatine 1631 yılında çıkar. Kendisini İran'a götürecek olan kervanı beklemek için 11 ay İstanbul'da kalır. Doğu'ya doğru yaptığı yolculukta Tokat, Erzurum, Erivan'dan geçer ve İsfahan'a varır. Dönüşte Bağdat yolunu izleyerek Halep, İskenderiye, Malta'dan geçer ve İtalya yoluyla 1633'te Paris'e ulaşır. Bu yolculuktan başka 1668 yılına dek altı seyahat gerçekleştiren Tavernier, tüccar sıfatıyla Doğu ülkelerindeki prenslere değerli taş satar. Japonya ve Cava'ya kadar ulaşır ve kendi anlatımıyla: "... kırk yıllık bir süre içinde her ülkenin dini, idaresi, adetleri ve ticareti hakkında hatta ölçü ve tartı birimleri ve para değerleri ile ilgili bilgiler" kaydeder. Seksen üç yaşına varmışken Hindistan'a gitmek üzere yola çıkar, Rusya'yı geçer, ancak 1689 yılında Moskova'da ölür.

Kırk yıllık yolculuklarında toplam olarak yaklaşık 240 bin kilometre katetmiş olur. Tavernier ömrünün sonuna dek Voltaire'in kendisini suçladığı gibi "filozoftan çok bir tüccar" olarak kalır; Montesquieu ise Lettres persanes başlıklı yapıtında ondan aldığı birçok bilgiyi kullanır.

Maceracı bir kişiliği olan ve yolculuk zorlukları karşısında yılmayan Tavernier altı farklı seyahatten izlenimlerini ilk olarak 1676-1677'de yayınlar. Anlattığı olaylar ve güzergâhındaki düzensizliğe karşın Tavernier'nin bu yapıtı Doğu'ya ve Asya'ya seyahat eden tüm gezgin-tüccarlar için çeşitli yerlerin para, ölçü ve tartı birimleri, ürünlerin değeri ve fiyatı, gümrük ve ticaret anlaşmaları vs. hakkında sayısız bilgiler içermesi nedeniyle değerli bir el kitabı oluşturur. Kendi ülkesinde çok takdir gören Tavernier kral XIV. Louis tarafından soyluluk ünvanları alır. Elli yedi yaşındayken evlenir ve seyahatnamesini kaleme alır. Bu kitap büyük başarı kazanıp üstüste baskılar yapar ve başka dillere çevrilir.

Yazan: İoli Vingopoulou

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  Ottoman document. On the bottom right, the seal of the Ottoman minister of the Exterior, and an interpretation of the seal's symbols by the author.

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  Fakir of India.

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  Title page.

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  The lance with which Jesus Christ was pierced.

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  Map of the Strait of Hormuz.

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  Map of Kandahar.

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  The deer, from the gland of which musk is extracted.

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  Fakirs of India.

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  Map of Kalmyk village.

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  Map of Baghdad.

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  Map of Yerevan and its environs.

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  Cobra.

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  Coins of the Tsar of Russia.

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  Coins of a King and two Maharajas, tributaries to the Great Mughals of India.

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  Coins of the Great Mughals of India.

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  Coins of Persia.

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  Larin, specific type of coin of the Arabian peninsula.

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  Title page.

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  Title page of the first part of the edition.

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  The lance by which Jesus Christ was pierced on the cross.

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  View of the walls of Baghdad. Down to the 19th century, Baghdad was often, yet erroneously, identified with ancient Babylon. Recent excavations, however, have showed that Babylon stood on the opposite shore of Tigres river.

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  Example of Kalmyk settlement.

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  View of Yerevan, Armenia.

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  View of the old town of Kandahar, with the fortress of Shah Hussain Hotaki.

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  Top: Kiosk in a banana tree forest. Bottom: Map of Bandar Abbash and nearby islands at the straits of Hormuz, Iran.

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  Title page of the second part of the edition.

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  Ornament made of leather and silver, normally worn by Indian tribe chieves.

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  Chart of the Timurid dynasty (dynasty of Timur or Tamerlane). With the exception of Mirzah Mirah Schah, the rest of the persons on the chart rose to the throne albeit for a short time.

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  1. Diamond belonging to the Mongol king of India. 2. Diamond belonging to the Duke of Tuscany. 3. Rough diamond of 242 carats. The author states that this was the bigger diamond he ever saw at the hands of the merchants of India. 4. Rough diamond bought by the author at Ahmedabad, India. 5. Finished diamond. 6. Rough diamond bought by the author in India. 7,8. Rough and finished diamond, of a total weight of 104 carats. The diamonds were bought by an affluent Danish merchant in the presence of the author.

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  Types of rough and finished gemstones: diamonds and rubies.

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  1. Ruby bought by the uncle of the King of the Mongols in India for 90.000 rupees. The ruby was presented to the king on its birthday. 3,4. Rubies belonging to the king of Visapur, India. 5. Ruby belonging to affluent merchant from Varanasi, India. 6. Topaz belonging to the Mongol king of India.

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  1. Pearl belonging to the king of Persia. According to the author the pearl was bought from an Arab merchant of Katifa in 1633 for 32.000 toman. 2. Pearl belonging to the Mongol king of India. 3. Pearl sold by the author to the governor of Bengal, uncle of the Mongol king of India. 4. Pearls belonging to the Mongol king of India.

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  The deer from whose glands musk is extracted.

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  Cobra snake.

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  Gymnosophists near temples in India. 6: The author and a Dutch officer explore the lodgings of an itinerant fakir.

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  Indian gymnosophist.

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  Weapon used by the Muslim fakirs of India.

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  Dutch ship in which the author sailed from India to China. On the right, the emblem of the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie).

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  Coins of Persia.

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  Coins of the Great Mongols of India.

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  Coins of one king and two majarajas, all tributaries of the emperor of the Great Mongols of India.

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  Coins from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

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  1,2. Coins minted by turkish merchants and colonists of Fort Saint George at Madras (today Chennai), India. 3-8. Coins minted by Dutch merchants and colonists of Pulicat (today Pazhaverkadu), India.

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  1-4. Coins of the Sultanate of Aceh (Sumatra). 5-6 Coins of Makassar, Indonesia. 7-10. Coins of the kingdom of Cambodia.

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  Coins of the kingdom of Siam (Thailand).

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  1-4. Coins of the kingdom of Assam (today in India). 5-6. Coins of the kingdom od Arakan (today in Burma). 7-10 Coins of the kingdom of Pegu (today Bago in Burma). 11 -12. Coins of the kingdom of Assam (today in India).

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  Coins of China and the kingdom of Tonkin (today in Vietnam).

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  Coins of Japan.

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  Coins bearing the symbols of astrological signs. They were commissioned by emperor Shah Mugal Jahan in honour of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, and minted in the twenty-four hours that he permitted her to reign in his place.

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  Coins minted by Portuguese merchants and colonists of Goah, India.

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  Coins of the Czar of Russia.

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  Title page.

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  Map of Japan.

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  Map of the eastern coast of Vietnam (kingdom of Tonkin).

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  High-ranking officials of the kingdom of Tonkin.

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  Theatre production at Hanoi (today in Vietnam) in the presence of the king of Tonkin and his court.

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  Coins of the kingdom of Tonkin (today in Vietnam).

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  Pagodas at the kingdom of Tonkin (Vietnam). In the foreground, gymnosophists and priests in ceremonial dress doing their prayers.

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  Top: The king of Tonkin (Vietnam) exits the palace. Bottom: The king of Tonkin (Vietnam) leaves for war.

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  Procession which escorts the queen mother or the queen of Tonkin as they exit the palace.

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  Funeral procession of the king of Tonkin (Vietnam).

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  Carriages with livestock and other provisions leave Hanoi. They are destined to feed the soldiers and other followers of the funeral procession of the king of Tonkin (Vietnam).

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  Quranic inscription.

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  The seal of Shah Ismail I of Persia, with an interpretation of the symbols by the author.

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  The tugra (signature) of the Shah of Persia, with interpretation of the symbols by the author.

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  Top: Kiosk in banana tree forest. Bottom: Map of Bandar Abbash and nearby islands at the straits of Hormuz, Iran.

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  The numbers used by speakers of all the languages of India alike, for financial and other transactions.

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  Larin, coin of the Arabic peninsula.

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  1-2: Golden coins of the Sultanate of Golkonda, India. 3-4: Coins of the kingdom of Visapur, India. 5,6. Coins of the Maharajah of Karnataka, India. 7-8. Coins of the Maharajah of Vellore, India. 9-12. Coins of the Maharajahs of Karnataka and Vellore. 13-17. Coins of the region of Coromandel at the eastern coast of India.

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  Funerary procession of the king of Tonkin (Vietnam).