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Lesson Objective: Students will learn about a German physician and his travel to Persia during the 17th century and examine his travel account through the paintings in his manuscript                                                            

Homira Pashai 3-8-2020

                                                                                   

Studies on Persianate Manuscripts, Arts, and Literature

Illustrations: Courtesy of the British Museum and Library

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                                                Engelbert Kaempfer and His Report on Persians (1684-85)

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            Engelbert Kaempfer was born in 1651 in Germany. He is known as a German naturalist, physician, and humanist who traveled through Asia and recorded his observations in two books, Amoenitatum exoticarum, and Flora Japonica, both published during the 18th century. In 1683, he was appointed as the secretary of a Swedish legation to the Persian court in Isfahan. They traveled to Persia through Moscow and crossed the Volga to the Caspian Sea. The purpose of the Swedish legation was to gain direct access to the material goods of the Orient. But, during his stay in Persia, Kaempfer visited not only the court of Isfahan but also contacted the foreigners who lived in the capital of Isfahan. Later, he resigned from the Swedish mission and became the physician of the Dutch East India Company. During this time, he traveled to Bandar Abbas and stayed there for two years. The first draft of his reports on Persia was written during his two years stay in Bandar Abbas. In 1688 he left Persia for southern India.

            The first part of his book, Amoenitatum exoticarum, includes an account of the history of Shah Suleyman’s coronation in 1666 and describes the court. What follows next is his report on the economy, administration, provinces, and cities. Kaempfer returned to Europe in 1695 and served as a physician. His collection of objects and manuscripts is now primarily housed at the British Museum and Library.

 

Write a small travelogue sharing information about a country, city, or village you visited. Add drawings to your explanations.

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Share with the class if you read any travel accounts in the past or watched a movie or a documentary based on travel accounts.

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What do you see in the pictures? Please explain in detail.

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