Afanasy Nikitin. sailing across three seas. Afanasy Nikitin's walk across three seas Afanasy Nikitin's walk read

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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 of the known world, sought 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, demonstrating 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.

And Yaz went to Derbenti, and from Derbenti to Baka, where the fire burns unquenchable; and from Baki you went across the sea to Chebokar, and here you lived in Chebokar for 6 months, and in Sara you lived for a month in the Mazdran land. And from there to Amili, and here you lived for a month. And from there to Dimovant, and from Dimovant to Rey. And they killed the Shausen Aleyevs’ children and the Makhmetevs’ grandchildren, and he cursed them, and 70 other cities collapsed. And from Drey to Kasheni, and here it was a month. And from Kasheni to Nain, and from Nain to Ezdiya, and here you lived for a month. And from Dies to Syrchan, and from Syrchan to Tarom, and funiki to feed the animals, batman for 4 altyns. And from Torom to Lar, and from Lar to Bender. And here there is the Gurmyz refuge, and here there is the Indian Sea, and in the Parsean language and the Hondustan Doriya; and from there go by sea to Gurmyz 4 miles. And Gurmyz is on the island, and every day the sea catches him twice a day. And then I took 1 Great Day, and I came to Gurmyz four weeks before Great Day. Because I didn’t write all the cities, there are many great cities. And in Gurmyz there is a boiled sun that can burn a person. And I was in Gurmyz for a month, and from Gurmyz I went across the Indian Sea, along the Velitsa days in St. Thomas' week, to Tava, with horses.

And they walked by the sea Degu for 4 days; from Dega Kuzryatu; and from Kuzryat Konbat, and here it’s easy to give birth to paint. And from Kanbat to Chivil, and from Chivil we went this week according to Velitsa days, and we walked in Tava for 6 weeks by sea to Chivil. And here there is Indian country, and people walk around naked, and their heads are not covered, and their breasts are bare, and their hair is braided in one braid, and everyone walks with bellies, having children every year, and they have many children, and all husbands and wives black; No matter where I go, there are many people behind me, they are amazed at the white man. And their prince is a photo on his head, and a friend on his hips; and the boyars walk with a photo on their shoulder, and others on their hips, and the princesses walk with a photo on their shoulder, and another on their hips; and the prince's and boyar's servants have a hood on their hips, a shield and a sword in their hands, and some with bows and arrows; and everyone is naked, barefoot, and tall; and the women walk with their heads uncovered and their breasts bare; and boys and girls walk around naked until they are 7 years old, and not covered in rubbish. And from Chuvil we went dry to Pali, 8 days to the Indian Mountains. And from Pali to Die there are 10 days, that is, an Indian city. And from Umri to Chuneyr is 6 days, and here there is Asatkhan Chunersky Indian, and the slave Meliktucharov, and keep, say, seven times from Meliktuchar.

And Meliktuchar sits at 20 tmah; and he has been fighting with the kafara for 20 years, and then he beats him, then he beats them many times. The Khan rides on people, and he has a lot of good elephants and horses, and he has a lot of Khorozans as people; and bring them from the Khorosan land, and some from the Oraban land, and some from the Tukarmes land, and others from the Chegotan land, and bring everything by sea in tavakhs, Indian lands ships. And the sinner brought the stallion to the Yndey land, he reached Chuner, God gave him everything in good health, and he became a hundred rubles. It became winter for them from Trinity Day. And we spent the winter in Chyuneira, we lived for two months; every day and night for 4 months, and there was water and dirt everywhere. On those same days, they howl and sow wheat, and Tuturgan, and nogot, and everything edible. They make wine in the great nuts of the goats of Gundustan; and they make the mash in the tatna, feed the horses with nochot, and boil the kichiris with sugar, and feed the horses with butter, and give the seeds early. In the Indian land they will not give birth to horses, their lands will give birth to oxen and water buffalos, and they can ride on them and carry other goods, they do everything. Chyuner is a city on a stone island, not made by anything, created by God; but to walk up the mountain every day, one person at a time, the road is narrow, it is impossible to get water.

In the Indian land, the guests put them in the courtyard, and cook food for the guests of the ruler, and make the bed, and sleep with the guests, sikish ileresn du resident bersen, dostur avrat chektur and sikish mufut love white people. In winter, people walk around with a photo on their hips, another on their shoulder, and a third on their head; and the princes and boyars then put on trousers, a shirt, a kavtan, and a photo on the shoulder, and another girdle, and a third photo to wrap around the head; and se olo, olo, abr olo ak, olo kerim, olo ragym. And in that Chyuner, the Khan took a stallion from me, and found out that Yaz was not a Besermenin, a Rusin, and he said: “And I will give a stallion and a thousand gold ladies, and stand in our faith on Makhmet Day; If you don’t join our faith in Mahmet day, I will take the stallion and a thousand pieces of gold on your head.” And the deadline was set for 4 days, in the shitty time of day of Savior. And the Lord God had mercy on his honorable holiday, do not leave his mercy to me, a sinner, and did not order me to perish in Chuner with the wicked; on the eve of Spasov days, the owner Makhmet Khorosan arrived and beat him with his forehead so that he would grieve for me; and he went to the khan in the city, and asked me to leave, so that they would not convert me, and he took my stallion from him.

Such is the Lord’s miracle on Savior Day! Otherwise, brothers of Russian Christians, who wants to go to the Yndey land, and you leave your faith in Rus', let me cry out to Makhmet, and go to the Gustan land. The Beserman's dogs lied to me, and they told me that there was a lot of our goods, but there was nothing for our land; all the goods were white on the land of God, pepper and paint, then cheap; Others are transported by sea, and other duties are not given. But other people will not allow us to carry out the duties, and there are many duties, and there are many robbers at sea. And it is neither the peasants nor the madmen who break all the kofars; but they pray like a stone blockhead, but they don’t know Christ. And from Chunerya I went out to the Assumption of the Most Pure Ones to Beder, to their larger city. And we walked for a month; and from Beder to Kulonkerya 5 days; and from Kulonger to Kelberg is 5 days. Between those great cities there are many cities; on every day there are three degrees, and on another day there are 4 degrees; koko kov'v, koko gradov. And from Chuvil to Chuneyr there are 20 kovs, and from Chuner to Beder there are 40 kovs, and from Beder to Kolungor there are 9 kovs, and from Beder to Kolungor there are 9 kovs. In Bederi there is trade for horses, and for goods, and damask, for silk and for all other goods, so that black people can buy it; but there is no other purchase in it. Yes, all their goods are from the Gundostan region, and they are all vegetables, but there are no goods for the Russian land.

And all are black, and all are villains, and the wives are all whores, but yes, yes, thiefs, yes, lies, and potions, to kill the ruler. In the Indian land, all Khorosans reign, and the boyars are all Khorosans; and the Gundustanians are all pedestrians, and greyhounds walk, and all are naked and barefoot, and have a shield in one hand, and a sword in the other, and other servants with great straight bows and arrows. And all of them fight with elephants, and let the infantry go ahead, the Khorosans on horseback and in armor, and the horses themselves; and great swords are knitted to the snout and to the teeth of the elephant, forged in kendar, and they are covered in damask armor, and towns are made on them, and in the town there are 12 people in armor, and all with guns and arrows. They have one place, shikhb Aludin pir atyr bozar alyadinand, for a year there is only one bozar, the whole country of Indian trade is gathered, and they trade for 10 days; from Beder 12 kovov, bring horses up to 20 thousand to sell, bring all kinds of goods; in the Hondustan land of that market there is the best trade, any goods can be sold, bought, in memory of Shikh Aladin, for the Russian holiday of the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God. There is also a gukuk bird in that Alanda, it flies at night and calls “gukuk”.

And on which mansion one sits, then a person dies; and whoever wants to kill her, otherwise fire will come out of her mouth. And mamon walk at night and have chickens, but live in a mountain or in a stone. And the monkeys live in the forest, but they have a prince of the monkeys, and they march with their army, and who can get them and they complain to their prince, and he sends his army against him, and they, coming to the city, destroy the courts and beat people. And their armies, I say, are many, and their languages are their own, and they bear many children; but who will be born neither to his father nor to his mother, they will move them along the roads; Some Hondustans have them and teach them all kinds of handicrafts, and others sell the night so that they don’t know how to run back, and others teach the bases to mikanet. Spring began for them with the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God; and we celebrate Shikha Aladin and spring for two weeks after the Intercession, and celebrate 8 days; and keep spring for 3 months, and summer for 3 months, and winter for 3 months, and autumn for 3 months. In Bederi, their table is for Gundustan of Besermen. And the city is great, and there are a lot of people; and Saltan is great for 20 years, and the boyars hold, and the Farasans rule, and all the Khorosans fight. There is a Khorosan boyar, Meliktuchar, who has an army of two hundred thousand, and Melik Khan has 100 thousand, and Kharat Khan has 20 thousand; and many of those khans had 10 thousand armies.

And 300 thousand of their army come out with the saltan. And the land is crowded with velmi, and the rural people are naked with velmi, and the boyars are strong in kindness and magnificent with velmi; and carry them all on their beds on silver, and before them they lead horses in gold harnesses up to 20; and on horseback behind them there are 300 people, and on foot 500 people, and 10 pipe-makers, and 10 people with pipe-makers, and 10 people with flutes. The Sultan rides out for fun with his mother and his wife, and with him there are 10 thousand people on horseback, and 50 thousand on foot, and the elephants are led by 200 dressed in gilded armor, and before him are 100 trumpeters, and 100 dancers, and simple horses 300 in golden gear, and behind him there are 100 monkeys, and 100 whores, and all are gauryks. There are 7 gates in the Sultan's courtyard, and at each gate sit 100 guards and 100 scribes; whoever goes, write it down, and whoever goes out, write it down; but the Garips are not allowed into the city. And his courtyard is wonderful, everything is carved and painted in gold, and the last stone is carved and described in gold. Yes, there are separate courts in his yard. The city of Beder is guarded at night by a thousand Kutovalov men, and they ride on horses and in armor, and everyone has a light. And he sold his stallion’s ulcer in Bederi, and I gave him 60 and 8 feet, and I fed him for a year.

In Bederi, snakes walk along the streets, and its length is two fathoms. He came to Beder about the conspiracy about Filipov and Kulongerya and sold his stallion about the Nativity, and here he was until the great conspiracy in Beder and got acquainted with many Indians and told them his faith that I am not a besermen and a Christian, but my name is Ophonase , and Besermensky name of the owner Isuf Khorosani. And they did not learn to hide anything from me, neither about food, nor about trade, nor about manaza, nor about other things, nor did they learn to hide their wives. But everything about faith is about their trials, and they say: we believe in Adam, and the Buts, it seems, are Adam and his entire race. And there are 80 and 4 faiths in India, and everyone believes in Buta; and faith with faith neither drinks nor eats, nor marries, but others eat boran, and chickens, and fish, and eat eggs, but not eat oxen, no faith. They stayed in Bederi for 4 months and decided to go to Pervoti with the Indians, then their Jerusalem, and according to the Besermensky Myagkat, their butkhan. There he went out with the Indians and there will be a month of khana, and the bargaining at the butkhana for 5 days. And the butkhana velmi is large from half of Tver, stone, and Butov’s deeds were carved on it, all 12 crowns were carved around it, how Butov worked miracles, how he showed them many images: the first appeared in a human image; the other is a man, and the nose is an elephant; the third is a man, and the vision is a monkey; fourthly, a man, and the image of a fierce beast, appeared to them all with a tail, and was carved on stone, and the tail through it was a fathom.

The whole Indian country is flocking to the loaf for the miracle of Butovo; Yes, old wives and girls shave at the butkhan, and shave all their hair, beards, and heads, and go to the butkhan; Yes, from each head there will be two shekshens of duty on But, and from horses, four feet; and it comes together to the loaf of all people to become azar lek waht bashet sat azar lek. In the loaf But But is carved from stone, he is great, and he has a tail through it, and he raised his right hand high and stretched out, like Ustyan the king of Tsaryagrad, and in his left hand he has a spear, and there is nothing on him, but he has a goat wide, and the vision is like a monkey's, and some of Buta are naked, there is nothing, a cat is achyuk, and Butava's zhonki are naked, and are carved with litter, and with children, and Buta's peret is worth a great ox, and is carved from stone and black, and is all gilded, and they kiss him on the hoof, and they sprinkle flowers on him, and they sprinkle flowers on Booth.

The Indians do not eat any meat, neither cowhide, nor boran meat, nor chicken, nor fish, nor pork, but they have a lot of pigs; but they eat twice during the day, and do not eat at night, and do not drink wine, nor are they full; and from besermen do not drink or eat. But their food is bad, and one with the day neither eats nor eats, nor with his wife; but they eat brynets, and kichiri with butter, and eat rose herbs, all with the right hand, but with the left they do not eat anything; but don’t hold a knife, and don’t know how to lie; and when it’s too late, who cooks their own porridge, and everyone has a mountain. And they will hide from the Besermen, so that they will not look into the mountain or the food; But the besermen looked at the food, and he did not eat, but other people ate, they covered themselves with a cloth so that no one would see him. And they pray to the east in Russian style, raise both hands high, and place them on the crown, and lie prone on the ground, and let everyone fall to the ground, then their bows. And they sit down to eat, wash their hands and feet, and rinse their mouths. But their butukhans have no doors, but are placed to the east, and their butukhans stand to the east. And whoever they have to die, they burn them and sprinkle their ashes on the water. And the wife will give birth to a child, or the husband will give birth, and the name of the son will be given by the father and the daughter by the mother; but they don’t have a good tomorrow, and they don’t know the rubbish. Or he came, and others bowed in Chernech style, touching both hands to the ground, and not saying anything.

To the First, to sneer about the Great Conspiracy, to your butt, that is their Jerusalem, and in the Besermen’s word Myakka, and in Russian Jerusalem, and in Indian Parvat. And all the naked people are eaten, only on the threshing floor; and the wives are all naked, only they wear phots on their heads, and some wear phots, and there are pearls on their necks, a lot of yakhonts, and on their hands there are hoops and rings of gold, ollo oak, and inside to the butkhan to eat on the will, and the ox has horns bound with copper, and on There are 300 neck bells, and shod hooves; and those oxen call achche. The Indians call the ox father, and the cow mother, and with their dung they bake bread and cook food for themselves, and with this they smear their banner on the face, and on the forehead, and all over the body. Eat once a week and on Monday, once a day. In Yndey, it’s like pack-tour, and uchyuze-der: sikish ilarsen iki shitel; akechany ilya atyrsenyatle zhetel take; bulara dostor: a kul karavash uchuz char funa khub bem funa khubesiya; kapkara am chyuk kichi want. From Pervati you came to Beder, 15 days before the Besermensky Ulubagrya. But I don’t know the Great Day of the Resurrection of Christ, but I guess by signs - the Great Day will happen on the first Christian day in 9 days or 10 days.

But there is nothing with me, no book, but I took the books with them from Rus'; otherwise, if they robbed me, or took them, and I forgot all the Christian faiths and Christian holidays, I don’t know either Great Days or the Nativity of Christ, I don’t know Wednesdays or Fridays; and in between I am the ver tangridan and the stirrup olsaklasyn; ollo khoda, ollo ak, ollo you, ollo akber, ollo ragym, ollo kerim, ollo ragymello, ollo kari mello, tan tangrysen, khodosensen. God alone is the king of glory, the creator of heaven and earth. And I’m going to Rus', my name is uruch, here you are. The month of March has passed, and I did not eat meat, I fasted from the devil a week, and I fasted nothing meager, I did not eat any dishonest food, and I still fed bread and water twice a day, I returned to madam; Yes, you prayed to the Almighty God, who created heaven and earth, and you did not call on anyone else’s name, God Ollo, God Kerim, God Ragym, God Evil, God Ak Ber, God the King of Glory, Ollo Varenno, Ollo Ragymello Sensen Ollo you.

And from Gurmyz to go by sea to Golat 10 days, and from Kalata to Degu 6 days, and from Deg to Moshkat to Kuchzryat to Kombat 4 days, from Kambat to Chivel 12 days, and from Chivil to Dabyl - 6. Dabyl is a refuge in Gundustani is the last thing to be lackadaisical. And from Dabyl to Kolekot it’s 25 days, and from Selekot to Silyan it’s 15 days, and from Silyan to Shibait it’s a month, and from Sibat to Pevgu it’s 20 days, and from Pevgu to Chini and to Machin it’s a month walk, all that walking by sea. And from Chini to Kytaa it takes 6 months to travel by land, and four days to travel by sea, but the journey is short. Gurmyz is a great haven, people from all over the world visit it, and there are all sorts of goods in it, whatever is born in the whole world, everything is in Gurmyz; Tamga is great, there is a tenth of everything. And Kamblyat is a haven for the entire Indian Sea, and all the goods in it are made by alachis, pestreds, and kandaks, and they repair the paint of the nil, so that lek and ahyk and lon will be born in it. So there was a great refuge for the velmi, and they could bring horses from Misyur, from Rabast, from Khorosan, from Turkustan, from Negostan and walk dry for a month to Bederi and to Kelberg. But Kelekot is the refuge of the entire Indian Sea, and God forbid that any bastard should penetrate it. And whoever sees him will have a hard time crossing the sea.

And pepper and zenzebil, and flowers, and midges, and calafur, and cinnamon, and cloves, and spicy roots, and adryak, and a lot of all kinds of roots will be born in it. Yes, everything in it is cheap, yes, it’s cool and you’ll eat this crap. And Silyan is a haven of the Indian Sea, a lot, and in it Baba Adam is on a mountain at a height, and near it precious stones will be born, and worms, and fatis, and baboguri, and binchai, and crystal and sumbada, and elephants will be born, and to sell in cubit and nine pieces of wood sold by weight. And the Shabait refuge of the Indian Sea is great. And the Khorosans give the Alaf tenka per day, both great and small; and whoever in it marries a Khorosan and the prince of the Sabbath, give a thousand teneks for the sacrifice, and for Olaf, let him eat for every month for ten days; May silk, sandalwood, and pearls be born in Shabot, and everything is cheap. But in Pegu there is quite a refuge, and all the Indians live in it, and dear stones, manik, yes yakhut, and kyrpuk will be born in it; and sell stone derbyshes. But the Chinsky and Machinsky refuge is great, but they do repairs in it, and sell the repairs by weight, but cheaply.

And their wives and their husbands sleep during the day, and at night their wives go to the garip and sleep with the garip, give them Olaf, and bring with them sugar food and sugar wine, and feed and water the guests, so that he will love her, and love the guests white people, but their people are black velmi; and whose wives conceive a child from a guest, and give the husband to the alaf; if he is born white, then the guest will pay 18 teneks; but he will be born black, otherwise he has nothing to do with what he drank and ate, it was halal for him. It takes 3 months to get from Beder, and 2 months to go by sea from Dabyl to Shaibat, Machim and Chim from Beder takes 4 months to go by sea, and they make it there and everything is cheap; and it takes 2 months to get to Silyan by sea. On Shabait, silk, inchi, pearls, and sandalwood will be born; sell elephants by the cubit. In Silyan, ammons, hearts, and fatis will be born. In Lekota pepper will be born, and midges, and carnations, and fufal, and flowers. In Kuzryat, paint and hatch will be born. Yes, an ahik will be born in Kambat. In Rachyur, a Birkon diamond and a Novykon diamond will be born; sell a kidney for five rubles, and a good one for ten rubles, but sell a new kidney to a diamond for coins, and this is for charsheshkeni, and it’s hissing for a tenka. The diamond will be born in a mountain of stone, and the same mountain of stone will be sold for two thousand pounds of gold to a new diamond, and a horse to the diamond will be sold a cubit for 10 thousand pounds of gold. And the land is Melikkhanov, and the slave is Saltanov, and from Beder there are 30 kovs.

But the Jews are fed up with calling Shabbat their own, otherwise they lie; and on the Sabbath, neither the Jews, nor the Besermen, nor the Christians, of any other faith are Indians, nor the poor, nor the Besermen, drink or eat, and do not eat any meat. Yes, everything is cheap on Shabbat, but silk and sugar are produced cheaply; Yes, they have mamons and monkeys in the forest, and they tear people apart along the roads; Otherwise they don’t dare to drive on the roads at night, monkeys and monkeys. And from Shaibat it’s 10 months by land, and 4 months by sea. And cut the navels of fed deer, and musk will be born in the navel; and drop wild deer belly buttons across the field and through the forest, otherwise a stench comes out of them, and that is, it is not fresh. The month of Maa the Great Day took place in Beder Besermensky and in Hondustan; and in Besermen they took Bogram on Wednesday of the month Maa; and I spoke for the month of April 1 day.

O faithful Christians! Those who sail a lot across many lands, fall into many sins and lose their Christian faith. And I, the servant of God Athos, and were moved by faith; Having already passed four great days and 4 Great Days, I am a sinner and I don’t know what a Great Day is, or a day of shit, I don’t know the Nativity of Christ, I don’t know other holidays, I don’t know Wednesday or Friday; but I don’t have any books, since they robbed me, or took my books, and because of many troubles I went to India, and then I went to Rus' with nothing, there was nothing left for the goods. I took the first Great Day in Cain, another Great Day in Chebukara in the Mazdran land, the third Great Day in Gurmyz, the fourth Great Day in India from Besermena in Bederi; and the same many cries for the Christian faith.

Besermenin Melik, he forced me a lot into the faith of Besermen’s article. I said to him: “Mister! You namar kylaresen menda namaz kilarmen, you be namaz kilarsizmenda 3 kalaremen garip asen inchay”; He said to me: “The truth is that you don’t seem to be a Christian, but you don’t know Christianity.” I fell into many thoughts and said to myself: “Woe to me, for I have lost my way from the true path and I don’t know the way; I will go on my own.” Lord God Almighty, creator of heaven and earth! Do not turn your face away from your slave, for sorrow is near. God! Look upon me and have mercy on me, as I am your creation; do not turn me away, Lord, from the true path and guide me, Lord, on your right path, for I have created no virtue for your need, my Lord, for all my days have passed in evil, my Lord, ollo the first diger, ollo you, karim ollo, ragym ollo, karim ollo, ragymello; ahalim dulimo.” 4 Great days passed in the land of Besermen, but I did not abandon Christianity; God knows what will happen. Lord my God, I trusted in you, save me, Lord my God!

In Besermen's India, in the great Bederi, you looked at the Great Night on the Great Day - Hair and Kola were in the dawn, and the Elk stood with its head to the east. The Sultan rode out to Teferich on Bagram on Besermenskaya, and with him were 20 great warriors, and three hundred elephants dressed in damask armor, and from the towns, and the towns were forged, and in the towns there were 6 people in armor, and with cannons and arquebuses; and on the great elephant there are 12 people, on each elephant there are two great wrestlers, and there are great swords tied to the tooth according to the centar, and great iron swords are tied to the snout, and a person sits in armor between the ears, and he has a hook in his hands of an iron great, yes to rule it; Yes, there are a thousand simple horses in golden gear, and a hundred camels with soot, and 300 pipe-makers, and 300 dancers, and 300 carpets. Yes, the Sultan has a whole fathom of yacht on his kovtan, and on his hat there is a large diamond chichak, and a sagadak of gold from the yacht, and 3 sabers he is shackled with gold, and the saddle is gold, and in front of him a kofar is jumping and playing with a tower, and there are many foot soldiers behind him, and a good elephant is following him, and he is all dressed up in damask, and he is beating people, and he has a great iron in his mouth, Yes, beat up horses and people so that no one steps on the Sultan too close. And the brother of the sultans, he sits on a bed on a golden one, and above him there is an oxamiten tower, and a poppy of gold from a yacht, and 20 people carry it. And Makhtum sits on the bed on a golden one, and above him there is a tower with a golden poppy tree, and they carry him on 4 horses in golden gear; Yes, there are a lot of people around him, and there are singers in front of him, and there are a lot of dancers, and everyone with naked swords, and with sabers, and with shields, and with bows, and with spears, and with bows with straight ones with great ones, and the horses are all in armor , and there are sagadaki on them, and others are all naked, one cloth on a cloth, covered with rubbish.

“Walking across Three Seas” is an ancient Russian work in the style of diary entries. The author, Tver merchant Afanasy Nikitin, describes his journey through Derbent and Baku by land to Persia and then to India. The journey lasted from 1466 to 1472. On the way back, before reaching Smolensk, Afanasy Nikitin died.

(Old Russian text with minor abbreviations)

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

Behold, you have written down your sinful journey across three seas: 1st Sea of Derbenskoye, Doria Khvalitskaa; 2nd Indian Sea, before the Gundustan region; 3rd Black Sea, Doria Stebolskaya.

I died from the golden-domed Savior and by his mercy, from my sovereign, from Grand Duke Mikhail Borisovich Tversky, and from Bishop Gennady Tversky, and Boris Zakharyich.

And went down the Volga. And he came to the Kolyazin monastery to the Holy Life-Giving Trinity and to the holy martyr Boris and Gleb. And the abbot blessed Macarius and the holy brothers. And from Kolyazin I went to Uglech, and from Uglech they released me voluntarily. And from there I left, from Uglech, and came to Kostroma to Prince Alexander with the Grand Duke’s diploma. And he let me go voluntarily. And you came to Pleso voluntarily.

And I came to Novgorod in Nizhnyaya to Mikhail Kiselev, to the governor, and to the duty officer to Yvan to Saraev, and they released me voluntarily. And Vasily Papin passed by the city for two weeks, and Yaz waited in Novegrad in Nizhny for two weeks for the ambassador of the Tatar Shirvanshin Asanbeg, and he was traveling from the Krechats from Grand Duke Ivan, and he had ninety Krechats.

And I came with them to the bottom of the Volga. And we passed through Kazan voluntarily, without seeing anyone, and we passed through the Horde, and we passed through Uslan, and Sarai, and the Berekezans. And we drove into Buzan. Then three filthy Tatars came at us and told us false news: “Kaisym Saltan is guarding the guests in Buzan, and with him are three thousand Tatars.” And the ambassador Shirvanshin Asanbeg gave them one piece of paper and a piece of canvas to lead them past Khaztarahan. And they, the filthy Tatars, took one by one and gave the news to the king in Khaztarahan. And I left my ship and climbed onto the ship for the envoy and with my comrades.

We drove past Khaztarahan, and the moon was shining, and the king saw us, and the Tatars called to us: “Kachma, don’t run!” But we didn’t hear anything, but fled like a sail. Because of our sin, the king sent his entire horde after us. They caught us on Bogun and taught us to shoot. And we shot a man, and they shot two Tatars. And our smaller ship got stuck, and they took us and then plundered us, and my small junk was all in the smaller ship.

And in a large ship we reached the sea, but it became aground at the mouth of the Volga, and they took us there, and they ordered us to pull the ship back up to the bottom. And then our larger ship was plundered and the Russians took four of its heads, but they sent us with our bare heads over the sea, but they didn’t let us go up, dividing us.

And I went to Derbent, crying, two ships: in one ship Ambassador Asanbeg, and Teziks, and ten of us Rusak heads; and in another ship there are 6 Muscovites, six Tverians, cows, and our food. And the boat got up on the sea, and the smaller ship crashed on the shore. And there is the town of Tarkhi, and people went ashore, and the kaytaks came and caught all the people.

And we came to Derbent, and Vasily came back in good health, and we were robbed, and beat Vasily Papin with his forehead and the Shirvanshin ambassador Asanbeg, who came with him, so that he would grieve for the people that they were caught near Tarkhi Kaitaki. And Asanbeg was sad and went to the mountain to Bulatubeg. And Bulatbeg sent a speedboat to Shirvanshibeg, saying: “Sir, a Russian ship was broken up near Tarkhi, and when the kaytaki arrived, people caught it and plundered their goods.”

And Shirvanshabeg of the same hour sent an envoy to his brother-in-law Alilbeg, the Kaytachevo prince, saying: “My ship was broken near Tarkhi, and your people, when they came, caught the people, and robbed their goods; and so that, dividing me, you send people to me and I collected their goods, and those people were sent in my name. And what do you need from me, and you came to me, and I told you, your brother, not to fight, but those people went in my name, and you would have let them go. come to me voluntarily, sharing me." And Alilbeg of that hour the people sent everyone to Derbent voluntarily, and from Derbent they sent them to the Shirvanshi in his yard - Koitul.

And we went to Shirvansha in Koitul and beat him with his forehead so that he would favor us rather than reach Rus'. And he didn’t give us anything, but there are a lot of us. And we burst into tears and dispersed in all directions: whoever had anything in Rus' went to Rus'; and whoever should, and he went where his eyes took him. Others remained in Shamakhey, while others went to work for Baka.

And Yaz went to Derbenti, and from Derbenti to Baka, where the fire burns unquenchable; and from Baki you went across the sea to Chebokar.

Yes, here I lived in Chebokar for 6 months, and I lived in Sara for a month, in the Mazdran land. And from there to Amili, and here I lived for a month. And from there to Dimovant, and from Dimovant to Rey. And they killed Shausen, the Aleev children and the Makhmetev grandchildren, and he cursed them, and 70 other cities fell apart.

And from Drey to Kasheni, and here I lived for a month, and from Kasheni to Nain, and from Nain to Ezdei, and here I lived for a month. And from Diez to Syrchan, and from Syrchan to Tarom, and funiki to feed the animals, batman for 4 altyns. And from Torom to Lar, and from Lar to Bender, and here there is the Gurmyz shelter. And here there is the Indian Sea, and in the Parsean language and Hondustan Doria; and from there go by sea to Gurmyz 4 miles.

And Gurmyz is on the island, and every day the sea catches him twice a day. And then you took the first Great Day, and you came to Gurmyz four weeks before the Great Day. Because I didn’t write all the cities, there are many great cities. And in Gurmyz there is sunshine, it will burn a person. And I was in Gurmyz for a month, and from Gurmyz I went across the Indian Sea along the Velitsa days to Radunitsa, to Tava with the conmi.

And we walked by sea to Moshkat for 10 days; and from Moshkat to Degu 4 days; and from Degas Kuzryat; and from Kuzryat to Konbaatu. And then paint and paint will appear. And from Konbat to Chuvil, and from Chuvil we went in the 7th week along the Velitsa days, and we walked in the tawa for 6 weeks by sea to Chivil.

And here there is an Indian country, and people walk around all 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. And the men and women are all naked, and all are black. Wherever I go, there are many people behind me, and they marvel at the white man. And their prince has a photo on his head, and another on his head; and their boyars have a photo on the shoulder, and a friend on the guzna, princesses walk around with a photo on the shoulder, and a friend on the guzna. And the servants of the princes and boyars - the photo is rounded on the guzna, and a shield, and a sword in their hands, and some with sulits, and others with knives, and others with sabers, and others with bows and arrows; and everyone is naked, barefoot, and big-haired, but they don’t shave their hair. And the women walk around with their heads uncovered and their nipples bare; and boys and girls walk naked until they are seven years old, not covered in litter.

And from Chuvil we went dry to Pali for 8 days, to the Indian Mountains. And from Pali to Umri there are 10 days, and that is an Indian city. And from Umri to Chuner there are 7 days.

There is Asatkhan Chunerskya Indian, and the slave is Meliktucharov. And he keeps, I say, this from meliktochar. And the meliqtuchar sits at 20 tmah; and he fights with the kafara for 20 years, then they beat him, then he beats them many times. Khan As rides people. And he has a lot of elephants, and he has a lot of good horses, and he has a lot of Khorosan people. And they bring them from the Khorosan lands, and some from the Orap lands, and others from the Turkmen lands, and others from the Chebotai lands, and they bring everything by sea in tavs - Indian ships.

And the sinful tongue brought the stallion to the Yndei land, and I reached Chunerya, God did all the best, and became worth a hundred rubles. It has been winter for them since Trinity Day. And we spent the winter in Chyuner, we lived for two months. Every day and night for 4 months there was water and dirt everywhere. On those same days they yell and sow wheat, and Tuturgan, and nogot, and everything edible. They make wine in great nuts - Gundustan goat; and the mash is repaired in Tatna. The horses are fed with nofut, and the kichiris is boiled with sugar, and the horses are fed with butter, and the hornets are given to them for wounding. In the Yndei land, they will not give birth to horses; in their land, oxen and buffaloes will be born, and they ride goods on the same ones, carry other things, and do everything.

Chyunerey city is on a stone island, not made by anything, created by God. And they walk up the mountain every day, one person at a time: the road is tight, and it’s impossible for two to go.

In the Yndei land, the guests set up in the courtyard, and they cook food for the guests of the ruler, and they make a bed for the guests of the ruler, and sleep with the guests. Sikish iliresen the strangler of Beresin, sikish ilimes ek resident of Bersen, dostur avrat chektur, and sikish mufut; but they love white people.

In winter, people wear a photo on their head, another on their shoulder, and a third on their head; and the princes and boyars of the Tolda put on trousers, and a shirt, and a caftan, and a phot on the shoulder, and gird another one, and turn the head of a third. A se Olo, Olo abr, Olo ak, Ollo kerem, Ollo ragim!

And in Chuner, the khan took a stallion from me, and found out that Yaz was not a Besermenian - a Rusin. And he says: “I will give a stallion and a thousand gold ladies, and stand in our faith - in Mahmetdeni; if you don’t stand in our faith, in Mahmatdeni, I will take the stallion and a thousand gold coins on your head.” And the term was imposed for four days, in Ospozhino on Savior Day. And the Lord God had mercy on his honest holiday, did not leave his mercy on me, a sinner, and did not order me to perish in Chyuner with the wicked. And on the eve of Spasov, the owner, Makhmet Khorosan, came and beat him with his forehead so that he would grieve for me. And he went to the khan in the city and asked me to leave so that they wouldn’t convert me, and he took my stallion from him. This is the miracle of the Lord on Savior Day. Otherwise, brother Rusti Christians, who wants to go to the Yndean land, and you leave your faith in Rus', and, having exclaimed Mahmet, go to the Gundustan land.

The Besermen dogs lied to me, but they said there was only a lot of our goods, but there was nothing for our land: all the white goods for the Besermen land, pepper and paint, were cheap. Others are transported by sea, and they do not give duties. But other people won’t let us carry out duties. And there are a lot of duties, and there are a lot of robbers on the sea. And all the Kafars, not the peasants, not the besermen, are defeated; but they pray like a stone blockhead, but they don’t know Christ or Makhmet.

And I from Chunerya went out on Ospozhin day to Beder, to their great city. And we walked for a month to Beder; and from Beder to Kulonkerya 5 days; and from Kulonger to Kolberg 5 days. Between those great cities there are many cities; Every day there are three cities, and some days there are four cities; Koko kov, just hail. From Chuvil to Chyuner there are 20 kovs, and from Chuner to Beder there are 40 kovs, and from Beder to Kulonger there are 9 kovs, and from Beder to Kolubergu there are 9 kovs.

In Beder there is a trade for horses, for goods, for damask, for silk, and for all other goods, so black people can buy them; and there are no other purchases in it. Yes, all their goods are from Gundustan, and all food is vegetables, but there is no goods for the Russian land. And all the black people, and all the villains, and the wives are all whores, yes, lead, yes, thiefs, yes, lies, and potions, having given the gift, they sip the potion.

In the Yndei land, all Khorosans reign, and all Khorosans boyars. And the Gundustanians are all pedestrians, and the Khorosans walk in front of them on horseback, while others are all on foot, walking on greyhounds, and all are naked and barefoot, with a shield in their hand, and a sword in the other, and others with great straight bows and arrows. And all of them are elephants. Yes, the foot soldiers are allowed in front, and the Khorosans are on horseback and in armor, and the horses themselves. And to the elephant they knit great swords to the snout and to the teeth according to the forged kentar, and cover them in damask armor, and towns are made on them, and in the towns there are 12 people in armor, and everyone with guns and arrows.

They have one place, shikhb Aludin pir yatyr bazaar Aladinand. There is one bazaar for a year, the whole Indian country comes to trade, and they trade for 10 days; from Beder 12 kovs. They bring horses, sell up to 20 thousand horses, bring all kinds of goods. In the land of Gundustan, the trade is the best, all kinds of goods are sold and bought in memory of Shikh Aladin, and in Russian for the Protection of the Holy Mother of God. There is a bird in that Alyanda, a gukuk, that flies at night and calls: “kuk-kuk,” and on which the khoromine sits, then a person will die; and whoever wants to kill her, otherwise fire will come out of her mouth. And mammon walk all night and have chickens, but live in a mountain or in a stone. And the monkeys live in the forest. And they have a monkey prince, and he leads his army. But whoever messes with it, they complain to their prince, and he sends his army against him, and when they come to the city, they destroy the courtyards and beat the people. And their army, they say, is many, and they have their own language. And they will give birth to many children; Yes, who will be born neither as father nor mother, and they are tossed along the roads. Some Hindustanis have them and teach them all sorts of handicrafts, while others sell them nights so that they don’t know how to run back, and others teach them the bases of mikanet.

Spring began for them with the Intercession of the Holy Virgin. And they celebrate Shiga Aladina, in the spring for two weeks according to the Intercession, and they celebrate for 8 days. And spring lasts 3 months, summer 3 months, winter 3 months, autumn 3 months.

In Bederi their table is for Gundustan of Besermen. But the hail is great, and there are many great people. And the saltan is not long - 20 years, but the boyars hold it, and the Khorosans reign, and all the Khorosans fight.

There is a Khorosan meliktuchar boyar, and he has two hundred thousand of his army, and Melikhan has 100 thousand, and Faratkhan has 20 thousand, and many of those khans have 10 thousand army each. And three hundred thousand of their army come out with the saltan.

And the land is crowded with velmi, and the rural people are naked with velmi, and the boyars are strong and kind and magnificent with velmi. And they all carry them on their beds on silver, and before them horses are led in gold harnesses up to 20; and behind them there are 300 people on horseback, and five hundred people on foot, and 10 people with trumpets, and 10 people with pipe makers, and 10 people with pipes.

Saltan goes out for fun with his mother and his wife, and with him there are 10 thousand people on horses, and fifty thousand on foot, and two hundred elephants are brought out, dressed in gilded armor, and in front of him there are a hundred pipe-makers, and a hundred people dancing, and simple horses 300 in gold gear, and behind him a hundred monkeys, and a hundred whores, and all of them are gauroks.

In Saltanov's courtyard there are seven gates, and in each gate sits a hundred guards and a hundred Kaffar scribes. Whoever goes is recorded, and whoever leaves is recorded. But the Garips are not allowed into the city. And his courtyard is wonderful, everything is carved and painted in gold, and the last stone is carved and described in gold. Yes, there are different courts in his yard.

The city of Beder is guarded at night by a thousand Kutovalov men, and they ride on horses in armor, and everyone has a light.

And he sold his stallion’s tongue in Bederi. Yes, you gave him sixty and eight hundred pounds, and you fed him for a year. In Bederi, snakes walk along the streets, and their length is two fathoms. He came to Beder about the conspiracy of Filipov and Kulonger, and sold his stallion about Christmas.

And then I went to the Great Messenger in Bederi and got acquainted with many Indians. And I told them my faith that I am not a Besermenian and a Christian, but my name is Ofonasei, and the Besermenian name of the owner is Isuf Khorosani. And they did not learn from me to hide anything, neither about food, nor about trade, nor about manaza, nor about other things, nor did they teach their wives to hide.

Yes, everything is about faith, about their trials, and they say: we believe in Adam, but the buty, it seems, is Adam and his entire race. And there are 80 faiths in India and 4 faiths, and everyone believes in Buta. But with faith one neither drinks nor eats nor marries. But others eat boranin, and chickens, and fish, and eggs, but there is no faith in eating oxen.

They were in Bederi for 4 months and agreed with the Indians to go to Pervoti, then their Jerusalem, and according to the besermensky Myagkat, where is their butkhan. There he died with the Indians and they will be killed for a month. And the butkhana trades for 5 days. But the butkhana velmi is large, half of Tver, stone, and rubble deeds are carved on it. There were 12 crowns cut around her, how the bottle worked miracles, how he showed them many images: first, he appeared in a human image; another, a man, and the nose of elephants; third, a man, but the vision is a monkey; fourthly, a man, but in the image of a fierce beast, and he appeared to them all with a tail. And it is carved on a stone, and the tail through it is fathoms.

The whole Indian country comes to Butkhan for the miracle of Butovo. Yes, old and young, women and girls shave at the butkhan. And they shave all their hair - beards, heads, and tails. Let them go to the butkhan. Yes, from every head they take two sheshkeni in buta duties, and from horses, four feet. And they come to the butkhan of all people bysty azar lek wah bashet sat azar lek.

In the butkhan, the buthan is carved from stone and black, Velmi is large, and he has a tail through it, and he raised his right hand high and extended it, like the Ustenean king of Constantinople, and in his left hand he has a spear. But he has nothing on, but his pants are the width of his fly, and his vision is that of a monkey. And some of the Butovs are naked, there is nothing, the cat is Achyuk, and the Butov women are naked and cut out with litter and children. And in front of the butte stands a great ox, Velmi, carved from stone and black, and all gilded. And they kiss his hoof, and sprinkle flowers on him. And flowers are sprinkled on the buta.

The Indians do not eat any meat, neither cowhide, nor boran meat, nor chicken, nor fish, nor pork, but they have a lot of pigs. They eat twice a day, but do not eat at night, and do not drink wine, nor are they full. And the Besermen neither drink nor eat. But their food is bad. And one with one neither drinks, nor eats, nor with his wife. They eat brynets, and kichiri with butter, and eat rose herbs, and boil them with butter and milk, and they eat everything with their right hand, but they don’t eat anything with their left hand. But they don’t shake a knife, and they don’t know liars. And when it’s too late, who cooks their own porridge, but everyone has a fork. And they hide from the demons so that they don’t look into the mountain or into the food. But just look, they don’t eat the same food. And when they eat, they cover themselves with a cloth so that no one can see it.

And their prayer is to the east, in Russian. They raise both hands high, and place them on the crown, and lie down prostrate on the ground, and let all of them fall to the ground, then they bow. But some sit down, and they wash their hands and feet, and rinse their mouths. But their butkhans do not have doors, but are placed to the east, and their buthans stand to the east. And whoever dies among them, they burn them and throw their ashes on the water. And the wife gives birth to a child, or the husband gives birth, and the father gives the name to the son, and the mother to the daughter. But they don’t have good money, and they don’t know rubbish. He went or came, they bow in the black way, both hands reach to the ground, but he doesn’t say anything.

They go to the First One about a great conspiracy, to their butu. Theirs is Jerusalem, and in Besermen it is Myakka, and in Russian it is Jerusalem, and in Indian it is Porvat. And everyone comes together naked, only on the forge of boards; and the wives are all naked, only wearing phots, and some wearing photahs, and there are a lot of pearls on their necks, and yachts, and hoops and gold rings on their hands. Ollo oak! And inside to the butkhan they go to the ox, and the ox’s horns are shod with media, and there are three hundred bells on its neck, and its hooves are shod with media. And those oxen are called achchei.

The Indians call the ox father, and the cow matter. And with their feces they bake bread and cook their own food, and with that ash they smear the banner on the face, and on the forehead, and all over the body. During the week and on Monday they eat once during the day. In Yndey, as a checktur, I learn: you cut or irsen and live; akichany ila atarsyn alty zhetel take; bulara dostur. A kul koravash uchuz char funa hub, bem funa hube sia; kapkara amchyuk kichi want.

From Pervati you came to Beder, fifteen days before the Besermensky Ulubagrya. But I don’t know the Great Day and the Resurrection of Christ, but by signs I guess the Great Day happens on the first Christian Bagram in nine days or ten days. But I have nothing with me, no book; And they took my books with them from Rus', and if they robbed me, they took them, and I forgot all the Christian faiths. Peasant holidays, I don’t know either Holy Days or the Nativity of Christ, I don’t know Wednesdays or Fridays; and between the ver tangyrydan and the stirrup Ol saklasyn: “Ollo bad, Ollo aky, Ollo you, Ollo akber, Ollo ragym, Ollo kerim, Ollo ragym ello, Ollo karim ello, tangresen, khodosensen. There is one God, you are the king of glory, the creator of heaven and land."

And I’m going to Rus', ketmyshtyr name, uruch tuttym. The month of March passed, and I fasted for Besermen a week, but I fasted for a month, I did not eat meat or anything fast, no Besermen foods, but I ate bread and water twice a day, avratylya yatmadym. Yes, you prayed to Christ the Almighty, who created heaven and earth, and you did not call upon anyone else by any name, God Ollo, God Kerim. God is ragim, God is bad. God aber, God the king of glory, Ollo varenno, Ollo ragim elno sensen Ollo you.<...>

Maya month 1 day Great day was taken in Beder in Besermen in Gundustan, and Besermen was taken in Bagram in the middle of the month; and I began to pray for the month of April 1 day. About the faithfulness of Christians! Those who sail a lot in many lands fall into many troubles, and let the Christians lose their faith. I, the servant of God, Afonasy, took pity on the Christian faith. 4 Great Days have already passed and 4 Great Days have passed, but I, a sinner, do not know what is a Great Day or a Great Day, I don’t know the Nativity of Christ, I don’t know any other holidays, I don’t know Wednesdays or Fridays - and I don’t have any books. If they robbed me, they took my books. Because of many troubles I went to India, I had nothing to go to Rus' with, I had nothing left for my goods. The first Great day you took in Cain, and the second Great day in Chebokara in the Mazdran land, the third Great day in Gurmyz, the fourth Great day you took in Yndei from the Besermen in Beder; the same many lamentations for the Christian faith.

Besermenin Melik, he forced me a lot into the faith of Besermen’s article. I said to him: “Lord! You are the namaz kalarsen, men and namaz kilarmen; you are the namaz kylarsiz, men and 3 kalarmen; men garip, and sen inchay.” He said to me: “The truth is that you don’t seem to be a Christian, but you don’t know Christianism.” I fell into many thoughts and said to myself: “Woe to me, the accursed one, for I have gone astray from the true path and do not know the way before I go. I am sorrowful. Lord, look upon me and have mercy on me, for I am your creation; do not turn me away from the true path, Lord, guide me to the right path, for I have not created any virtue for you. , for all my days have been spent in evil. My Lord, Ollo the first diger, Ollo, karim Ollo, karim Ollo, ragim ello; what will happen. Lord my God, in you I trust, save me, O Lord my God.”

In Yndey Besermenskaya, in Great Beder, you looked at the Great Night on the Great Day, Hair and Kola entered the dawn, and the Elk stood with its head to the east.

The Sultan rode out on the Besermenskaya to Teferich, and with him 20 great warriors, and three hundred elephants dressed in damask armor, and the towns, and the towns were shackled. Yes, in the towns there are 6 people in armor, and with cannons and arquebuses, and on a great elephant there are 12 people. Yes, each has two great wrestlers, and great swords are tied to the teeth along the centar, and great iron weights are tied to the snout. Yes, a man sits in armor between his ears, and he has a great iron hook, and thus they rule him. Yes, there are thousands of simple horses in golden gear, and there are a hundred camels with soot, and there are 30.0 trumpeters, and there are 300 dancers, and there are 300 carpets. Yes, on the Saltan Kavtan the whole fathom of yakhonts, and on the cap there is a great Chichyak Olmaz, and there are golden saadak yakhonts, yes three sabers on it are bound with gold, and the saddle is gold, and the tackle is gold, and everything is gold. Yes, the Kafar is jumping in front of him and playing with the tower, and there are many foot soldiers behind him. Yes, a good elephant follows him, and is all dressed up in damask, and he beats people, and he has a large iron chain in his mouth, and he beats horses and people, no matter who steps close to the saltan.

And the brother of the sultans, and he sits on the bed on a golden one, and above him there is an oxamiten tower, and a poppy of gold from a yacht, and 20 people carry it.

And Makhtum sits on the bed on a golden one, and above him there is a tower of shidyans with a golden poppy tree, and they carry him on 4 horses in golden gear. Yes, there are many people around him, and there are singers in front of him, and there are many dancers; yes, all with bare swords, yes with sabers, yes with shields, yes with bows, yes with spears, yes with bows with straight ones with great ones. Yes, the horses are all in armor, and there are saadaks on them. And some are all naked, with only a robe on their backs, covered in rubbish.

In Beder, the month is full for three days. In Beder there are no sweet vegetables. In Gundustani there is no strong war. Silenus Var in Gurmyz and in Kyatobagryim, where all the pearls will be born, and in Zhida, and in Baka, and in Misyur, and in Orobstani, and in Lara. But in the land of Khorosan it’s varno, but it’s not like that. And in Chegotani Velmi Varno. In Shiryazi, and in Ezdi, and in Kashini, there is Varno, and there is wind. And in Gilyai it is stuffy and the steam is dashing, and in Shamakhey the steam is dashing; Yes, in Babylon it is Varno, yes in Khumit, yes in Sham it is Varno, but in Lyapa it is not so Varno.

And in Sevastia Guba and in the Gurzyn land, goodness offends everyone. Yes, the land of Tours is offensive to Velmi. Yes, in the Volos region everything edible is offensive and cheap. And the Podolsk land is offensive to everyone. And Rus er tangrid saklasyn; Ollo sakla, Khudo sakla! Bu daniada munu kibit er ektur; nechik Urus eri beglyari akoi tugil; Urus er abodan bolsyn; Rast kam gives. Ollo, Khudo, God, Danyir.

Oh my God! I trust in you, save me, Lord! I don’t know which way I’ll go from Gundustan: to go to Gurmyz, but there’s no way from Gurmyz to Khorosan, there’s no way to Chegotai, there’s no way to Bodatu, there’s no way to Katabogryam, there’s no way to Ezd, there’s no way to Rabostan No. Then there was bulgak everywhere; Knocked out princes everywhere. Yaisha Myrza was killed by Uzoasanbeg, and Sultan Musyait was nourished, and Uzuosanbek sat on Shchiryaz, and the earth did not hold together, and Ediger Makhmet, and he does not go to him, is being watched. And there is no other way. And go to Myakka, otherwise you will believe in the Besermen faith. Zane Christians do not go to the Myakka of faith dividing what to put into faith. But to live in Gundustani, other people eat up all the meat, everything is expensive for them: I am one man, sometimes half a third of an altyn goes for grub per day, but I have not drunk wine, nor am I full.<...>

On the fifth Great Day we set our sights on Rus'. Idoh from Beder city a month before the ulubagryam of Besermensky Mamet deni rossulal. And the Great Day of the Christians I did not know the resurrection of Christ, but I took their shit from the besermen, and I broke my fast with them, and the Great Day took 10 kovs from Bederi in Kelberi.

The Sultan came and meliktuchar with his army on the 15th day in Ulebagryama, and in Kelberg. But the war was not successful for them, they took one Indian city, but many of their people were killed, and a lot of treasuries were lost.

But the Indian saltan kadam velmi is strong, and he has a lot of troops. And he sits in the mountain in Bichineger, and his city is great. There are three ditches around it, and a river flows through it. And from one country his zhengel is evil, and from another country he came, and the place is wonderful and pleasing to everything. There is nowhere to come to one country, there is a road through the city, and there is nowhere to take the city, a great mountain has come and a forest of evil is ticking. The army melted under the city for a month, and people died from lack of water, and many heads of velmi were bent due to hunger and lack of water. And he looks at the water, but there is nowhere to take it.

But the city took the Indian Melikyan owner, and took it by force, day and night they fought against the city for 20 days, the army neither drank nor ate, stood under the city with cannons. And his army killed five thousand good people. And they took the city, and slaughtered 20 thousand of the male and female livestock, and took 20 thousand of the great and small.

And they sold a full head for 10 tenk, and another for 5 tenk, and small ones for two tenk. But there was nothing in the treasury. But he didn’t take most of the city.

And from Kelbergu I walked to Kuluri. And in Kuluri the akhik is born, and they make it, and ship it from there to the whole world. And in the Kuril Islands, three hundred diamond miners will die. And the same lasted five months, and from there Kaliki died. The same bozar velmi is great. And from there he went to Konaberg, and from Kanaberg he went to shikh Aladin. And from shikh Aladin he went to Amendriya, and from Kamendriya to Nyaryas, and from Kinaryas to Suri, and from Suri he went to Dabyli - the haven of the Indian Sea.

Dabil is a great city of Velmi, and besides, Dabyli and the whole Indian and Ethiopian coastline gathers. The same accursed slave of Athos the Most High God, creator of heaven and earth, was inspired by the Christian faith, and by the baptism of Christ, and by the holy father of God, according to the commandments of the apostles, and set his mind on going to Rus'. And I went into the tava, and talked about the naval ship, and from my head two gold dates to the city of Gurmyz. I boarded the ship from Dabyl grad to Velik days in three months of Besermen's gowein.

I spent a month in the tavern by sea, but saw nothing. The next month I saw the Ethiopian mountains, the same people all shouted: “Ollo pervodiger, Ollo konkar, bizim bashi mudna nasin bolmyshti,” and in Russian they said: “God bless, God, the Most High God, the king of heaven, here he judged us thou shalt perish!"

I spent five days in the same land of Ethiopia. By God's grace no evil was committed. Having distributed a lot of cheese, pepper, and bread to the Ethiopians, they did not rob the ship.

And from there I walked 12 days to Moshkat. In Moshkat he took the sixth Great day. And I walked to Gurmyz for 9 days, and stayed in Gurmyz for 20 days. And from Gurmyz I went to Lari, and spent three days in Lari. It took 12 days from Lari to Shiryaz, and 7 days in Shiryaz. And it took 15 days from Shiryaz to Vergu, and 10 days to Velergu. And from Vergu I went to Ezdi for 9 days, and to Ezdi for 8 days. And go to Spagan for 5 days, and to Spagan for 6 days. And is Paganipoidoh Kashini, and in Kashini there were 5 days. And Is Kashina went to Kum, and Is Kum went to Sava. And from Sava he went to Sultan, and from Sultan he went to Terviz, and from Terviz he went to the Asanbeg horde. But the horde had 10 days, but there was no way anywhere. And he sent his army of 40 thousand to Tursk. Ini Sevast was taken, and Tokhat was taken and burned, Amasia was taken, and many villages were plundered, and they went to Karaman in war.

And Yaz from the horde went to Artsitsan, and from Ortsshchan he went to Trepizon.

The Holy Mother of God and the ever-Virgin Mary came to Trebizon for the Intercession, and spent 5 days in Trepizon. And he came to the ship and talked about a donation - a golden gift from his head to Kafa; and the golden one took it for grub, and gave it to the Cafe.

And in Trapizon, my Shubash and Pasha committed a lot of evil. They brought all my rubbish to the city up the mountain and searched everything - it was all good change, and they robbed it all. And they are searching for letters that came from the horde of Asanbeg.

By the grace of God I came to the third Black Sea, and in the Parsi language Doria Stimbolskaa. We walked along the sea with the wind for 10 days, reached Vonada, and there we were met by a great midnight wind, which took us back to Trabizon, and we stood in Sycamore for 15 days, in the presence of a great and evil wind. ex. The plane trees went to the sea twice, and an evil wind meets us and will not allow us to walk on the sea. Ollo ak, Ollo Khudo first digger! I don’t know the development of that other God.

And the sea crossed, and brought us from here to Balikaeya, and from there to Tokorzov, and there we stayed for 5 days. By the grace of God I came to Kafa 9 days before Philip’s plot. Ollo first digger!

By the grace of God he passed through three seas. Diger Khudo dono, Ollo pervodiger given. Amen! Smilna rahmam ragim. Ollo akbir, akshi Khudo, ilello aksh Khodo. Isa ruhoalo, aaliqsolom. Ollo akber. And iliagail ilello. Ollo the first digger. Ahamdu lillo, shukur Khudo afatad. Bismilnagi rahmam rragim. Huvo mogu go, la lasailla guiya alimul gyaibi va shagaditi. Fuck Rakhman Rahim, fuck I can lie. Lyailyaga il Lyakhuya. Almelik, alakudos, asalom, almumin, almugamine, alazizu, alchebar, almutakanbiru, alkhaliku, albariyu, almusaviryu, alkafaru, alkalhar, alvazahu, alryazaku, alphatag, alalimu, alkabizu, albasut, alhafiz, allrraviya, almavizu, almuzil, mile, albasir, alakamu, aladulya, alyatufu.

"WALKING OVER THREE SEAS" AFANASY NIKITIN

(Translation by L.S. Smirnov)

In the year 6983 (1475).(...) In the same year I received the notes of Athanasius, a merchant of Tver, he was in India, and writes that he set off on a journey from. 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. 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.

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 - Darya, the second sea - Indian, Gundustan Darya, the third sea - Black, Istanbul Darya.

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 safely.

I swam with them down the Volga. Kazan passed without obstacles, did not see anyone, and Orda and Uslan, and Sarai, and Berekezan sailed and entered. 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 sailed past Astrakhan, and the moon was 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, 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 plundered 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 Hasan-bek, yes, yes, there were 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 there is a town, and people came ashore, came and took everyone prisoner.

And we came to Derbent, and Vasily arrived there safely, but 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 speedboat to the Shirvanshah to convey: “Sir! The Russian ship crashed near Tarki, and the kaytaki, when they arrived, took the people captive 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, having arrived, captured the people from it, and plundered their goods; and you, for my sake, the people and goods came to me collect them, because those people were sent to me. And what do you need from me, send it to me, and I will not contradict you, my brother, in anything. And those people came to me, and you, me. for my sake, let them come to me without hindrance." And Khalil-bek immediately released all the people to Derbent without obstacles, and from Derbent they sent them to the Shirvanshah, to his headquarters - koytul.

We went to the Shirvanshah, to his headquarters, and beat him with his forehead, 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: whoever had what was 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, and from Baku I went overseas to Chapakur.

The Indian khan rules here - Asad Khan of Junnar, and he serves. Troops were given to him from Melik-at-Tujar, they say; seventy thousand. And Melik-at-Tujar has two hundred thousand troops under his command, and he has been fighting for twenty years: and they defeated him more than once, and he defeated them many times. Asadkhan 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. 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 with. 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, called mash, from . Here they feed the horses peas, boil them with sugar and butter, and feed them to the horses, and give them to them in the morning. 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.

Junnar-grad stands on a stone rock, is not fortified by anything, and is protected by God. And the path to that mountain day, one person at a time: the road is narrow, it is impossible for two to pass.

In Indian land, merchants are settled in inns. The maids cook for the guests, and the maids make the bed, and sleep with the guests. (If you have a close connection with her, give two inhabitants, if you do not have a close connection, give one inhabitant. There are many wives here according to the rule of temporary marriage, and then a close connection is for nothing); but they love white people.

In winter, their common people wear a veil on their hips, another on their shoulders, and a third on their head; and the princes and boyars then put on ports, a shirt, a caftan, and a veil on their shoulders, gird themselves with another veil, and wrap a third veil around their heads. (Oh God, great God. True Lord, generous God, merciful God!)

And in that Junnar, the khan took the stallion from me when he found out that I was not a Besermen, but a Rusyn. And he said: “And I will return the stallion, and I will give a thousand gold coins in addition, just convert to our faith - in. If you don’t convert to our faith, in Muhammaddini, I will take the stallion, and I will take a thousand gold coins from your head.” And he set a deadline - four days, on Spasov Day, on. Yes, 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. This is the Lord's miracle on Savior Day. And so, Russian Christian brothers, if anyone wants to go to the Indian land, leave your faith in Rus', and, calling Muhammad, go to the Gundustan land.

The Besermen dogs lied to me, 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 were cheap. Those who transport oxen overseas do not pay duties. But they won’t let us transport goods without duty. But there are many tolls, and there are many robbers on the sea. The infidels are robbers; they are not Christians and not irreligious: they pray to stone fools and know neither Christ nor Muhammad.

And from Junnar they left for Assumption and went to Bidar, their main city. It took a month to reach Bidar, five days from Bidar to Kulongiri, and five days from Kulongiri to Gulbarga. Between these large cities there are many other cities; every day three cities passed, and other days four cities: as many cities as there were. From Chaul to Junnar there are twenty kovas, and from Junnar to Bidar forty kovas, from Bidar to Kulongiri there are nine kovas, and from Bidar to Gulbarga there are nine kovas.

In Bidar, horses, silk and all other goods and black slaves are sold at the auction, but there are no other goods here. The goods are all Gundustan, and only vegetables are edible, but there are no goods for the Russian land. And here the people are all black, all villains, and the women are all walking, and sorcerers, and thieves, and deception, and poison, they kill the gentlemen with poison.

In the Indian land, all Khorasans reign, and all the boyars are Khorasans. And the Gundustanis are all on foot and walk in front of the Khorasans, who are on horses; and the rest are all on foot, walking quickly, all naked and barefoot, with a shield in one hand, a sword in the other, and others with large straight bows and arrows. More and more battles are fought on elephants. In front are foot soldiers, behind them are Khorasans in armor on horses, themselves in armor and horses. Large forged swords are tied to the heads and tusks of the elephants, according to their weight, 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.

There is one place here - Aland, where Sheikh Ala-ad-din (the saint lies) and a fair takes place. Once a year the whole Indian country comes to trade at that fair; they trade here for ten days; from Bidar there are twelve kovs. They bring horses here - up to twenty thousand horses - to sell and bring all sorts of goods. In the land of Gundustan, this fair is the best, every product is sold and bought on the days of memory of Sheikh Ala-ad-din, and in our opinion on. And there is also a bird called gukuk in that Åland, it flies at night: it screams: “kuk-kuk”; and on whose house she sits, the person will die, and whoever wants to kill her, she lets fire out of her mouth at him. They walk around at night and grab chickens, but they live on the hills or among the rocks. And monkeys live in the forest. They have a monkey prince who goes about with his army. If someone offends monkeys, they complain to their prince, and he sends his army against the offender, and when they come to the city, they destroy houses and kill people. And the army of monkeys, they say, is very large, and they have their own language. Many cubs are born to them, and if one of them is born as neither the mother nor the father, they are abandoned on the roads. Some Gundustanis select them and teach them all sorts of crafts; and if they sell, then at night, so that they cannot find their way back, and they teach others (to amuse people).

Their spring began with the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God. And they celebrate the memory of Sheikh Ala-ad-din and the beginning of spring two weeks after the Intercession; The holiday lasts eight days. And their spring lasts three months, and summer three months, and winter three months, and autumn three months.

Bidar is the capital city of 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.

A Khorasan boyar, Melik-at-Tujar, lives here, so he has two hundred thousand of his army, and Melik Khan has one hundred thousand, and Faratkhan has twenty thousand, and many khans have ten thousand troops. And with the Sultan comes three hundred thousand of his troops.

The land is populous, and the rural people are very poor, but the boyars have great power and are very rich. The boyars are carried on silver stretchers, in front of the horses they are led in golden harness, up to twenty horses are led, and behind them are three hundred horsemen, and five hundred foot soldiers, and ten trumpeters, and ten people with drums, and ten people playing pipes.

And when the Sultan goes for a walk with his mother and his wife, he is followed by ten thousand horsemen and fifty thousand foot soldiers, and two hundred elephants are brought out, all in gilded armor, and in front of him there are one hundred trumpeters, one hundred dancers, and three hundred dancers. riding horses in golden harness, and a hundred monkeys, and a hundred concubines, they are called gauryks.

There are seven gates leading to the Sultan’s palace, and at the gates sit one hundred guards and one hundred infidel scribes. Some write down who goes into the palace, others - who leaves. But strangers are not allowed into the palace. And the Sultan’s palace is very beautiful, there are carvings and gold on the walls, the last stone is very beautifully carved and painted in gold. Yes, in the Sultan’s palace the vessels are different.

At night, the city of Bidar is guarded by a thousand guards under command, on horses and in armor, and each holding a torch.

I sold my stallion in Bidar. I spent sixty-eight feet on him and fed him for a year. In Bidar, snakes crawl along the streets, two fathoms long. I returned to Bidar from Kulongiri on , and sold my stallion for Christmas.

He came to Trabzon for the Protection of the Holy Mother of God and the Ever-Virgin Mary and was in Trabzon for five days. I came to the ship and agreed on payment - to give a gold coin from my own head, and for grub I borrowed a gold coin - to give it to the Cafe.

AFANASY NIKITIN ABOUT HOW HE DIDN’T CONVERT TO ISLAM BUT STUDYED THEIR CULTURE... HOW THEY ROBBED AND RETURNED HIM GOODS... ABOUT HOTEL MAIDS-CONCUBINES, ETC.

I read something quickly - in the ancient language (Old Church Slavonic) it is more interesting to read the aroma of mystery but it is not clear enough, but the translation is clearer and a lot of things caught my eye - why is it so brief - as if these were memories? Why is he so afraid of changing the religion of Christianity to Islam? for some reason in the old days it seemed like a tragedy - but in fact it is unimportant - if they asked to convert to their faith, then why not give in? about the presence of Turkic words and phrases - for example, the end of his manuscript shows two dozen words in Turkic (in the manuscript in Old Church Slavonic) which says that while he lived there he involuntarily became interested in the culture and absorbed it into himself and it’s a pity that this was completely omitted during translation and then the reader will and Afanasy Nikitin’s passion for exploring Eastern culture is not known - which has no justification other than the false patriotic efforts of the translator... and yet in the text of Afanasy Nikitin in one phrase both “amen” is Christian and “akbar” is Turkic (I quote: " By the grace of God he passed through three seas. Diger Khudo dono, Ollo pervodiger given. Amen! Smilna rahmam ragim. Ollo akbir, akshi Khudo, ilello aksh Khodo. Isa ruhoalo, aaliqsolom. Ollo akber. And iliagail ilello. " ) - in my opinion, he speaks of the curiosity of the Russian soul (and the broad acceptability of Dostoevsky to the whole world) and in order to consolidate his new knowledge after traveling, he brings this into his texts... his observations in India as in the hotel of the maid and in the rooms are interesting they cleaned up and shared a bed with visitors at his request for an additional fee, as I understand it... it’s also interesting to read how they were robbed on the roads and then, upon a complaint to the Sultan, strict demands were sent to the robbers and everything was returned to the traveler, apparently so that the traveler could present gifts to the Sultan, etc. .d. etc.

Tver - India - Tver

Another point of view is interesting - that " Russian and Turkic cultures in the recent past were unusually close":

Tver merchant Afanasy Nikitin, who lived in the middle of the 15th century, heard about the Russian embassy being sent to Persia and went with it. Having started his journey from the Volga and reached the Persian Gulf, Afanasy decided to continue studying the East and went further. Curiosity and enterprise led him to India, where he lived for three years, begging and exposed to mortal dangers. From India he traveled by sea to Ethiopia, from there to Turkey, from which he sailed to Rus'. On the way to his native Tver, he died.

During his many years of travel, Afanasy wrote down everything he saw and experienced. The result was an interesting diary, subsequently entitled “Writing of Ofonas Tferitin the merchant who was in India for four years.” In our time, the story of Afanasy Nikitin is known as “Walking across the Three Seas.”

Fragment of the manuscript.

Nikitin's notes are very interesting. In addition to the fact that the author introduces us to the culture and history of the peoples among whom he happened to be, he left us an interesting monument of Russian speech. What is surprising about it is that Afanasy, when narrating his travels, sometimes switches from Russian to some kind of gibberish that is impossible to understand. But it can be translated if you know Turkic languages. Here is a typical example from the text of “Walking”:

Only the first three sentences in this passage can be understood. For the rest, a translator is needed. Here is what they look like after translation into modern Russian:

... In India there are a lot of walking women, and therefore they are cheap: if you have a close connection with her, give two inhabitants; If you want to waste your money, give me six residents. That's how it is in these places. And slave concubines are cheap: 4 pounds - good, 5 pounds - good and black; black, very black, small, good (hereinafter translated by L.S. Smirnov).

Note that Afanasy Nikitin, a resident of northern Tver, writes this himself, without using the help of interpreters who know Tatar or Turkish languages. And for what purpose should he attract them? He writes down his thoughts and observations, and does it naturally, in a way that suits him. It is obvious that he is well acquainted with a foreign language, and moreover, he knows how to write in it, which is not as easy as it seems. The Turks used Arabic writing, and Afanasy, accordingly, writes in Arabic.

And I’m going to Rus', ketmyshtyr name, uruch tuttym.

Translation of the entire sentence:

And I’m going to Rus' (with the thought: my faith is lost, I fasted with the Besermen fast).

And the Podolsk land is offensive to everyone. And Rus er tangrid saklasyn; Ollo sakla, Khudo sakla! Bu daniada munu kibit er ektur.

Translation:

And the Podolsk land is abundant in everything. And Rus' (God save it! God save it! Lord save it! There is no country like it in this world.)

What is also unusual in the notes of the Russian traveler is the frequent appeal to Allah, whom he calls Ollo. Moreover, he repeatedly uses the traditional Muslim "Allahu Akbar", which clearly shows which god he is addressing. Here is a prayer tirade typical of the entire text, in which, as in other places, Russian speech alternates with non-Russian:

Ollo khodo, Ollo aky, Ollo you, Ollo aqber, Ollo ragym, Ollo kerim, Ollo ragym ello, Ollo karim ello, tangresen, khodosensen. There is one God, the king of glory, the creator of heaven and earth.

Let's look at the translation:

(Lord God, true God, you are God, the great God. You are a merciful God. You are a merciful God, you are the most merciful and the most merciful. Lord God). There is one God, the king of glory, the creator of heaven and earth.

The translator clearly could not cope with Nikitin’s “Ollo”, and Allah turned into a politically correct God, and the original text thus lost one of its meanings. Reading “Walking” in such a translation, it is no longer possible to see the originality and unusualness of the old Russian culture, and how wrong our ideas about ancient Orthodoxy are.

Almost at the very end of the story, Athanasius uses his traditional exclamations, including the Muslim “Allahu Akbar” and the Christian “Amen”, that is, in our opinion, he confuses the incompatible:

The last phrase in this passage is the classic “There is no god but Allah,” but in the translation we see something completely different: “There is no god but the Lord.” In essence, this is one and the same thing, but the Islamic character of the author’s faith becomes invisible. This cannot be reproached to the translator, since according to traditional ideas, Orthodoxy of that time had nothing in common with Islam. And to us, the fact that the Christian Athanasius prays to Allah, and even adds that there is no other god besides Allah, seems incredible. But all this is because history, including the history of religions, is incorrect.

The religious formula “There is no god but Allah” in modern Islam necessarily ends with the phrase “And Muhammad is his prophet,” but we do not see it in Nikitin. Moreover, in the last passage cited you can find the name Isa - Jesus. Perhaps this is precisely what distinguishes the Orthodoxy of Athanasius from the orthodoxy of his Muslim contemporaries: under the same god Allah, some had Jesus, and others had Muhammad. From the author’s words, by the way, it is clear that becoming a Muslim was simple: just “exclaim Makhmet.”

The unusual text of Afanasy Nikitin can indicate only one thing: Russian and Turkic cultures in the recent past were unusually close. Back in the 19th century in the south of Russia, Turkic speech could be heard among the local Russian population. For example, the Terek Cossacks knew the Tatar language very well and sometimes switched to it in communication. Along with Russian songs, Turkish ones were also sung.

It is possible that the two cultures began to separate only during the time of Athanasius, and this began due to the split of the common right-wing faith into the followers of Christ and Muhammad. Today it seems to us that the peoples of these cultures have been fundamentally different since ancient times, but it turns out that not so long ago there was a common linguistic and religious space that stretched from the Russian north to Africa.

Old Russian literature

"Walking across three seas"

Afanasia Nikitina

(Old Russian text with minor abbreviations) (translation - below Yu.K.)

In the summer of 6983 (...) The same year I found the writing of Ofonas Tveritin, a merchant who had been in Yndei for 4 years, and went, he says, with Vasily Papin. According to the experiments, if Vasily went from Krechata as an ambassador from the Grand Duke, and we said that a year before the Kazan campaign he came from the Horde, if Prince Yuri was near Kazan, then they shot him near Kazan. It is written that he did not find it, in which year he went or in which year he came from Yndei, died, but. They say that he died before reaching Smolensk. And he wrote the scripture with his own hand, and his hands brought those notebooks to the guests to Mamyrev Vasily, to the clerk to the Grand Duke in Moscow.
For the prayer of our holy fathers. Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, your sinful servant Afonasy Mikitin’s son.
Behold, you have written down your sinful journey across three seas: 1st Sea of Derbenskoye, Doria Khvalitskaa; 2nd Indian Sea, before the Gundustan region; 3rd Black Sea, Doria Stebolskaya.
I died from the golden-domed Savior and by his mercy, from my sovereign, from Grand Duke Mikhail Borisovich Tversky, and from Bishop Gennady Tversky, and Boris Zakharyich.
And went down the Volga. And he came to the Kolyazin monastery to the Holy Life-Giving Trinity and to the holy martyr Boris and Gleb. And the abbot blessed Macarius and the holy brothers. And from Kolyazin I went to Uglech, and from Uglech they released me voluntarily. And from there I left, from Uglech, and came to Kostroma to Prince Alexander with the Grand Duke’s diploma. And he let me go voluntarily. And you came to Pleso voluntarily.
And I came to Novgorod in Nizhnyaya to Mikhail Kiselev, to the governor, and to the duty officer to Yvan to Saraev, and they released me voluntarily. And Vasily Papin passed by the city for two weeks, and Yaz waited in Novegrad in Nizhny for two weeks for the ambassador of the Tatar Shirvanshin Asanbeg, and he was traveling from the Krechats from Grand Duke Ivan, and he had ninety Krechats.
And I came with them to the bottom of the Volga. And we passed through Kazan voluntarily, without seeing anyone, and we passed through the Horde, and we passed through Uslan, and Sarai, and the Berekezans. And we drove into Buzan. Then three filthy Tatars came at us and told us false news: “Kaisym Saltan is guarding the guests in Buzan, and with him are three thousand Tatars.” And the ambassador Shirvanshin Asanbeg gave them one piece of paper and a piece of canvas to lead them past Khaztarahan. And they, the filthy Tatars, took one by one and gave the news to the king in Khaztarahan. And I left my ship and climbed onto the ship for the envoy and with my comrades.
We drove past Khaztarahan, and the moon was shining, and the king saw us, and the Tatars called to us: “Kachma, don’t run!” But we didn’t hear anything, but fled like a sail. Because of our sin, the king sent his entire horde after us. They caught us on Bogun and taught us to shoot. And we shot a man, and they shot two Tatars. And our smaller ship got stuck, and they took us and then plundered us, and my small junk was all in the smaller ship.
And in a large ship we reached the sea, but it became aground at the mouth of the Volga, and they took us there, and they ordered us to pull the ship back up to the bottom. And then our larger ship was plundered and the Russians took four of its heads, but they sent us with our bare heads over the sea, but they didn’t let us go up, dividing us.
And I went to Derbent, crying, two ships: in one ship Ambassador Asanbeg, and Teziks, and ten of us Rusak heads; and in another ship there are 6 Muscovites, six Tverians, cows, and our food. And the boat got up on the sea, and the smaller ship crashed on the shore. And there is the town of Tarkhi, and people went ashore, and the kaytaks came and caught all the people.
And we came to Derbent, and Vasily came back in good health, and we were robbed, and beat Vasily Papin with his forehead and the Shirvanshin ambassador Asanbeg, who came with him, so that he would grieve for the people that they were caught near Tarkhi Kaitaki. And Asanbeg was sad and went to the mountain to Bulatubeg. And Bulatbeg sent a speedboat to Shirvanshibeg, saying: “Sir, a Russian ship was broken up near Tarkhi, and when the kaytaki came, the people caught it, and their goods were plundered.”
And Shirvanshabeg of the same hour sent an envoy to his brother-in-law Alilbeg, the Kaitachevo prince, saying: “My ship was broken near Tarkhi, and your people, when they came, caught the people, and plundered their goods; and you, dividing me, send people to me and collect their goods, those people were sent in my name. And what will you need from me, and you came to me, and I don’t tell you, my brother, the harrow. And those people came in my name, and you would have released them to me voluntarily, dividing me.” And Alilbeg of that hour the people sent everyone to Derbent voluntarily, and from Derbent they sent them to the Shirvanshi in his yard - Koitul.
And we went to Shirvansha in Koitul and beat him with his forehead so that he would favor us rather than reach Rus'. And he didn’t give us anything, but there are a lot of us. And we burst into tears and dispersed in all directions: whoever had anything in Rus' went to Rus'; and whoever should, and he went where his eyes took him. Others remained in Shamakhey, while others went to work for Baka.
And Yaz went to Derbenti, and from Derbenti to Baka, where the fire burns unquenchable; and from Baki you went across the sea to Chebokar.
Yes, here I lived in Chebokar for 6 months, and I lived in Sara for a month, in the Mazdran land. And from there to Amili, and here I lived for a month. And from there to Dimovant, and from Dimovant to Rey. And they killed Shausen, the Aleev children and the Makhmetev grandchildren, and he cursed them, and 70 other cities fell apart.
And from Drey to Kasheni, and here I lived for a month, and from Kasheni to Nain, and from Nain to Ezdei, and here I lived for a month. And from Diez to Syrchan, and from Syrchan to Tarom, and funiki to feed the animals, batman for 4 altyns. And from Torom to Lar, and from Lar to Bender, and here there is the Gurmyz shelter. And here there is the Indian Sea, and in the Parsean language and Hondustan Doria; and from there go by sea to Gurmyz 4 miles.
And Gurmyz is on the island, and every day the sea catches him twice a day. And then you took the first Great Day, and you came to Gurmyz four weeks before the Great Day. Because I didn’t write all the cities, there are many great cities. And in Gurmyz there is sunshine, it will burn a person. And I was in Gurmyz for a month, and from Gurmyz I went across the Indian Sea along the Velitsa days to Radunitsa, to Tava with the conmi.
And we walked by sea to Moshkat for 10 days; and from Moshkat to Degu 4 days; and from Degas Kuzryat; and from Kuzryat to Konbaatu. And then paint and paint will appear. And from Konbat to Chuvil, and from Chuvil we went in the 7th week along the Velitsa days, and we walked in the tawa for 6 weeks by sea to Chivil.
And here there is an Indian country, and people walk around all 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. And the men and women are all naked, and all are black. Wherever I go, there are many people behind me, and they marvel at the white man. And their prince has a photo on his head, and another on his head; and their boyars have a photo on the shoulder, and a friend on the guzna, princesses walk around with a photo on the shoulder, and a friend on the guzna. And the servants of the princes and boyars - the photo is rounded on the guzna, and a shield, and a sword in their hands, and some with sulits, and others with knives, and others with sabers, and others with bows and arrows; and everyone is naked, barefoot, and big-haired, but they don’t shave their hair. And the women walk around with their heads uncovered and their nipples bare; and boys and girls walk naked until they are seven years old, not covered in litter.
And from Chuvil we went dry to Pali for 8 days, to the Indian Mountains. And from Pali to Umri there are 10 days, and that is an Indian city. And from Umri to Chuner there are 7 days.
There is Asatkhan Chunerskya Indian, and the slave is Meliktucharov. And he keeps, I say, this from meliktochar. And the meliqtuchar sits at 20 tmah; and he fights with the kafara for 20 years, then they beat him, then he beats them many times. Khan As rides people. And he has a lot of elephants, and he has a lot of good horses, and he has a lot of Khorosan people. And they bring them from the Khorosan lands, and some from the Orap lands, and others from the Turkmen lands, and others from the Chebotai lands, and they bring everything by sea in tavs - Indian ships.
And the sinful tongue brought the stallion to the Yndei land, and I reached Chunerya, God did all the best, and became worth a hundred rubles. It has been winter for them since Trinity Day. And we spent the winter in Chyuner, we lived for two months. Every day and night for 4 months there was water and dirt everywhere. On those same days they yell and sow wheat, and Tuturgan, and nogot, and everything edible. They make wine in great nuts - Gundustan goat; and the mash is repaired in Tatna. The horses are fed with nofut, and the kichiris is boiled with sugar, and the horses are fed with butter, and the hornets are given to them for wounding. In the Yndei land, they will not give birth to horses; in their land, oxen and buffaloes will be born, and they ride goods on the same ones, carry other things, and do everything.
Chyunerey city is on a stone island, not made by anything, created by God. And they walk up the mountain every day, one person at a time: the road is tight, and it’s impossible for two to go.
In the Yndei land, the guests set up in the courtyard, and they cook food for the guests of the ruler, and they make a bed for the guests of the ruler, and sleep with the guests. Sikish iliresen the strangler of Beresin, sikish ilimes ek resident of Bersen, dostur avrat chektur, and sikish mufut; but they love white people.
In winter, people wear a photo on their head, another on their shoulder, and a third on their head; and the princes and boyars of the Tolda put on trousers, and a shirt, and a caftan, and a phot on the shoulder, and gird another one, and turn the head of a third. A se Olo, Olo abr, Olo ak, Ollo kerem, Ollo ragim!
And in Chuner, the khan took a stallion from me, and found out that Yaz was not a Besermenian - a Rusin. And he says: “I will give a stallion and a thousand golden ladies, and stand in our faith - in Makhmetdeni; If you don’t join our faith, in Mahmatdeni, I will take a stallion and a thousand gold coins on your head.” And the term was imposed for four days, in Ospozhino on Savior Day. And the Lord God had mercy on his honest holiday, did not leave his mercy on me, a sinner, and did not order me to perish in Chyuner with the wicked. And on the eve of Spasov, the owner, Makhmet Khorosan, came and beat him with his forehead so that he would grieve for me. And he went to the khan in the city and asked me to leave so that they wouldn’t convert me, and he took my stallion from him. This is the miracle of the Lord on Savior Day. Otherwise, brother Rusti Christians, who wants to go to the Yndean land, and you leave your faith in Rus', and, having exclaimed Mahmet, go to the Gundustan land.
The Besermen dogs lied to me, but they said there was only a lot of our goods, but there was nothing for our land: all the white goods for the Besermen land, pepper and paint, were cheap. Others are transported by sea, and they do not give duties. But other people won’t let us carry out duties. And there are a lot of duties, and there are a lot of robbers on the sea. And all the Kafars, not the peasants, not the besermen, are defeated; but they pray like a stone blockhead, but they don’t know Christ or Makhmet.
And I from Chunerya went out on Ospozhin day to Beder, to their great city. And we walked for a month to Beder; and from Beder to Kulonkerya 5 days; and from Kulonger to Kolberg 5 days. Between those great cities there are many cities; Every day there are three cities, and some days there are four cities; Koko kov, just hail. From Chuvil to Chyuner there are 20 kovs, and from Chuner to Beder there are 40 kovs, and from Beder to Kulonger there are 9 kovs, and from Beder to Kolubergu there are 9 kovs.
In Beder there is a trade for horses, for goods, for damask, for silk, and for all other goods, so black people can buy them; and there are no other purchases in it. Yes, all their goods are from Gundustan, and all food is vegetables, but there is no goods for the Russian land. And all the black people, and all the villains, and the wives are all whores, yes, lead, yes, thiefs, yes, lies, and potions, having given the gift, they sip the potion.
In the Yndei land, all Khorosans reign, and all Khorosans boyars. And the Gundustanians are all pedestrians, and the Khorosans walk in front of them on horseback, while others are all on foot, walking on greyhounds, and all are naked and barefoot, with a shield in their hand, and a sword in the other, and others with great straight bows and arrows. And all of them are elephants. Yes, the foot soldiers are allowed in front, and the Khorosans are on horseback and in armor, and the horses themselves. And to the elephant they knit great swords to the snout and to the teeth according to the forged kentar, and cover them in damask armor, and towns are made on them, and in the towns there are 12 people in armor, and everyone with guns and arrows.
They have one place, shikhb Aludin pir yatyr bazaar Aladinand. There is one bazaar for a year, the whole Indian country comes to trade, and they trade for 10 days; from Beder 12 kovs. They bring horses, sell up to 20 thousand horses, bring all kinds of goods. In the land of Gundustan, the trade is the best, all kinds of goods are sold and bought in memory of Shikh Aladin, and in Russian for the Protection of the Holy Mother of God. In that Alyanda there is a bird called kukuk, which flies at night and calls: “kuk-kuk,” and on which the khoromine sits, then a person will die; and whoever wants to kill her, otherwise fire will come out of her mouth. And mammon walk all night and have chickens, but live in a mountain or in a stone. And the monkeys live in the forest. And they have a monkey prince, and he leads his army. But whoever messes with it, they complain to their prince, and he sends his army against him, and when they come to the city, they destroy the courtyards and beat the people. And their army, they say, is many, and they have their own language. And they will give birth to many children; Yes, who will be born neither as father nor mother, and they are tossed along the roads. Some Hindustanis have them and teach them all sorts of handicrafts, while others sell them nights so that they don’t know how to run back, and others teach them the bases of mikanet.
Spring began for them with the Intercession of the Holy Virgin. And they celebrate Shiga Aladina, in the spring for two weeks according to the Intercession, and they celebrate for 8 days. And spring lasts 3 months, summer 3 months, winter 3 months, autumn 3 months.
In Bederi their table is for Gundustan of Besermen. But the hail is great, and there are many great people. And the saltan is not long - 20 years, but the boyars hold it, and the Khorosans reign, and all the Khorosans fight.
There is a Khorosan meliktuchar boyar, and he has two hundred thousand of his army, and Melikhan has 100 thousand, and Faratkhan has 20 thousand, and many of those khans have 10 thousand army each. And three hundred thousand of their army come out with the saltan.
And the land is crowded with velmi, and the rural people are naked with velmi, and the boyars are strong and kind and magnificent with velmi. And they all carry them on their beds on silver, and before them horses are led in gold harnesses up to 20; and behind them there are 300 people on horseback, and five hundred people on foot, and 10 people with trumpets, and 10 people with pipe makers, and 10 people with pipes.
Saltan goes out for fun with his mother and his wife, and with him there are 10 thousand people on horses, and fifty thousand on foot, and two hundred elephants are brought out, dressed in gilded armor, and in front of him there are a hundred pipe-makers, and a hundred people dancing, and simple horses 300 in gold gear, and behind him a hundred monkeys, and a hundred whores, and all of them are gauroks.
In Saltanov's courtyard there are seven gates, and in each gate sits a hundred guards and a hundred Kaffar scribes. Whoever goes is recorded, and whoever leaves is recorded. But the Garips are not allowed into the city. And his courtyard is wonderful, everything is carved and painted in gold, and the last stone is carved and described in gold. Yes, there are different courts in his yard.
The city of Beder is guarded at night by a thousand Kutovalov men, and they ride on horses in armor, and everyone has a light.
And he sold his stallion’s tongue in Bederi. Yes, you gave him sixty and eight hundred pounds, and you fed him for a year. In Bederi, snakes walk along the streets, and their length is two fathoms. He came to Beder about the conspiracy of Filipov and Kulonger, and sold his stallion about Christmas.
And then I went to the Great Messenger in Bederi and got acquainted with many Indians. And I told them my faith that I am not a Besermenian and a Christian, but my name is Ofonasei, and the Besermenian name of the owner is Isuf Khorosani. And they did not learn from me to hide anything, neither about food, nor about trade, nor about manaza, nor about other things, nor did they teach their wives to hide.
Yes, everything is about faith, about their trials, and they say: we believe in Adam, but the buty, it seems, is Adam and his entire race. And there are 80 faiths in India and 4 faiths, and everyone believes in Buta. But with faith one neither drinks nor eats nor marries. But others eat boranin, and chickens, and fish, and eggs, but there is no faith in eating oxen.
They were in Bederi for 4 months and agreed with the Indians to go to Pervoti, then their Jerusalem, and according to the besermensky Myagkat, where is their butkhan. There he died with the Indians and they will be killed for a month. And the butkhana trades for 5 days. But the butkhana velmi is large, half of Tver, stone, and rubble deeds are carved on it. There were 12 crowns cut around her, how the bottle worked miracles, how he showed them many images: first, he appeared in a human image; another, a man, and the nose of elephants; third, a man, but the vision is a monkey; fourthly, a man, but in the image of a fierce beast, and he appeared to them all with a tail. And it is carved on a stone, and the tail through it is fathoms.
The whole Indian country comes to Butkhan for the miracle of Butovo. Yes, old and young, women and girls shave at the butkhan. And they shave all their hair - beards, heads, and tails. Let them go to the butkhan. Yes, from every head they take two sheshkeni in buta duties, and from horses, four feet. And they come to the butkhan of all people bysty azar lek wah bashet sat azar lek.
In the butkhan, the buthan is carved from stone and black, Velmi is large, and he has a tail through it, and he raised his right hand high and extended it, like the Ustenean king of Constantinople, and in his left hand he has a spear. But he has nothing on, but his pants are the width of his fly, and his vision is that of a monkey. And some of the Butovs are naked, there is nothing, the cat is Achyuk, and the Butov women are naked and cut out with litter and children. And in front of the butte stands a great ox, Velmi, carved from stone and black, and all gilded. And they kiss his hoof, and sprinkle flowers on him. And flowers are sprinkled on the buta.
The Indians do not eat any meat, neither cowhide, nor boran meat, nor chicken, nor fish, nor pork, but they have a lot of pigs. They eat twice a day, but do not eat at night, and do not drink wine, nor are they full. And the Besermen neither drink nor eat. But their food is bad. And one with one neither drinks, nor eats, nor with his wife. They eat brynets, and kichiri with butter, and eat rose herbs, and boil them with butter and milk, and they eat everything with their right hand, but they don’t eat anything with their left hand. But they don’t shake a knife, and they don’t know liars. And when it’s too late, who cooks their own porridge, but everyone has a fork. And they hide from the demons so that they don’t look into the mountain or into the food. But just look, they don’t eat the same food. And when they eat, they cover themselves with a cloth so that no one can see it.
And their prayer is to the east, in Russian. They raise both hands high, and place them on the crown, and lie down prostrate on the ground, and let all of them fall to the ground, then they bow. But some sit down, and they wash their hands and feet, and rinse their mouths. But their butkhans do not have doors, but are placed to the east, and their buthans stand to the east. And whoever dies among them, they burn them and throw their ashes on the water. And the wife gives birth to a child, or the husband gives birth, and the father gives the name to the son, and the mother to the daughter. But they don’t have good money, and they don’t know rubbish. He went or came, they bow in the black way, both hands reach to the ground, but he doesn’t say anything.
They go to the First One about a great conspiracy, to their butu. Theirs is Jerusalem, and in Besermen it is Myakka, and in Russian it is Jerusalem, and in Indian it is Porvat. And everyone comes together naked, only on the forge of boards; and the wives are all naked, only wearing phots, and some wearing photahs, and there are a lot of pearls on their necks, and yachts, and hoops and gold rings on their hands. Ollo oak! And inside to the butkhan they go to the ox, and the ox’s horns are shod with media, and there are three hundred bells on its neck, and its hooves are shod with media. And those oxen are called achchei.
The Indians call the ox father, and the cow matter. And with their feces they bake bread and cook their own food, and with that ash they smear the banner on the face, and on the forehead, and all over the body. During the week and on Monday they eat once during the day. In Yndey, as a checktur, I learn: you cut or irsen and live; akichany ila atarsyn alty zhetel take; bulara dostur. A kul koravash uchuz char funa hub, bem funa hube sia; kapkara amchyuk kichi want.
From Pervati you came to Beder, fifteen days before the Besermensky Ulubagrya. But I don’t know the Great Day and the Resurrection of Christ, but by signs I guess the Great Day happens on the first Christian Bagram in nine days or ten days. But I have nothing with me, no book; And they took my books with them from Rus', and if they robbed me, they took them, and I forgot all the Christian faiths. Peasant holidays, I don’t know either Holy Days or the Nativity of Christ, I don’t know Wednesdays or Fridays; and in between there is a ver tangyrydan and a stirrup Ol saklasyn: “Ollo bad, Ollo aky, Ollo you, Ollo akber, Ollo ragym, Ollo kerim, Ollo ragym ello, Ollo karim ello, tangresen, khodosensen. There is one God, the king of glory, the creator of heaven and earth.”
And I’m going to Rus', ketmyshtyr name, uruch tuttym. The month of March passed, and I fasted for Besermen a week, but I fasted for a month, I did not eat meat or anything fast, no Besermen foods, but I ate bread and water twice a day, avratylya yatmadym. Yes, you prayed to Christ the Almighty, who created heaven and earth, and you did not call upon anyone else by any name, God Ollo, God Kerim. God is ragim, God is bad. God aber, God the king of glory, Ollo varenno, Ollo ragim elno sensen Ollo you.<...>
Maya month 1 day Great day was taken in Beder in Besermen in Gundustan, and Besermen was taken in Bagram in the middle of the month; and I began to pray for the month of April 1 day. About the faithfulness of Christians! Those who sail a lot in many lands fall into many troubles, and let the Christians lose their faith. I, the servant of God, Afonasy, took pity on the Christian faith. 4 Great Days have already passed and 4 Great Days have passed, but I, a sinner, do not know what is a Great Day or a Great Day, I don’t know the Nativity of Christ, I don’t know any other holidays, I don’t know Wednesdays or Fridays - and I don’t have any books. If they robbed me, they took my books. Because of many troubles I went to India, I had nothing to go to Rus' with, I had nothing left for my goods. The first Great day you took in Cain, and the second Great day in Chebokara in the Mazdran land, the third Great day in Gurmyz, the fourth Great day you took in Yndei from the Besermen in Beder; the same many lamentations for the Christian faith.
Besermenin Melik, he forced me a lot into the faith of Besermen’s article. I said to him: “Master! You namaz kalarsen, men da namaz kilarmen; you beg namaz kylarsiz, men da 3 kalarmen; men garip, and sen inchay.” He said: “The truth is, you don’t seem to be a Christian, but you don’t know Christianism.” I fell into many thoughts and said to myself: “Woe to me, the accursed one, for I have lost my way from the true path and I don’t know the way, whichever way I will go. Lord God of all things, creator of heaven and earth! Do not turn your face away from your slave, for you are in sorrow. God! Look upon me and have mercy on me, as I am your creation; do not turn me away, Lord, from the true path, instruct me. Lord, take the right path, for I have not created any virtue for your need. Lord my God, for all our days have passed away in evil. My Lord, Ollo the first diger, Ollo you, karim Ollo, ragim Ollo, karim Ollo, ragim ello; ahamdulimo. I have already spent four Great Days in the land of Besermen, but I have not abandoned Christianity. God knows what will happen next. Lord my God, I have trusted in you, save me, O Lord my God.”
In Yndey Besermenskaya, in Great Beder, you looked at the Great Night on the Great Day, Hair and Kola entered the dawn, and the Elk stood with its head to the east.
The Sultan rode out on the Besermenskaya to Teferich, and with him 20 great warriors, and three hundred elephants dressed in damask armor, and the towns, and the towns were shackled. Yes, in the towns there are 6 people in armor, and with cannons and arquebuses, and on a great elephant there are 12 people. Yes, each has two great wrestlers, and great swords are tied to the teeth along the centar, and great iron weights are tied to the snout. Yes, a man sits in armor between his ears, and he has a great iron hook, and thus they rule him. Yes, there are thousands of simple horses in golden gear, and there are a hundred camels with soot, and there are 30.0 trumpeters, and there are 300 dancers, and there are 300 carpets. Yes, on the Saltan Kavtan the whole fathom of yakhonts, and on the cap there is a great Chichyak Olmaz, and there are golden saadak yakhonts, yes three sabers on it are bound with gold, and the saddle is gold, and the tackle is gold, and everything is gold. Yes, the Kafar is jumping in front of him and playing with the tower, and there are many foot soldiers behind him. Yes, a good elephant follows him, and is all dressed up in damask, and he beats people, and he has a large iron chain in his mouth, and he beats horses and people, no matter who steps close to the saltan.
And the brother of the sultans, and he sits on the bed on a golden one, and above him there is an oxamiten tower, and a poppy of gold from a yacht, and 20 people carry it.
And Makhtum sits on the bed on a golden one, and above him there is a tower of shidyans with a golden poppy tree, and they carry him on 4 horses in golden gear. Yes, there are many people around him, and there are singers in front of him, and there are many dancers; yes, all with bare swords, yes with sabers, yes with shields, yes with bows, yes with spears, yes with bows with straight ones with great ones. Yes, the horses are all in armor, and there are saadaks on them. And some are all naked, with only a robe on their backs, covered in rubbish.
In Beder, the month is full for three days. In Beder there are no sweet vegetables. In Gundustani there is no strong war. Silenus Var in Gurmyz and in Kyatobagryim, where all the pearls will be born, and in Zhida, and in Baka, and in Misyur, and in Orobstani, and in Lara. But in the land of Khorosan it’s varno, but it’s not like that. And in Chegotani Velmi Varno. In Shiryazi, and in Ezdi, and in Kashini, there is Varno, and there is wind. And in Gilyai it is stuffy and the steam is dashing, and in Shamakhey the steam is dashing; Yes, in Babylon it is Varno, yes in Khumit, yes in Sham it is Varno, but in Lyapa it is not so Varno.
And in Sevastia Guba and in the Gurzyn land, goodness offends everyone. Yes, the land of Tours is offensive to Velmi. Yes, in the Volos region everything edible is offensive and cheap. And the Podolsk land is offensive to everyone. And Rus er tangrid saklasyn; Ollo sakla, Khudo sakla! Bu daniada munu kibit er ektur; nechik Urus eri beglyari akoi tugil; Urus er abodan bolsyn; Rast kam gives. Ollo, Khudo, God, Danyir.
Oh my God! I trust in you, save me, Lord! I don’t know which way I’ll go from Gundustan: to go to Gurmyz, but there’s no way from Gurmyz to Khorosan, there’s no way to Chegotai, there’s no way to Bodatu, there’s no way to Katabogryam, there’s no way to Ezd, there’s no way to Rabostan No. Then there was bulgak everywhere; Knocked out princes everywhere. Yaisha Myrza was killed by Uzoasanbeg, and Sultan Musyait was nourished, and Uzuosanbek sat on Shchiryaz, and the earth did not hold together, and Ediger Makhmet, and he does not go to him, is being watched. And there is no other way. And go to Myakka, otherwise you will believe in the Besermen faith. Zane Christians do not go to the Myakka of faith dividing what to put into faith. But to live in Gundustani, other people eat up all the meat, everything is expensive for them: I am one man, sometimes half a third of an altyn goes for grub per day, but I have not drunk wine, nor am I full.<...>
On the fifth Great Day we set our sights on Rus'. Idoh from Beder city a month before the ulubagryam of Besermensky Mamet deni rossulal. And the Great Day of the Christians I did not know the resurrection of Christ, but I took their shit from the besermen, and I broke my fast with them, and the Great Day took 10 kovs from Bederi in Kelberi.
The Sultan came and meliktuchar with his army on the 15th day in Ulebagryama, and in Kelberg. But the war was not successful for them, they took one Indian city, but many of their people were killed, and a lot of treasuries were lost.
But the Indian saltan kadam velmi is strong, and he has a lot of troops. And he sits in the mountain in Bichineger, and his city is great. There are three ditches around it, and a river flows through it. And from one country his zhengel is evil, and from another country he came, and the place is wonderful and pleasing to everything. There is nowhere to come to one country, there is a road through the city, and there is nowhere to take the city, a great mountain has come and a forest of evil is ticking. The army melted under the city for a month, and people died from lack of water, and many heads of velmi were bent due to hunger and lack of water. And he looks at the water, but there is nowhere to take it.
But the city took the Indian Melikyan owner, and took it by force, day and night they fought against the city for 20 days, the army neither drank nor ate, stood under the city with cannons. And his army killed five thousand good people. And they took the city, and slaughtered 20 thousand of the male and female livestock, and took 20 thousand of the great and small.
And they sold a full head for 10 tenk, and another for 5 tenk, and small ones for two tenk. But there was nothing in the treasury. But he didn’t take most of the city.
And from Kelbergu I walked to Kuluri. And in Kuluri the akhik is born, and they make it, and ship it from there to the whole world. And in the Kuril Islands, three hundred diamond miners will die. And the same lasted five months, and from there Kaliki died. The same bozar velmi is great. And from there he went to Konaberg, and from Kanaberg he went to shikh Aladin. And from shikh Aladin he went to Amendriya, and from Kamendriya to Nyaryas, and from Kinaryas to Suri, and from Suri he went to Dabyli - the haven of the Indian Sea.
Dabil is a great city of Velmi, and besides, Dabyli and the whole Indian and Ethiopian coastline gathers. The same accursed slave of Athos the Most High God, creator of heaven and earth, was inspired by the Christian faith, and by the baptism of Christ, and by the holy father of God, according to the commandments of the apostles, and set his mind on going to Rus'. And I went into the tava, and talked about the naval ship, and from my head two gold dates to the city of Gurmyz. I boarded the ship from Dabyl grad to Velik days in three months of Besermen's gowein.
I spent a month in the tavern by sea, but saw nothing. The next month I saw the Ethiopian mountains, the same people all shouted: “Ollo the first digger, Ollo konkar, bizim bashi mudna nasin pain,” and in Russian they said: “God grant, God, the Most High God, the king of heaven, here judged us thou shalt perish!”
I spent five days in the same land of Ethiopia. By God's grace no evil was committed. Having distributed a lot of cheese, pepper, and bread to the Ethiopians, they did not rob the ship.
And from there I walked 12 days to Moshkat. In Moshkat he took the sixth Great day. And I walked to Gurmyz for 9 days, and stayed in Gurmyz for 20 days. And from Gurmyz I went to Lari, and spent three days in Lari. It took 12 days from Lari to Shiryaz, and 7 days in Shiryaz. And it took 15 days from Shiryaz to Vergu, and 10 days to Velergu. And from Vergu I went to Ezdi for 9 days, and to Ezdi for 8 days. And go to Spagan for 5 days, and to Spagan for 6 days. And is Paganipoidoh Kashini, and in Kashini there were 5 days. And Is Kashina went to Kum, and Is Kum went to Sava. And from Sava he went to Sultan, and from Sultan he went to Terviz, and from Terviz he went to the Asanbeg horde. But the horde had 10 days, but there was no way anywhere. And he sent his army of 40 thousand to Tursk. Ini Sevast was taken, and Tokhat was taken and burned, Amasia was taken, and many villages were plundered, and they went to Karaman in war.
And Yaz from the horde went to Artsitsan, and from Ortsshchan he went to Trepizon.
The Holy Mother of God and the ever-Virgin Mary came to Trebizon for the Intercession, and spent 5 days in Trepizon. And he came to the ship and talked about a donation - a golden gift from his head to Kafa; and the golden one took it for grub, and gave it to the Cafe.
And in Trapizon, my Shubash and Pasha committed a lot of evil. They brought all my rubbish to the city up the mountain and searched everything - it was all good change, and they robbed it all. And they are searching for letters that came from the horde of Asanbeg.
By the grace of God I came to the third Black Sea, and in the Parsi language Doria Stimbolskaa. We walked along the sea with the wind for 10 days, reached Vonada, and there we were met by a great midnight wind, which took us back to Trabizon, and we stood in Sycamore for 15 days, in the presence of a great and evil wind. ex. The plane trees went to the sea twice, and an evil wind meets us and will not allow us to walk on the sea. Ollo ak, Ollo Khudo first digger! I don’t know the development of that other God.
And the sea crossed, and brought us from here to Balikaeya, and from there to Tokorzov, and there we stayed for 5 days. By the grace of God I came to Kafa 9 days before Philip’s plot. Ollo first digger!
By the grace of God he passed through three seas. Diger Khudo dono, Ollo pervodiger given. Amen! Smilna rahmam ragim. Ollo akbir, akshi Khudo, ilello aksh Khodo. Isa ruhoalo, aaliqsolom. Ollo akber. And iliagail ilello. Ollo the first digger. Ahamdu lillo, shukur Khudo afatad. Bismilnagi rahmam rragim. Huvo mogu go, la lasailla guiya alimul gyaibi va shagaditi. Fuck Rakhman Rahim, fuck I can lie. Lyailyaga il Lyakhuya. Almelik, alakudos, asalom, almumin, almugamine, alazizu, alchebar, almutakanbiru, alkhaliku, albariyu, almusaviryu, alkafaru, alkalhar, alvazahu, alryazaku, alphatag, alalimu, alkabizu, albasut, alhafiz, allrraviya, almavizu, almuzil, mile, albasir, alakamu, aladulya, alyatufu.

“WALKING OVER THREE SEAS” AFANASY NIKITIN
(Translation by L.S. Smirnov)

In the year 6983 (1475).(...) In the same year I received the notes of Athanasius, a merchant of Tver, he was in India for four years1, and writes that he set off on a journey with Vasily Papin2. 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 Kazan3. 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 Duke4.
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 - Derbent5, Darya Khvalisskaya6, 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 Borisovich8 of Tverskoy, from Bishop Gennady of Tverskoy and from Boris Zakharyich9.
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 safely.
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 Shirvanshah10 of the Tatar. And he rode with gyrfalcons from Grand Duke Ivan11, 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 Buzan12. 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. And our smaller ship got stuck at Eza13, 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 plundered 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 there was Ambassador Hasan-bek, and Teziki14, and there were 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 Tarki15, and people went ashore, and the kaytaki16 came and took everyone prisoner.
And we came to Derbent, and Vasily arrived there safely, but 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 immediately released all the people to Derbent without obstacles, and from Derbent they sent them to the Shirvanshah, to his headquarters - koytul.
We went to the Shirvanshah, to his headquarters, and beat him with his forehead, 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: whoever had what was 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 unquenchable17, and from Baku I went overseas to Chapakur.
And I lived in Chapakur18 for six months, and I lived in Sari for a month, in the land of Mazandaran19. And from there he went to Amol20 and lived here for a month. And from there he went to Damavand21, and from Damavand - to Rey22. Here they killed Shah Hussein, one of the children of Ali, the grandchildren of Muhammad23, 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 Yazd and lived here for a month. And from Yazd he went to Sirjan, and from Sirjan to Tarom24, livestock here is fed with dates, batman25 dates are 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 city.
And Hormuz is on an island, and the sea comes on 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 Radunitsa26 I went in a tawa27 with horses across the Indian Sea.
And we walked by sea to Muscat28 for ten days, and from Muscat to Dega29 for four days, and from Dega to Gujarat30, and from Gujarat to Cambay31, Here paint and varnish will be born. From Cambay they sailed to Chaul32, and from Chaul they left in the seventh week after Easter, and they traveled by sea for six weeks in a tawa to Chaul.
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, everyone walks with bellies, and children are born every year, and they have many children. Of the common people, 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 ordinary women walk around - 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 is a seven-day journey to Junnar33.
The Indian khan rules here - Asad Khan of Junnar, and he serves Melik-at-Tujar34. Troops were given to him from Melik-at-Tujar, they say; seventy thousand. And Melik-at-Tujar has two hundred thousand troops under his command, and he has been fighting the infidels35 for twenty years: and they defeated him more than once, and he defeated them many times. Asadkhan rides in public. And he has many elephants, and he has many good horses, and he has many warriors, Khorasans36. 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 Day37. 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, goats of Gundustan38 are called, and mash - from tatna39. Here they feed the horses with peas, and cook khichri40 with sugar and butter, and feed the horses with them, and in the morning they give them hornets41. 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.
Junnar-grad stands on a stone rock, is not fortified by anything, and is protected by God. And the path to that mountain day, one person at a time: the road is narrow, it is impossible for two to pass.
In Indian land, merchants are settled in inns. The maids cook for the guests, and the maids make the bed, and sleep with the guests. (If you have a close connection with her, give two inhabitants, if you do not have a close connection, give one inhabitant. There are many wives here according to the rule of temporary marriage, and then a close connection is for nothing); but they love white people.
In winter, their common people wear a veil on their hips, another on their shoulders, and a third on their head; and the princes and boyars then put on ports, a shirt, a caftan, and a veil on their shoulders, gird themselves with another veil, and wrap a third veil around their heads. (Oh God, great God. True Lord, generous God, merciful God!)
And in that Junnar, the khan took the stallion from me when he found out that I was not a Besermen, but a Rusyn. And he said: “I will return the stallion, and I will give a thousand gold coins in addition, just convert to our faith - to Muhammaddini42. If you don’t convert to our faith, to Muhammaddini, I will take the stallion and a thousand gold coins from your head.” And he set a deadline - four days, on Spasov Day, on the Assumption Fast43. Yes, 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. This is the Lord's miracle on Savior Day. And so, Russian Christian brothers, if anyone wants to go to the Indian land, leave your faith in Rus', and, calling Muhammad, go to the Gundustan land.
The Besermen dogs lied to me, 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 were cheap. Those who transport oxen overseas do not pay duties. But they won’t let us transport goods without duty. But there are many tolls, and there are many robbers on the sea. The infidels are robbers; they are not Christians and not irreligious: they pray to stone fools and know neither Christ nor Muhammad.
And from Junnar they left for Assumption and went to Bidar, their main city. It took a month to reach Bidar, five days from Bidar to Kulongiri, and five days from Kulongiri to Gulbarga. ...

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From the publisher

Afanasy Nikitin. WALKING OVER THREE SEAS

Old Russian text Trinity list of the 16th century.

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.

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.

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 city.

And Hormuz is on an island, and the sea comes on 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.

Afanasy Nikitin. sailing across three seas. Afanasy Nikitin's walk across three seas Afanasy Nikitin's walk read

From the publisher

Afanasy Nikitin. WALKING OVER THREE SEAS

Old Russian text Trinity list of the 16th century.

"WALKING OVER THREE SEAS" AFANASY NIKITIN

Old Russian literature

"Walking across three seas"

Afanasia Nikitina

From the publisher

Afanasy Nikitin. WALKING OVER THREE SEAS

Old Russian text Trinity list of the 16th century.

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Afanasy Nikitin. sailing across three seas. Afanasy Nikitin's walk across three seas Afanasy Nikitin's walk read

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