Travelogues of Armenian merchants and routes of travel to India (17th–19th centuries)

Abstract

The article analyzes Armenian travel notes of the 17th–19th centuries that reflect the routes, travel conditions and trade practices of Armenian merchants and clergy in India. The study is based on three key sources: the trade journal-diary of Hovhannes Ter-Davtyan from New Julfa, The History of Tahmaz Guli by Kuchuk Harutin and the travel notes of the priest Avetik Karbetsi Tsagikyan. For each source, the author has compiled a route map. Ter-Davtyan’s journal presents one of the routes followed by Armenians to India in the 17th century: from Shiraz via Bandar Abbas to Surat, while a later delegation from Echmiadzin, travelling in the first half of the 19th century, went from Shiraz to the port of Bushehr and then to Bombay. Karbetsi describes towns and villages, terrain, climate, dangers of the road and everyday hardships, including shortages of water, poisonous insects and bandits, among them guides who ultimately robbed the travellers. Kuchuk Harutin’s notes reflect the realities of military campaigns: difficult crossings through forests and deserts, and sweltering heat that dried up water within minutes. A separate section examines the postal system of the Armenian trading diaspora. The article documents both maritime and overland routes for the delivery of correspondence between New Julfa, Bengal, Madras, Surat and other trading centers. The study demonstrates the importance of Armenian sources for the history of transregional trade and routes, and highlights the role of Armenian travellers as intermediaries between East and West.

References

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