Travels to Tana and Persia

In Short

This volume brings together rare fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Italian travel narratives detailing diplomatic missions across the Black Sea, Tartary, and Persia. Venetian ambassadors, notably Giosofat Barbaro, Ambrogio Contarini, and Caterino Zeno, venture across vast deserts, mountainous strongholds, and opulent foreign courts to seek military alliances with Persian rulers like Uzun Hasan and Shah Ismail against the expanding Ottoman Empire. Rich with observations on local customs, trade goods, architectural wonders, and violent dynastic shifts, the collection endures as a vital historical bridge between Renaissance Europe and the early modern Islamic world, capturing a pivotal moment of global geopolitical realignment through the eyes of observant European emissaries.

The Story

The narrative arc traces the dangerous diplomatic journeys undertaken by Italian envoys seeking to counter Ottoman expansion by allying with Eastern monarchs. Venetian diplomat Giosofat Barbaro opens the collection by recording his long residence at Tana on the Sea of Azov and his journeys into the vast interior of Tartary. He observes the nomadic life of the Horde, where hundreds of thousands gather under commanders like Ulu Mahummad. Barbaro records the intense survival strategies of desert travel, detailing how nomadic bands and merchants rely on wild herbs like baltracan for sustenance while trekking across desolate steppes. Moving southward through Cyprus and Cilicia, Barbaro manages to deliver heavy artillery, crossbows, silver, and rich textiles to the court of Uzun Hasan (Assambei), the ruler of the Aq Qoyunlu confederation, navigating territories constantly threatened by Turkish forces.

As diplomatic ties deepen, other Italian envoys follow into the Persian heartland. Ambrogio Contarini encounters harsh terrain, extortionate regional governors, and winter snowstorms as he travels through Georgia, Shirvan, and Media. Arriving in Persian strongholds such as Tauris (Tabriz) and Spaan (Isfahan), the envoys are struck by the immense wealth of the court. They record descriptions of sprawling royal palaces like the Astibisti in Tabriz—a magnificent eight-part domed structure set within expansive gardens and marble fountains. The accounts capture the visual splendor of the Persian state, noting magnificent ruby jewels, fine silk carpets, and heavy gold-embroidered garments worn by the court elite.

The texts document a region defined by fierce military conflict. Detailed reports outline the brutal clashes between the forces of Uzun Hasan and the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II along the Euphrates and near Malatia, where thousands perish in river crossings and fierce sand-bank battles. The narratives follow the historical succession into the rise of the Safavid Dynasty under Shah Ismail. The envoys chronicle Ismail's rapid rise to power: his capture of key cities like Sumachi, his strategic alliances with Iberian (Georgian) Christian horsemen, his victory over rival warlords, and his ruthless execution of political opponents, often by his own hand.

The closing sections expand outward to register the broader geopolitical turbulence shaking the region. The accounts detail the downfall of the Mameluke Sultanate in Cairo under the advancing armies of Ottoman Sultan Selim I, alongside internal Persian court intrigues and dynastic struggles under figures like Shah Tahmasp. Despite the extreme cold, perilous mountain passes, and constant threat of imprisonment or death, the envoys survive their long missions, providing European governments with detailed intelligence regarding the military capabilities, commerce, and political landscapes of the East.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins Venetian galleys set sail laden with military munitions, silver vessels, and fine woolens intended as gifts for Persian rulers. Diplomatic passage is quickly complicated when Ottoman forces seize coastal fortresses, forcing envoys to linger in Cyprus while seeking safe routes through Cilicia.

Life among the Horde During his time in Tana, Barbaro observes the vast encampments of the Tatars, estimating their numbers in the hundreds of thousands. He notes their unique cultural values, such as honoring fierce warriors with the title Tulubagator, and documents their reliance on the wild plant baltracan to sustain long journeys across barren deserts.

Clashes on the riverbanks Fierce battles erupt between Persian forces and Ottoman armies along major waterways near Malatia. Persian cavalry fight valiantly on river sand-banks, driving Turkish regiments into the current and causing thousands of casualties before darkness halts the fighting.

Arrival at the Persian court Envoys press forward across mountain passes to reach capital cities like Tabriz and Isfahan, presenting their credentials to Persian monarchs. They marvel at ancient monuments like the forty pillars of Persepolis and describe the multi-domed Astibisti palace with its marble streamlets and gilded chambers.

The rise of Shah Ismail The narrative shifts to the rise of the Safavid ruler Shah Ismail, who consolidates power by seizing Sumachi and defeating rival commanders. Aided by thousands of Georgian Christian cavalry, Ismail establishes control over Persia and executes captured enemies to solidify his throne.

Trials of the homeward journey Envoys returning to Europe endure severe cold, heavy snows, and administrative corruption while traveling through Georgia, Muscovy, and Lithuania. Traveling in horse-drawn wooden sledges (sani) over frozen ground, they navigate dense forests to reach safety.

The People

• Giosofat Barbaro: A Venetian diplomat and trader who spends years living at Tana and traveling through Tartary and Persia. He seeks to secure trade intelligence and deliver Venetian military aid, overcoming harsh desert conditions and regional conflict before returning to serve Venice.
• Ambrogio Contarini: A Venetian ambassador who travels to Tauris and Isfahan to meet the Shah. He endures systemic extortion by regional governors, severe winter cold, and perilous forest journeys in his quest to maintain diplomatic channels.
• Uzun Hasan (Assambei): The ruler of the Aq Qoyunlu confederation who seeks European firearms and military aid to counter the Ottoman Empire. He builds magnificent palaces in Tabriz and leads massive armies against Turkish forces in eastern Anatolia.
• Shah Ismail: The young founder of the Safavid Dynasty who emerges as a dominant force in Persia. Driven to unite the realm, he defeats rival princes, forms strategic alliances with Georgian Christian chiefs, and ruthlessly executes defeated opponents to secure absolute authority.
• Marco Rosso: The envoy of the Duke of Muscovy who meets Contarini in Samachi. He provides essential protection, companionship, and guidance, enabling the Italian ambassador to travel safely through Russian and Lithuanian territories.

In Its Own Voice

"O, oh, qᵈ he, that there be enough, but they are verie secret."

Barbaro inquires of a Tatar companion about hidden idolaters living within the vast nomad encampments near Tana.

"Our apparaill, qd he, is faire; but it waieth a litle to much."

A Persian monarch humorously critiques his own heavy court vestments of gold cloth, silk, and sable furs while showing them to the Venetian envoy.

"I welcomed every discomfort and was intent on nothing but travelling day and night; nor had I any fear, so great was my desire to escape from those places and ways of living."

Contarini describes his determination to push forward in a horse-drawn sledge through frozen forests to escape the extreme cold and perils of his northern return route.

What It's Really About

Beneath its detailing of travel routes, luxury goods, and diplomatic receptions, the book explores the urgent political calculations of Renaissance Europe facing Ottoman expansion. It highlights the pragmatic necessity that drove Catholic Italian states to forge alliances with Muslim Persian rulers and Eastern Christian lords.

The work also captures the profound cultural curiosity and observational precision of early modern trade diplomacy. The envoys do not merely report on military troop counts; they document agricultural survival strategies, architectural innovations, regional languages, and market economies. It is an investigation into how vastly different civilizations—Venetian, Tatar, Persian, and Georgian—interacted through trade, war, and diplomatic necessity, revealing an interconnected world tied together by strategic interests long before modern globalization.

Why Read It Today

This collection offers an authentic, unvarnished window into late medieval and early modern Eurasia. Readers interested in diplomatic history, historical travelogues, and the history of the Middle East will find it a compelling primary source that brings the fifteenth century to life with vivid detail.

The reading experience requires some patience. The prose retains its archaic spellings, antique phrasing, and period-specific transliterations of foreign names, reflecting the conventions of sixteenth-century English translations and nineteenth-century academic editing. Regional geography is often presented through lost place-names, and the perspective carries the typical biases of Renaissance European observers interacting with foreign cultures.

Yet these very difficulties contribute to the book's immersive charm. What remains with the reader is the incredible physical endurance of these early travelers—crossing frozen Russian forests in small wooden sledges, riding through desolate steppes relying on wild plants for food, and standing inside the gilded, domed palaces of Persian monarchs to negotiate the fate of nations.