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Athanasius Nikitin of Twer - Voyage to India
and that the Kaitaks coming up had taken the people and plundered their goods. Shirvanshah-bek at once
dispatched a messenger to Alil-bek, the Kaitakian Kniaz, his brother- in-law, saying, "A ship of mine
was wrecked near Tarki, and thy people arriving seized my people and plundered their goods. Now, for
the sake of me, thou shouldest send them to me and recover their goods, for these people are sent in my
name. And shouldest thou ever want any thing of me, do thou name it, and I will not refuse it to my
brother; but for the sake of me let them go in liberty." Alil-bek complied willingly, and immediately sent
the prisoners to Derbend, whence they were directed to Shirvanshah in
Koytul, his own orda. We all proceeded there, and prayed that he would give us the means to return
to Russia; but he gave us nothing, as we were too many. So we wept and dispersed to wherever it was;
whoever had anything in Russia returned home; whoever was in debt went where his eyes looked; some
stayed at Shamakha; others sought work at Bakou.
As for me, I went to Derbend and then to Bakou, where the fire burns unextinguished, and thence across
the sea to Chebokhara (Bokhara). Here I lived six months, and one month I lived at Sareh, in the land of
Mazanderan, and one month at Amyl (Amol). Then I went to Dimovand (Demowend), ad from
Demowend to Orey (here were killed the children of Shaussen Aley, the grandchildren of Mahmet, and
he cursed the Assassins, and seventy cities fell to ruins), and from Orey (or Drey ?) to Kashan, where I
remained one month. I also spent a month at Nain, and another at Yezd. From Yezd I proceeded to Sirjan
(or Kirwan) and to Tarom (Tarem), where the cattle are fed with dates at four altyn the
batman; and from Tarem to Lar, and from Lar to Bender (Bunder-Abbas); and here there is a
seaport, Hormyz (Hormuz), and the Indian Sea, called in the Persian tongue Doria of
Hondustan.
Hormuz is four miles across the water and stands on an island. Twice a day the sea flows around it, and
here I celebrated the first great day, having reached Hormuz four weeks before the great day. I have not
named the many and large cities through which I passed.
At Hormuz the sun is scorching and burns man. I stopped there a month. On the first week after the great
day, I shipped my horses in a tava, and sailed across the Indian Sea in ten days to Moshkat (Muscat).
Thence in four days to Degh(?); and farther to Kuzrat (Gujrat) and Kanbat (Cambay), where the
indigo grows; and lastly to Chivil. We sailed six weeks in the tava till we reached Chivil, and left Chivil
on the seventh week after the great day.
This is an Indian country. People go about naked, with their heads uncovered and bare breasts; the hair
tressed into one tail, and thick bellies.
They bring forth children every year and the children are many; and men and women are black. When I
go out many people follow me, and stare at the white man.
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