Von Der Toskana in Den Orient: Ein Renaissance-Kaufmann Auf Reisen

The travelogue of Meshullam da Volterra reveals to the reader the days of the Renaissance, a fascinating picture of the world of the Near East and its magnificent cities. How manifold are the depths of Gods benevolence toward us! And you, sirs, should know all the dangers that exist on the path to Cairo and beyond even to Gaza and how one must proceed. And you should know what every man must beware of when travelling this path. All this I wish to present briefly. In 1481, Meshullam da Volterra, a banker and dealer in rare jewels, a reputable Jew from Italy, took off for an adventurous trip to the Near East. On the road for over 6 months, he travelled to many cities such as Alexandria, Cairo, Jerusalem and Damascus. He vividly describes not only the mores and practices of the respective location, he also notes all the dramatic situations he faced during his travels - sea battles, attacks by pirates, shipwrecks, blood-thirsty Bedouins. His notes are complemented by numerous illustrations and a map from the era, which make this volume an ideal gift for history lovers. This is one of the most important historical travelogues to emerge from the era, which Daniel Jutte has translated, edited and commented on for the first time in German. It can easily be compared to the famous writings of Marco Polo.