The Russian expedition in India, taking place within the framework of the international project «Afanasy Nikitin — 550», has started. Its participants plan to explore in detail the route of the famous Tver merchant and traveler of the 15th century, described in the work «Voyage Beyond Three Seas», and form their own idea of the path that became the connecting link between Russia and the East.
«Starting with Nikolai Karamzin, from 1817 to the present day, hundreds of works have been devoted to Afanasy Nikitin’s 'Voyage Beyond Three Seas’», says Aleksandr Bobrov, the project’s scientific director and a leading researcher at the Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House) of the Russian Academy of Sciences. «But many questions still remain unclear. First of all, this concerns the chronology of travel and the route itself: which settlements it passed through, when it was, and what goals it pursued. Many of the names have not survived to this day. Therefore, we do not know where the city of Umri is located, this is the beginning of Afanasy’s journey. The controversial issue is the sacred place of Parvat. The traveler believed that it was as important to Hindus as Jerusalem is to Christians. We want to understand the logic of his movements, the most convenient routes. This will answer many questions, including the main one: what exactly he was looking for. Many toponyms do not correspond to modern maps. Research on the ground will help solve these mysteries.»
«Voyage Beyond Three Seas» is an important artifact of Russian medieval literature, in which Afanasy Nikitin described in detail the economic and cultural life of India, Persia, and the Arab world. Nowadays, the «Afanasy Nikitin — 550» project has helped clarify the traveler’s route and rethink his contribution to the development of trade and cultural ties between the East and Russia.
During the month, scientists will localize toponyms, study the linguistic features of the text «Voyage Beyond Three Seas», clarify the dates of the journey, and determine where the ancient trade routes passed. In the future, experts plan to create an interactive map along Nikitin’s route and prepare a scientific commentary for the new edition of «Voyage».
The village of Revdanda (formerly Chaul). Photo provided by Ilya Bannikov, a member of the expedition
«The previous academic editions of 'Voyage’ were 'armchair editions’,» said the manager of the «Afanasy Nikitin — 550» project and historian Denis Khrustalev. «This time, the experts plan to supplement the publication with personal impressions. At each stage, we are greeted by discoveries that would have been impossible if we had been on Vasilievsky Island in St. Petersburg. Now we have significantly improved the quality of our ideas about the content of the text and semantic reflections of Afanasy Nikitin.»
Nikitin arrived in India 30 years before Vasco da Gama and was the first European to leave notes on politics, trade, agriculture, and traditions of this country. He also visited Persia, where he lived for almost two years. His journey pointed to alternative trade routes bypassing the Ottoman Empire, which influenced Russia’s economic strategy.
«Exploring the path of Afanasy Nikitin is not only about history and geography,» said Ilya Bannikov, head of the Indian stage of the expedition, a member of the Krasnoyarsk Branch of the RGS. «Nikitin’s story connects people and states: Russia, Iran, India. We can safely say that he is one of the first representatives of Russian public diplomacy. Along the way, we will meet with various members of the public and actualize this story of the merchant’s journey that unites us.
Presentation of the expedition as part of Russian Language Day at the Russian House in New Delhi. Photo provided by Ilya Bannikov, a member of the expedition
The project was launched at the Russian House in New Delhi. The route of the modern expedition will cover the key cities of India associated with Nikitin’s journey, including Chaul, Pali, Junnar, Bidar, Gulbarga, Raichur. Lectures at Indian universities and discussions on the installation of a monument to Nikitin in Bidar will be an important part of the journey. As a result of the project, an illustrated scientific publication will be published, guidelines for children’s publications have been developed, and tourist routes following the traveler’s footsteps in Russia, Iran, and India have been created.
«'Voyage’ is one of the first written sources that reflected the idea of the 'eastern lands’ from the perspective of a foreigner, ” says Natalya Belyakova, Candidate of Historical Sciences, researcher of the expedition, Director of the Expeditionary and Tourism Development Department of the RGS. "It is also the first Russian travelogue. In line with classical scientism and historicism, this unique source was previously analyzed primarily as a database of reliable information that complements the lack of written sources about the Middle Ages of the Greater Middle East, India, and Africa. The postmodern view of a historical source is distinguished by a re-evaluation of the subjective: since the last third of the 20th century, we have been no less interested in the specifics of the narrative in all its personal, authorial interpretation of what was seen. From this position, 'Voyage’ has yet to be rediscovered. The imagology of the 'other’ and humanitarian geography are the optics with which we look at 'Voyage’ as part of the scientific objectives of the expedition. This task is intertwined with an ambitious big goal: to follow the Indian part of the route as 'close to the text’ as possible, combining research with a cultural mission. Nikitin’s journey is a testament to the irresistibility of the soft power of knowledge, which is able to guide a person through troubled lands and leave behind a long, fond memory. The RGS explores medieval experiences and sources that teach a lot about the turbulent reality."
The «Afanasy Nikitin — 550» project is an international scientific expedition initiative that will help study the historical and cultural ties between Russia and India. The project is carried out in collaboration with the autonomous non-profit organization for the development of humanitarian cooperation «Dialog» with the support of the Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg State University, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and the Russian House in Delhi. The expedition is supported by the Krasnoyarsk Regional Branch of the RGS.