"La Grande & Belle Ville de Kaschan, en Perse", Aa, Pieter van der

Travelers fill the road leading into Kashan in this fine engraving. The first of the large oases along the road that runs along the edge of the Dasht-e Kevir, Kashan was an important resting place, as well as leisure destination for Safavi Kings. This view is from the travels of Adam Olearius who was sent by Duke Frederick III to Moscow and Persia to seek treaties favoring the newly-founded city of Friedrichstadt as the terminus for an overland silk road. Although his negotiations with the Shah were not successful, his journey resulted in greatly expanded knowledge of the geography of both empires.

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Condition: A

A dark impression on a sheet with Strasbourg Lily and "IV" watermarks and a bit of printer's ink residue.