Episode 18: Across the Persian Desert

The Holstein trade mission leaves Caswin on the evening of July 13, 1637, the baggage and sick people leaving first and the gentlemen following later that night.This is the final leg of their outbound journey from the German port city of Hamburg to the Persian capital of Isfahan that began almost four years ago. Along the route they’re taking, Persia is about 500 miles wide from the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf, and although the 300-mile road to Isfahan does not cross the harshest deserts in the country, the conditions described by Adam Olearius are still very harsh indeed.Our ambassadors are crossing the western edge of this desert in Caswin province toward the city of Kom and a great dry salt lake. Ambassador Crusius falls ill. Not able to ride on horseback, he is carried on a litter for several days. At a caravanserai named Choskeru, the names of travelers are carved on the walls, like people from every era in history who want to leave some evidence that they had been there. The heat is so bad they strip down to their underwear. They pitch tents to acquire some shade, but wind out of the mountains comes in blasts that are hotter than the heat of an oven. They escape into the caravanserai and Olearius tells us they cannot walk five or six steps without burning their feet.Several of the Germans are plagued by the “bloody flux,” which he says is caused by eating too much fruit and drinking too much water. Three men die of the disease, and their bodies are carried to the next stop, the city of Kaschan.Because of the scorpions, the locals never sleep on mattresses laid on the ground, as they do in other cities, using a bed frame instead. Olearius is the only member of the trade mission to get stung by one. The Persian remedy for scorpion bites is to apply a piece of copper money to the wound, leave it there for 24 hours, and then replace it with a plaster made of honey and vinegar.They reach Isfahan on the morning of August 3, 1637. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit semipropilgrim.substack.com