engleski

The Journey through the Ottoman Empire of the Venetian dragoman Cosimo Calavrò-Imberti from 1761

Cosimo Calavrò-Imberti, a Venetian dragoman in the service of the Venetian bailo, embarked in 1761 on a journey from Constantinople to the island of Tenedos and back, accompanying newly appointed bailo Pietro Correr on the way back. During the trip, which lasted a total of forty-five days, Imberti, in the style of a classic travel writer, presents a number of interesting topics he noticed on his trip. The description of the trip is not limited to the layout of the route, but also includes subjects of his interest and the various sights he encounters: monuments, sacral and public buildings, the ethnic composition of the population in the Ottoman capital, and the like. In the second part of the travelogue contained in his diary, Imberti gives an overview of officials at the Ottoman court, an excerpt from the book of ceremonies for audiences with the Grand Vizier, instructions for giving gifts to the sultan, and a translation of instructions sent to the competent institutions for the accompaniment and reception of Venetian ambassadors, which shows there was still an ample interest in life in the Ottoman capital and customs at the Ottoman court. Viewed in this light, Imberti's manuscript emerges not only as an important travel source, but also as a source of information on the military, social and cultural circumstances of the Ottoman Empire in the second half of the eighteenth century.

Cosimo Calavrò-Imberti, travelogue, Costantinople, eighteenth century, Venice

Abstrakt i biobibliografski podaci autora tiskani u knjižici sažetaka