The travels of Monsieur de Thevenot into the Levant

French traveller Jean de Thévenot (1633–1677) lived in the seventeenth century. He was also a linguist and naturalist. He was the famed cartographer Melchisédec Thévenot’s (1620–1682) nephew, who is said to have influenced his passion for exploring the world.

This travelogue documents his travels across the Ottoman Empire, the Aegean Sea islands, Egypt, Palestine, and India. He was particularly interested in exotic essences like gum arabic and acacias, and he also popularised coffee in his homeland of Paris.

Thévenot arrived in India in 1666. He spent thirteen months in India, travelling from Surat in Gujarat to Golconda in Telangana to Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh. He later returned to Surat over land. From there, he boarded a ship for Bandar Abbas and continued to Shiraz. Thevenot died in late 1667 on his journey home from India.

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