Origins and nationalities of European travelers who visited Baghdad during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries AD.

Abstract

During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries AD, Iraq witnessed a political and military struggle over it by the Safavid and Ottoman states, while European interests began to search for the East and discover its treasures and the roads leading to it, whether they were the ancient roads that passed through Iraq and the Arab-Islamic world, or by circling Africa, Hence the interest of foreign travelers in discovering these roads and walking in the areas through which they pass through trips they have undertaken since the second half of the sixteenth century AD, especially since they obtained the support of their countries that had concluded agreements and treaties with the Ottoman Empire to allow merchants and travelers to enter its areas. And its cities, including the city of Baghdad, which was visited by many travelers of different nationalities for political, religious, economic and scientific purposes. This research attempts to shed light on the origins and nationalities of the travelers who visited the city of Baghdad during the sixteenth and seventh centuries AD.

 Iraq, specifically the city of Baghdad, was a destination for visits by many foreign travelers of different nationalities during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries AD, due to the great openness that occurred and contact with the outside world regarding the Ottoman Empire and its relations, especially with European countries. These visits had multiple political, economic, scientific, and religious goals that were presented during Travelers wrote about what they saw on their travels, in addition to the diversity of foreign nationalities of travelers who visited Baghdad at that time, especially Europeans who were eager to discover the East, while the period was devoid of Iranian writings or travelers except for the Hajj caravans passing through the city of Baghdad, or for visiting the holy shrines in Iraq.