Travels in India – Volume 2 written by Jean-Baptiste Tavernier - Book Review

The Historylogy Podcast · Jun 23, 2025 · 4m

Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605–1689) was a 17th-century French gem merchant and traveller. Tavernier, a private individual and merchant traveling at his own expense, covered, by his own account, 60,000 leagues (120,000 miles) in making six voyages to Persia and India between the years 1630 and 1668.

Tavernier's writings show that he was a keen observer, as well as a remarkable cultural anthropologist. His Six Voyages became a best seller and was translated into German, Dutch, Italian, and English during his lifetime. The work is frequently quoted by modern scholars writing about the period…