Fyodor Kotov is a Moscow merchant who, in 1623, went to Persia for commercial and state affairs. After some time, he wrote an essay about his journey, which was published in 1852 in the publication "Temporary."
Biography
The exact dates of the life of the merchant Kotov are unknown. There are records that he belonged to an old merchant family and that his ancestors very successfully traded with eastern countries. There is mention of the Moscow merchant Stepan Kotov (a likely ancestor of Fedor), who was involved in collecting customs duties.
The first mention of Fedor Kotov is found in a document from 1617 in which the merchant supported the allocation of a plot of land to the British near Vologda for sowing flax. In the records from 1619, you can find information about the repeated support of the English merchants by the merchant Kotov. This time, the question was related to their request for the right to trade with Persia through Moscow.
Trade Relations with Persia
In Russian history, Fedor Kotov is famous as a merchant who traveled to Persia.
In the second half of the XVI century, diplomatic and trade relations between Persia (Iran) and the Russian state began to develop actively.
Astrakhan played a leading role in trade with the East, since back in the 15th century the merchants of Russia brought their ships to Astrakhan for salt. After some time, large trade caravans were already moving between Moscow and Astrakhan.
Trade relations with Persia were important for the Russian state. Persia, cut off from the European market due to the war with Turkey, was also interested in the development of trade along the Caspian Sea and the Volga.
Persian goods were very popular in Russia. The Persians brought raw silk and various luxury goods:
- gems;
- gold and silver jewelry;
- decorative gizmos.
In Moscow, a Persian guest yard with shops was opened, and the first buyers of new goods were representatives of the state treasury.
Sables, arctic foxes, squirrels and other expensive furs, flax, hemp, bone, walrus fangs, and bread were exported to Persia from Russia.
Merchant's trip to Persia
By personal order of Tsar Mikhail Romanov, in the spring of 1623, Kotov, having received a considerable amount of state money and goods, accompanied by a detachment, left Moscow.
He went on a trip on his own ship in late April 1613, immediately after the end of the freeze-up. This was due to the fact that the merchant wanted to return back to Moscow in the same year, before the onset of cold weather.
First, he got to Astrakhan by water along the rivers Moscow, Oka and Volga.
From Astrakhan across the Caspian, a merchant with a detachment reached Shirvan, after which, by land, by the end of June, he reached the Persian city of Isfahan.
Since Kotov was traveling with imperial goods, this gave him a number of privileges, in particular - the absence of diplomatic obstacles along the route and the speed of movement.
Fedor also visited the "Turks land", the cities of India and Urmuz.
Kotov actually returned to his homeland at the end of that year with Persian goods, from the sale of which he bailed out a lot of money.
Fyodor wrote about his trip to Persia in the essay "On the passage to the Persian kingdom and from Persia to the Turkish land and to India and to Urmuz, where the ships come."
The work was written with his words in the middle of the XVII century, and published more than two hundred years after the end of his trip with a miracle of preserved manuscripts. It is believed that the merchant kept his notes at the direct direction of the Ambassadorial order.
At that time, the Russian government most often through the Ambassadorial order collected information about neighboring peoples and states, about their management system, education, the state of industry and trade, religion, traditions and population.
In his story about the journey, Kotov describes in detail everything he saw:
- natural beauties and climate features;
- architecture of the cities and mosques seen;
- traditions of local residents;
- clothing and cuisine of the Persian people;
- transportation methods and distances between cities;
- Muslim holidays and customs;
- conducting trade and agriculture in Persia.
What is noteworthy, the merchant really liked the oriental architecture, he was simply mesmerized by the beauty of local buildings. The man first saw multi-story buildings.
Kotov also listed all the mountains and rivers he met along the way.
Fedor was greatly interested in how agriculture was organized among foreigners. He described in detail what time of year, and in what sequence they sow, care for and harvest. The merchant noted small tricks and innovations in agricultural work by Persian farmers.
A special place in his writings is occupied by the description of the reception by the Persian Shah Abbas, which occurred on June 26, 1624.
An interesting fact: most likely, Kotov was familiar with the spoken Persian and Turkish languages. In his “Walk” there are about fifty Turkish and Persian words, not counting the complete listing of the letters of the alphabet and numerals. The terminology of the Persians and Turks was understood by the merchant, and he scrupulously recorded the translation of foreign words into Russian.
