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Nikitin (Никитин) Afanasy
(?—1475)

Afanasy Nikitin was a Russian merchant and writer and one of the first Europeans to travel to and document his visit to India. He described his trip in a narrative known as the «The Journey Beyond Three Seas».

In 1466, Nikitin left his hometown of Tver on a commercial trip to India. He traveled down the Volga River, reached Derbent, then Baku and later Persia by crossing the Caspian Sea, where he would live for one year. In the spring of 1469, Nikitin arrived at the city of Ormus and then, crossing the Arabian Sea, reached the sultanate of Bakhmani, where he would live for 3 years. On his way back, Nikitin visited the African continent (Somalia), Muscat, Trabzon and in 1474 arrived at Feodosiya by crossing the Black Sea. On his way to Tver, Nikitin died not far from Smolensk in the fall of that year.

During his trip, Nikitin studied the population of India, its social system, government, military (he witnessed war-games featuring war elephants), its economy, religion, lifestyles, and natural resources. The abundance and trustworthiness of Nikitin's factual material provide a valuable source of information about India at that time.

Russia, 2005, Tver. Monument to Afanasy Nikitin

USSR, 1966, Monument to Afanasy Nikitin

Russia, 1994.04.16—17, Tver. 525th Anniv of Nikitin's Voyage