POLO, Marco. Venice 1254 (or 1250?) — Venice 8.1.1324. Famous Italian (Venetian) Traveller in the Middle Ages, spent many years in China. Born in a wealthy family of nobility, he left Venice in 1271 together with his father Niccolò and uncle Maffeo, who had returned from their earlier commercial visit…
POLIER, Antoine-Louis-Henri. Lausanne ?.2.1741 — near Avignon 9.2.1795. Swiss Officer and Traveller in India. Born in a French Huguenot noble family naturalized in Switzerland, son of Jacques H. E. Polier (1700–1781) and Jeanne-Francoise Moreau de Brosses. He had a good education and showed interest in mathematics. Invited by his uncle…
POHRT, Hermann. 18?? — 19??. German Traveller. Dr. Participated as Grünwedel’s Assistant in the Turfan expedition in 1906-08. He spoke Chinese. There is one H.P., a lawyer, who served in WW I as fighter pilot and in 1919 moved from Berlin to Rheinsberg. He knew Göring and other Nazis and…
PETROVSKIJ, Nikolaj Fëdorovič. 30.11.(12.12.)1837 — Taškent 19.11.(2.12.)1908. Russian Diplomat and Central Asian Scholar. After an early military career he joined in 1861 Finance Department and in 1870 Foreign Department. He was Russian Consul in Kashgar in 1882-1904 (from 1895 General Consul) and an eager antiquarian, who donated his big collection…
PAVIE, Théodore Marie. Angers (Maine-et-Oise) 16.8.1811 — 1.5.1896 (or 29.4.). French Indologist. Professor in Paris. Son of Louis Joseph Pavie (1782–1859), a printer, and Eulalie Fabre (died early), brother of the poet and art historian Victor Pavie (1808–1886). Educated at Collège Royal d’Angers. Travelled much in his early years, in…
PANDER, Eugen. Livonia 2.1.1854 — Gross-Lüdershagen, Wendorf, Vorpommern 6.10.1894. Russian (German of Livonia) Economist in China, interested in Lamaism. Son of Johann Peter Pander. In 1875-77 studies at Riga Polytechnicum, then businessman, mainly in Moscow. Ph.D. (unknown, where and when). In 1881 traveled in Germany, England and France. From 1881…
VOLNEY DE CHASSEBOEUF (BOISGIRAIS), Constantin-François, comte de. Craon, Anjou 3.2.1757 — Paris 25.4.1820. French Asian Traveller, Historian, Philosopher and Politician. Son of Jacques-René Chasseboeuf (1727–1796), a lawyer, and Jeanne Gigault (1728–1759), of minor nobility. Studied classics in Paris and soon befriended with intellectuals. In 1782 left for Egypt, then travelled…
VIGNE, Godfrey Thomas. Walthamstown, Essex 1.9.1801 — Woosford, Essex 12.7.1863. British Traveller in India and America. Son of Thomas Vigne, “educated at Harrow. Called to the bar at Lincoln’s Inn, 1824. Travelled in [North] America, 1831. Went to India, 1832, through Persia. Visited Kashmir, Ladak, Afghanistan, saw the Amir [1836]……
VARTHEMA, Ludovico di (Barthema, Vertomannus). Bologna 1470? — Rome before June 1517. Italian Traveller in India. Claiming to have started his travels only in order to win fame he left Italy late in 1502 and travelled on the route Venice–Cairo–Beyrout–Damas–Mecca (the first known non-Muslim there), using Muslim robe (under the…
VAMBÉRY, Ármin (Arminius[z], Hermann, orig. Hermann Hamburger [or Bamberger]). Szerdahely (ENS) or Szentgyörgy (now Svätý Jur in Slovakia) (Wiki) 19.3.1832 — Seebenstein, Austria (ENS) of Budapest (Wiki) 15.9.1913. Hungarian Traveller and Oriental scholar. Professor in Budapest. Born in a poor orthodox Jewish family, lost early his father. He had Jewish…