ORLICH, Leopold Ludwig von. Stallupönen, Ostpreussen (now Nesterov in Kaliningrad oblast) 30.6.1804 — London 2.6.1860. German Officer, Traveller and Historian. Son of a Prussian officer, Major Ludwig Julius von Orlich (1755–1810), and Frederike Charlotte von Klingspor. Served also himself in Prussian army. In 1842 he went to India as Captain in…
OLSCHAK, Blanche Christine. Vienna 24.7.1913 — Zürich 25.6.1989. Austrian Journalist and Tibetan Scholar in Switzerland. Daughter of Joseph Olschak, an officer (General-Major), and Lilly Helene Bücheler. Studied Political Science at Graz (Ph.D. 1937), then Tibetan and Buddhism, a follower of A. David-Neel. From 1946 living in Zürich (after her husband…
OL’DENBURG, Sergej Fëdorovič (Serge d’Oldenbourg). Bjankino, Zabajkal’skoj obl. (now Tšita obl., Nerčinskij raion) 14.(26.)9.1863 — Leningrad 28.2.1934. Russian Indologist and Art Historian. Professor and Academician in St.Petersburg/Leningrad. Son of Fëdor Fëdorovič O. (1827–1877), an officer, of Livonian nobility, and Nadežda Fëdorovna Berg (von Berg, 1833–1909). Matriculated in 1881, he was…
ÓLAFSSON, Jón (Jan), called Bøsseskytte and Indíafari. “Svarthamri í Álftafirði við Ísafjarðardjúp” in Vestfirðir (Westfjords) 1593 (or 29.8.1596) — 2.5.1679. Icelandic Traveller in India, in the service of the Danish East India Company in Trankebar. Son of Ólafur Jónsson and Ólöf Þorsteinsdóttir, father died when he was 7. In 1615…
ODORICO DA PORDENONE (Odorico Mattiuzzi). 1265/74/86 — Udine 14.1.1331. Italian Franciscan Friar and Traveller in Asia. From Pordenone in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Wrote a famous account of his journey to China and Central Asia. Started for his journey between 1314/18, together with James of Ireland, and remained several years in the…
NUNIZ (Nunes), Fernão. 1500? — 1550?. Portuguese Jewish Merchant in India. In 1535-37 stayed in Vijayanagar and then wrote an account, including a short history of the Vijayanagara Empire. The manuscript came to Portugal and was used by Barros, but then forgotten for many years. Later on he was persecuted…
NOUETTE, Charles Georges. Montlhéry near Paris 6.5.1869 — Paris 2.5.1910. French Traveller, the photographer of the Pelliot expedition in Central Asia in 1906-09. After the cossack destruction of the 1920s his and Stein’s photographs are the only remaining document of many Dunhuang murals. He was son of merchant Albert Charles…
NIKITIN, Afanasij. Tver 1433 (?) — Smolensk 1472 or 1475 (?). Russian Traveller in India. A merchant from Tver, he visited Persia and India, and wrote a good account of these countries. The chronology of his travel is uncertain. He left Tver in 1466, 1469, or 1471 and travelled down…
NIEUHOFF, Johan. Uelsen, Grafschaft Bentheim (Germany) 22.7.1618 — Madagascar 8.10.1672. Dutch Traveller in India in the middle of the 17th century. Son of the mayor of Uelsen, van Nijhoff and Egberta Picardt. In 1640-49 in Brazil during the Dutch attempt to establish a colony there, then in the service of…
NIEBUHR, Carsten. Lüdingworth near Cuxhaven 17.3.1733 — Meldorf, Holstein 26.4.1815. German Traveller, Geographer and Engineer in Danish Service. Son of Barthold Niebuhr (1704–1749), a free farmer, and Caecilie von Duhn (1706–1733). Father’s death interrupted school, but he studied privately mathematics, surveying, and Arabic, then at Göttingen. Selected by J. D.…