The Journey of Don Juan of Persia is the curious story of Uruch Beg, a Persian gentleman who visits Spain at the end of the sixteenth century as a member of a diplomatic delegation.
all starts when you arrive at the Shah Abbas I, an English adventurer named Anthony Sherley, a rogue who claimed to be a cousin of the king of Scotland, who brought the offer of all Christian kings to be confederated with them, to make Turkish war.
The Persian Shah agreed and quickly commissioned to prepare an embassy to Europe. The diplomatic delegation consisted of Ambassador Husain Ali Beg, four gentlemen, fifteen servants, two Portuguese friars, five performers, fifteen English including Anthony Sherley and finally Uruch Beg, our future Don Juan of Persia.
The procession on the backs of mules and camels went to the shores of the Caspian, in the first attempt were nearly capsized by a storm, thrown into the sea food and jewelry equipment to lose weight, back to shore made a second attempt to Turkmenistan and then across to the mouth of the Volga traced upstream and came to Moscow where they were received by the court with great pomp.
When they left Moscow Dwina followed up the river north and sailed to Archangel in the Arctic Ocean, sailed out there circling Northern Scandinavia up to the German city of Emden.
In Germany they were greeted by several princes, passed through Kassel and Leipzig, entering the region to its capital Prague, Czech Republic, returning to Germany, visited Nuremberg, Augsburg and Munich.
After crossing the Alps, visited Verona and Florence. In the town of Sena, Ambassador Husain Ali Beg had a heated discussion with Anthony Sherley, accusing him of having sold the gifts they had brought to the Pope of Rome.
The next day came to Rome and were greeted by the Pope. His Holiness greeted them politely and offered the help of the Catalan canon Francisco Gual, to accompany them with everything you need to Spain.
When they tried to leave Rome realized that both Anthony Sherley and the rest of English had fled.
entered Spain, Catalonia and Barcelona were received by the Duke of Feria, where they were admired cleanliness and order of its streets, visited the monastery of Montserrat and then left for Zaragoza, Valladolid finally reached on July 3, 1601 where they were received by King Philip III.
During his stay in the peninsula is when an extraordinary event, and both Uruch Beg, Ali Quli Beg and Beg Bunyad decide to convert to Catholicism, respectively take the names of Don Juan, Don Diego and Don Felipe de Persia, and not return to Persia.
With the approval of the king of Spain, Don Juan de Persia write in detail everything that happened on the trip, in a historical book called Relationships Don Juan de Persia .
Sources: The book "Relationships of Don Juan of Persia" 1946 and the assistance of Josep del blog "Perched on the network"
