García de Silva Figueroa
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Don García de Silva Figueroa (December 1550 - July 22, 1624) was a Spanish diplomat, and the first Western traveller to correctly identify the ruins of Takht-e Jamshid in Persia as the location of Persepolis, the ancient capital of the Achaemenid Empire and one of the great cities of antiquity.
[edit] Life and work
Figueroa was born in Zafra in the Spanish province of Badajoz. He served in the military in Flanders, and later was appointed governor of Badajoz. In 1614, Philip III chose Figueroa as his ambassador to the court of Shah Abbas, the Safavid monarch. Before he could reach Persia, however, Figueroa was detained in Goa; he did not arrive at his destination until October 1617.
During his stay, Figueroa dealt with various diplomatic issues of import. He travelled extensively throughout Persia, visiting the cities of Shiraz, Qom and Isfahan among others. He went to see the ruins of Persepolis, and described its splendours in a vivid letter to the Alfonso de la Cueva, marqués de Bedmar. This letter made a great impression in the learned circles of Europe, and was quickly translated into Latin and English.
On his travels, Figueroa had amassed a large collection of rare art objects; these he took home with him to Spain when his sojourn ended in 1619. He wrote a full account of his travels under the title Totius legationis suae et Indicarum rerum Persidisque commentarii. It was translated into French by the Dutchman Abraham de Wicquefort in 1667. The original manuscript is preserved today in the National Museum in Madrid.
Figueroa's memoirs contain a great deal of detailed information relating to Persian geography, history and culture. He described, among many other things, the funerary practices of the Zoroastrians, the sport of organized bull-fighting in Persian towns, and the cultivation of date palms in southern Iran. His narrative is now regarded as a valuable source document on early 17th-century Persia.
Figueroa died at sea in July 1624.
