იოჰან ვან კოტვეიკის ცნობები ქართველების შესახებ
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Date
2024
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ივანე ჯავახიშვილის სახელობის თბილისის სახელმწიფო უნივერსიტეტის გამომცემლობა
Abstract
Ioannes Cotovicus, a traveler whose observations about the Georgians have been widely discussed in Georgian historiography, is often mistakenly identified as Polish.
However, he was actually Dutch, with his true name being Johan van Cootwijck. Born in Utrecht in the 16th century, Cootwijck spent his life in this city, where he eventually passed away in 1629. In 1598-99, Cootwijck embarked on a journey to the East and recorded detailed descriptions of the places he visited. His travels took him across Europe to Italy, from where he sailed from Venice to Crete and Cyprus via the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas, eventually landing in Jaffa. He explored Palestine and Syria, spending three months in Aleppo and visiting Antioch as well. Upon returning to Europe in 1619, he published his travelogue, Itinerarium Hierosolymitanum et Syriacum, in Latin in Antwerp. The book was translated into Dutch and printed in 1620.
Johan van Cootwijck was a well-educated and keenly observant writer. His work reflects his deep knowledge of Greek and Latin literature and history. His accounts are enriched with references to medieval authors and classical sources such as Homer, Horace, Pliny, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Polybius, Ptolemy, Pythagoras, Strabo, and others.
According to the scholar Titus Tobler, Cootwijck’s writing is clear and reliable, offering numerous new and valuable insights. His book is a testament to the meticulous work of a perceptive, learned, and diligent man. Cootwijck’s descriptions of the countries he visited are noted for their accuracy, and he is often praised for his keen eye and comprehensive observations. He was the first to document the inscriptions on the walls and tombstones of Jerusalem, many of which have since been lost. His book features over 50 engravings, including maps, drawings, and illustrations of Eastern cities and holy sites.
In the sixth chapter of the second book of his work, Cootwijck provides a detailed account of the Christian communities in the East, including the Maronites, Greeks, Syrians, Jacobites, Nestorians, Armenians, Copts, Ethiopians, and, notably, the Georgians. He also mentions the Georgians in his descriptions of the Holy Sepulchre and the Monastery of the Cross. Until recently, we only had fragments of his work from Michel Tamarati’s book L'église géorgienne des origines jusqu'À nos jours, published in French in 1910, which includes excerpts from Cootwijck’s writings. These Latin excerpts were translated into Georgian in 1995 when Tamarati’s book was republished. Unfortunately, the excerpts in Tamarati’s book, and consequently the Georgian translation, are incomplete and disjointed, with several important sections missing. Omitted passages include the description of Georgia’s historical geography and location, a highly favorable characterization of the Georgian people, accounts of the cult of St. George and military banners, the matrimonial ties between the rulers of Persia and Georgia, Georgian headdresses and hairstyles, the languages they spoke, and Cootwijck’s visit to the Monastery of the Cross. To address these omissions and clarify the misunderstandings surrounding the Dutch traveler, we now present a full translation of the original text.
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ეძღვნება პროფესორ თინათინ მარგველაშვილის ხსოვნას (1924 – 2006) / Dedicated to Memory of Prof. Tinatin Margvelashvili (1924 – 2006)
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Citation
აღმოსავლეთმცოდნეობა №13, თბილისი, 2024, გვ. 110-118 / Oriental Studies №13, Tbilisi, 2024, p. 110-118