The Greek Village of Yenisehir at the Entrance of the Strait and the Surrounding Tumuli (1784, Aguste de Choiseul-Gouffier) Johan Schilterberger was born in 1381 in Germany. During the period of the Ottoman Empire's expansion into Europe, the Pope and Christian countries were quite fearful and formed a crusader army to stop the Ottomans. A significant turning point in this expansion into Europe was the Battle of Nicopolis on September 25, 1396. Sultan Bayezid Khan inflicted a great defeat on the crusader army, and the Ottoman campaign in Europe continued. In this battle, Schilterberger was captured and presented to Bayezid Khan as part of the pençik share. He remained under his command for six years and became the sultan's messenger. In 1402, he was present at the Battle of Ankara. After the battle, he entered the service of Timur, who defeated Bayezid Khan, and thus traveled as far as Samarkand. After all his adventures, Schilterberger escaped from Batum and hid in Istanbul for a while. He returned to his country 32 years after being captured. In his memoirs, he recounts both his experiences and the historical features of the places he visited:
"Alexander the Great opened a canal fifteen miles long between rocks and mountains to allow two seas to flow into each other.
This canal opens into the Great Sea or the Black Sea, into which the Danube and many other rivers flow. From here, one can go to cities located on the edge of this sea, such as Kaffa (Kefe), Alathena, Trabesand (Trabzon), and Samson (Samsun). One can go to cities near Istanbul. The sea strait next to Istanbul is called 'Hellespont' by the Greeks and 'Pogaz' (Boğaz) by the Turks. Opposite Istanbul, there is a pier on the seashore from which the Turks cross. Not far from Istanbul, in a beautiful plain, is 'Troya' (Troy). It is still very well seen where the city used to be."
