Peter Mundy

Among the 17th-century English travelers, Peter Mundy is known for leaving behind quite interesting works. What is known about Mundy is derived solely from what he wrote in his works. Mundy was born in 1596 in Penryn, Western England. He traveled to many places with his merchant father from a young age. In 1617, at the age of 21, he reached Istanbul on a trading ship. During that time, he met English merchants who were quite active in Istanbul. Mundy stayed in Pera, Istanbul until 1620, and during this period, he traveled around Istanbul and its surroundings, as well as the Anatolian coasts. In 1620, he returned to England from Istanbul. He traveled to many different regions for commercial purposes, from Spain to Japan, and noted his impressions from these journeys. The historical and geographical features in his travel notes have become an important source for many researchers after him. Peter Mundy died in England in 1628:

"A few miles below Gallipoly (Gelibolu) is the strait passage of the Hellespont (Çanakkale Boğazı); it is not more than half a mile wide. Although this place is generally known for Xerxes' bridge, the love story of Hero and Leander is much more magnificent. The castles here that control the strait are known as the Dardanelles and protect the strait from this side. The ancient Sestos on the European side consists of two intertwined towers, the inner one being taller; due to the sloping ground on which they are built, the outer walls resemble three semicircles with a triangular shape. The other castle on the Asian shore is more solid and built on a marshy area. It is quadrangular with a tower at each corner; in the middle is the command tower, which is higher than all the others. Although generally referred to as Abydos, it is not usually the place described with the ruins in the same location... After a while, we reached the cape of Yenişehir (Janizar), known as the Sigaeum plateau by ancient writers, where nothing remains but ruined and old walls, once the site of Troy."