Salomon Schweigger

Salomon Schweigger Salomon Schweigger (1551-1622), who belonged to a noble German family, was educated at Tübingen, one of Europe's oldest universities. After studying Classical literature at the University of Tübingen, he was appointed as a pastor alongside the Habsburgs' ambassador to the Sublime Porte, Joachim von Sintzendorff. In 1577, he took part in the embassy sent by German Emperor Rudolf II to Sultan Murad III, departing from Vienna and traveling through Southeast Europe to reach Istanbul. After staying in Istanbul on a diplomatic mission until 1581, he traveled to Egypt, Palestine, and Syria. During this journey, he passed through Çanakkale. His impressions here are notably influenced by ancient writers, with a particular emphasis on the subject of Troy. Like other travelers, he places Troy on the Yenişehir bay at the entrance of the strait. In 1581, Schweigger returned from this journey by ship from Crete to Venice and then back to Tübingen, where he continued his duties in the Protestant church. Schweigger, who served as a pastor in many cities, died in Nuremberg in 1622. His correspondence with the humanist Martin Crusius during his time in Istanbul was published by Crusius in 1582. Additionally, the Tübingen Library holds a manuscript album containing information about the personalities (especially from the patriarchate environment) he met during his stay in Istanbul. Schweigger translated the Quran, previously translated into Latin, into German for the first time in 1616. The travelogue of Salomon Schweigger was published in 1608 with many engravings:

"On March 6, we set sail early in the morning and arrived by evening at the place where the castles of Sestos and Abydos are located. The Turks call these two strong castles, one in Asia and the other in Europe, Bogazhisar. This means the castle of the sea, and the castles or the port are the same as the Hellespont Sea for the Turks. The distance between the two castles is not very great. Both castles are situated on high hills and are protected by mountains, but they are not very solid: they are very old and require repair. All ships wishing to go down or up must anchor at the same place, wait quietly, and inform the Captain of their arrival. Whether Turkish or Christian, all ships are controlled by the Captain. At this point, King Xerxes built a bridge with 700,000 rafts to cross his army.

These castles are very famous for the two lovers, Leandro of Abydos and Hero of Sestos, in the poems of the poet Ovid...

...

On March 7, we passed through the Hellespont or the Strait of Gallipoli, heading towards the Aegean Sea (mare Aegeum), named after a very ancient German queen, Aigen/Aventineus. According to Plinius, it got this name from a rock resembling a bull, as the rocky area between Tenedo and Chio (Bozcaada and Sakız Adası) resembles a bull. The Turks call this place Ak Deniz, meaning white sea, while the Italians call it Arrcpelago (Peninsula). On our left, we see the old and famous city of Troy; however, since it has been settled for a very long time, no structures remain standing, only an old wall on top of a hill by the sea, but in ruins. As I mentioned before, the Turks take the stones from structures like churches and baths to use in building construction. This situation is not only the case for Troy, but they have done the same in Enzico (İznik?) located above Troy..."