Romanticism and Russian Travel Literature: Dashkov's Tour of Ottoman Palestine, 1820

The prospects of travel, adventure, pilgrimage and trade in the Levant fascinated generations of Russia's men and women from the twelfth to the early twentieth centuries. The storied sacred sites of Jerusalem in particular attracted the curiosity of countless Russian travelers: monks and priests, poets and pilgrims, and many of these visitors recorded their impressions of places, peoples, and landscapes. This article shares passages from the virtually neglected account penned by Russian writer and diplomat Dmitrii V. Dashkov (1784-1839), who toured Ottoman Palestine in 1820. His work merits attention for its firsthand observation, local color, and vivid commentary on a range of topics; the narrative also exemplifies some of the defining traits and features of the Romantic travelogue.