Danibegashvili Raphiel
Raphiel Danibegashvili (b. 1778, Tbilisi – d. 1830s) was an explorer, descendant of a family of influential merchants and diplomats.
Danibegashvili's grandfather served the King of Kartli Teimuraz II, his father carried out a secret diplomatic mission of Erekle II to the Armenian merchant Shahamirian, who lived in India (Madras). Erekle II awarded him the title of Aznauri and the state salary for his great services, which was inherited by Raphiel (1799).
He first accompanied his father at the age of 17–18. The future traveler studied Turkish, Armenian and other languages. The Danibegashvili family had houses and estates in Tbilisi and its surrounding areas, in particular in the territory of present-day Vera and Blue Monastery vicinity.
Danibegashvili traveled to Asian countries five times (1795–1796, 1797–1798, 1799–1814, 1815–1820, 1822–1827) on various missions: to India (several times), Burma, the Ottoman Empire, China, Afghanistan, Iran and others, twice on the orders of King Erekle II, once – on the orders of King George XII.
In 1815, the third book, depicting a 15-year journey (“Путешествие в Индию грузинского дворянина Рафаила Данибегова”), was published in Russian in Moscow. The Georgian source text has been lost. The text was translated with the direct participation of Danibegashvili. The work reveals the author’s deep knowledge of the countries being described; geographical and historical information about India is provided (nature, customs of the population, the struggle of the Indians against the British Empire).
He described the architectural monuments of the peoples of Asia in detail – residential houses, palaces, temples, fortresses. During his travels, Danibegashvili crossed the highest ranges of the Himalayas and Karakorum three times, the Tibetan Plateau, and the Kashgar Plain.
Danibegashvili spent more than 30 years traveling, he covered about 70 000 km, and described more than 10 countries. In terms of the time spent traveling, he is on a par with such prominent explorers as Evliya Çelebi, David Livingstone and Ibn Battuta.
Edition.: მოგზაურობა ინდოეთში, ს. იორდანიშვილის გამოც., თბ., 1950; თვრამეტი წელი აზიის ქვეყნებში, ლ. მარუაშვილის გამოც., თბ., 1963; ოცდაშვიდი წელი აზიის ქვეყნებში, გ. ზარდალიშვილის გამოც., თბ., 1971; Путешествие Рафаила Данибегашвили, изд. Л. Маруашвили, М., 1961; Путешествие Рафаила Данибегашвили в Индию, Бирму и другие страны Азии 1795–1827, изд. Л. Маруашвили, М., 1969 (რუს., ჰინდი და ინგლ. ენებზე).
Literature: ხ ა რ ა ძ ე კ., ოცდათორმეტი წელი აზიის ქვეყნებში. რ. დანიბეგაშვილის უჩვეულო მოგზაურობანი (1795–1827), თბ., 2008.
G. Zardalishvili
K. Kharadze
