Gasparo Balbi

Gasparo Balbi was an Italian jeweller, merchant, and author from Venice, who is best known for his account of his travels to India and the East from 1579–1588. He mainly travelled with Portuguese merchant and naval vessels and to forts and trading posts owned by or friendly to that country's commerce. His story, published in 1590 in Venice, was titled Voyage to the Oriental Indies.

His travels began in Cyprus, whence he moved to Aleppo, then to Babylon and Basra, and finally to the Portuguese fort of Hormuz.

From there, he embarked over water past the Portuguese fort of Dibba (Debe), to the post at Diu, from there to Daman and then to the walled city of Chiauul (Chaul), then Goa, then Cocchi, through Cananor (Cannanore) and Onor. He then went to Negapatan (Nagapattinam), then to San Thome and then to Pegu. He then visited Dala, Dogon and the ruins of Sirian (Syriam), Meccao, and Silon. He went then to Maraban, Malacca. and from there to Cocchi (Kingdom of Cochin). He visited the Portuguese fortress of Colombo in Seilan (Ceylon, now Sri Lanka). He returned via Hormuz, Basra, and Babylon.

He visited the temple of Alefanta (Elephanta Caves) near what is today Bombay, and attributed its construction to Alexander the Great, in the same way later European visitors to the Taj Mahal in past centuries attributed the structure to European visitors. The ships on which he traveled had to fight off corsairs from the Malabar Coast.

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