Elias Ibn Hanna Al-Mawsili
163? - 1690 AD

By Esha Emmanuel Tamras

Source: Aramco World Magazine - 1992

Elias Ibn Hanna was educated by the Capuchin friars in Baghdad. He and his brother Abd Al-Masih in addition to Syriac, their mother tongue, spoke fluent Arabic, Kurdish and Turkish. During his Travels, Elias learned Italian and Spanish as well, and possibly knew some French from his years With the Capuchins.

Elias made three trips to Rome by sea from Iskendrun, a port city that served Aleppo. It was his third trip that set the stage for the extraordinary adventure that eventually led him to Peru and to the silver mines of Potosi.

In 1668, Elias left Baghdad in the company of an ottoman artillery officer, Michael Condoleo, known as Michael Agha. Despite being well escorted and armed, their little caravan was attacked in the desert by about 100 Arab Bedouin, whom they succeeded in driving off with their muskets.

From Damascus, Syria, Elias went to Jerusalem to visit the Christian holy places and then made his way to Aleppo and finally to Iskenderun where he boarded an English ship bound for Venice, Italy. this voyage to Venice, via Cyprus, Crete, Zante, Corfu and Caphalonia took 70 days.

After forty days in quarantine in Venice, Elias spent another 20 days enjoying Venice, then he made his way to Rome and after a six-month stay he departed for France. Upon his arrival in Paris, Elias was received by Louis XIV. Had Elias been charged with a secret diplomatic mission of some sort? Louis XIV did not normally receive humble travelers, however exotic. The king's brother, the duc d'orleans seems to indicate an official mission, although not mentioned in his writing.

In 1669 an envoy from the Ottoman court named Sulayman Agha, arrived in Paris. Elias was called Upon to be the translator. After eight months in Paris, Elias wet off for Spain. Upon his arrival in Madrid, he had an audience with the queen mother and regent for Charles II. He presented the Queen His credentials and she gave him letters to her viceroys in Naples and Sicily, ordering them each to Pay him the sum of 1000 pieces of-eight (American Silver). This money was ostensibly to repair an Assyrian Chaldean Church in Baghdad that was damaged in the siege of 1638, while Elias was a young boy in Mosul. Elias eventually went to South America, for the same purpose, gathering relief for the Assyrio-Chaldean community in Iraq, utterly destitute and without resources.

Elias went on his way to Naples, and Palermo but the Spanish viceroys refused to give him the money as was ordered by the queen. He returned to Madrid and informed the queen, she was very annoyed that her order had not been obeyed but ws herself unable to find 2000 pieces-of-eight for Eilas. Despite the vast quatntities of gold and silver flowing into Spain from the mines of Mexido and Peru, the Spanish court was chronically in debt at this time, and this was even more true of the vicergencies of Nables and Sicily.

Elias left Madrid in disgust and went to Portugal and spent seven months in Lisbon and then returned to Madrid and stayed with the duke of Aveiro, the duchess was interested in Elias' account of the Assyrio-Chaldeans of Iraq and provided him with references to the new viceroy of Peru, the Conde de Castellar. Elias met the king's governess, the Marquesa de los Veles; it was through her that he obtained his passport to the indies. Spanish America was off-limits to non-Spaniards, and it was only by means of an order from the crown that Elias was allowed to go for a period of four years, to collect financial relief for the Assyrio-Chaldean community.

From here Elias went to Cadiz, the old Phoenician city which was then the port of embarkation for the New World. On February 13, 1675 Elias handed his passport to the admiral of the fleet, Don Nicolas Fernandez de Cordoba Ponce de Leon. The ship went through the Canaries then passed through Brazil then Venezuela and later docked at Cartagena, Colombia where he spent 40 days. From here the fleet went off to Portobelo, Panama. Elias then took a ship to Peru and during this voyage Elias and his companions were meraculously saved from a vicious whirlpool and a month later he made it to Santa Elena.

After a short stay Elias was on his way again and made stops at Guayaguil, Quito, Cuenca, Zaruma and later continued to Sana then Lima where he stayed with the president of the Inquistion, Don Pedro del la Cantera from whome he received 1400 pieces-of-eight that he had loaned him with 40% interest. In his writings, Elias mentions this about the people of Lima, "..no one knew the True God; some worshiped idols, some worshiped the sun, moon and stars. They have no alphabet and do not know how to read and write....". Elias later went on to Cuzco then Charcas then he returned to Potosi and back to Lima where he spent the next year and half writing about his travels. Six years later Elias was bound for Panama and later to Mexico sometime late December of 1681, on his way he stopped at Nicaragua, San Salvador, Guatemala then to Chiapas Mexico and finaly made it to Mexico City on July 8, 1682 where he fell ill for 10 days. Elias hd purchased a substantial amount of cochineal (red dyestuff made from insects) and during his six month stay in Mexico City the port of Veracruz was attacked by pirates and Elias lost his cargo that had cost him 1000 pieces-of-eight.