VAN DER AA, P. / OLEARIUS, A. - La grande & belle ville de Kaschan, en Perse. (Kashan in Iran)

Decorative view of Kashan in Iran. A branch of the Silk Road skirts the western and southern edges of Iran's central desert, passing through a string of small cities — Kashan, Nain, Yazd, Kerman. Kāshān is situated in west-central Iran. It lies in a desert at the eastern foot of the Central Iranian Range, on a once important caravan route. Its woolen and silk carpets are among Iran’s finest and most sought-after carpets.

This well-executed engraving was published in 1729 and 1727 by Pieter van der AA, in Leiden in "Les Voyages tres-curieux et tres-renommez faits en Moscovie, Tartarie et Perse."
Adam Olearius (24 September 1599 – February 22, 1671), born Adam Ölschläger, was a German scholar, mathematician, geographer, and librarian. He became secretary to the ambassador sent by Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. Employed as secretary to an embassy sent by the small German state of Holstein to explore an overland trade route with Persia.
The first embassy was dispatched to Russia in 1633-34 to secure the tsar's permission to travel and ship through his realm. The second was sent in 1635 to complete the deal with the king (shah) of Persia.
Although the commercial mission failed miserably, the embassy was successful in the incredible amount of information gathered by Olearius.
After returning to Holstein in 1639, Olearius continued in the Duke's service and published the first edition of his travels in 1647. In 1656 he released a second, enlarged edition which became very popular throughout Europe and within a few years was translated into Dutch, French, Italian, and English.

Read more about Olearius at the site of the University of Washington