Voyages of Sven Hedin

Sven Hedin (1865–1952) was a Swedish explorer and writer, famous for his journeys through Central Asia including China from 1893 to 1935. His discoveries filled in some of the last blank spots on the world map.

Understand

The European Age of Discovery is usually held to have ended with the 17th century, as most of the world's oceans and coastlines had been charted. However, in the late 19th century, scholars of the Western world had yet to chart the inland of some continents, including Asia.

Hedin famously found the sources of the Indus and Brahmaputra rivers, the periodic lake Lop Nur, as well as many stretches of the Great Wall of China.

While Sven Hedin's voyages were celebrated and provided knowledges of Asian cultures, his political involvements were infamous. In the arms race before World War I, Hedin supported the militarist Swedish King Gustav V's attempt to grab power from parliament in a crisis in February 1914. While Sweden stayed neutral through the war, the overreach by Gustav V led to a democratic reform, which demoted the monarch to a figurehead role; see Nordic monarchies.

Like some some other Scandinavian celebrities, Sven Hedin had a pro-German sentiment through most of the World Wars. He lent his support to the German Empire as well as Nazi Germany: though he turned critical in response to the Holocaust.

Destinations

• 1 Tehran. A waypoint for Hedin's Persian expeditions.  
• 2 Ashgabat.  
• 3 Tashkent.  
• 4 Kashgar.  
• 5 Urumchi.  
• 6 Lop Nor.  
• 7 Xi'an.  
• 8 Beijing.  
• 9 Xigatse.  

Other places

• 10 Sven Hedin's home, Norr Mälarstrand 66, Kungsholmen, Stockholm. Sven Hedin's apartment. Not open to the public. 
• 11 Sven Hedin Glacier.  

See also

• Russian Empire
• Swedish Empire
• Mongol Empire
• Silk Road
• On the trail of Marco Polo