a Spanish diplomat, and the first Western traveller to correctly identify the ruins of Takht-e Jamshid in Persia as the location of Persepolis, the ancient capital of the Achaemenid Empire and one of the great cities of antiquity. De Silva travelled extensively throughout Persia, visiting the cities of Shiraz, Qom and Isfahan among others. He wrote a full account of his travels under the title Totius legationis suae et Indicarum rerum Persidisque commentarii. De Silva's memoirs contain a great deal of detailed information relating to Persian geography, history and culture.
