Bartolomeu Dias


This is the statue of Bartolomeu Dias in the Dias Museum Complex.

Dias was a Portuguese nobleman and explorer.  He was the first European to sail around the southern tip of Africa in 1488.

On 10 October 1487 King John II of Portugal appointed Dias to sail around Africa to find a trade route to India but also to look for the mythical Prester John.  Read more about Prester John on my other blog.

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