Laurent d'Arvieux

Laurent d'Arvieux (2 June 1635 – 30 October 1702) was a French traveller and diplomat born in Marseille.

[1] Arvieux is known for his travels in the Middle East, which began in 1654 as a merchant in the Ottoman port of Smyrna.

During Arvieux's travels he was witness to 17th-century Arab and Turkish societies, and gained important insight involving all facets of their culture and customs.

Because of his knowledge of Turkish manners and dress he collaborated with Molière on the development of Le Bourgeois gentilhomme.

Later Arvieux's memoirs were edited and published in their entirety by Jean-Baptiste Labat (1663–1738) as Mémoires du chevalier d'Arvieux (6 volumes, 1735).