Abstract
THE fascination which countries “old in story” exercise on many minds is more easily recognised than oexplained. But the existence of this fascination being once admitted, it is not difficult to understand why a peculiar glamour should attach to Persia, a land of which the history extends almost as far back as any authentic record of the human race, other than that derived from fossil bones or implements, can be said to exist. Nor is this the only attraction which Persia possesses, for although it is inhabited by the most civilised people of Asia, the greater portion of the Persian plateau was, until the last thirty years of the nineteenth century, almost unexplored by Europeans, and even at the commencement of the twentieth century no railway has crossed the Persian frontier, and the only road constructed for wheeled carriages, that from Resht to Teheran, is of no great length and is said to be in bad condition. In many respects the Persia of the present day resembles western Europe three hundred years ago, or perhaps in some respects even earlier. The general mode of travel is on horseback, the traveller's baggage and all merchandise are carried on pack animals, the roads are insecure and robbers abound. Even in the latter half of the nineteenth century, in eastern Persia and Baluchistan, raids by armed bands were of common occur rence, whilst less than thirty years ago Turcoman hordes from the north swept over northern Persia as far as the gates of Yezd and Isfahan, and murdered, plundered or dragged away as slaves the unfortunate inhabitants whom they encountered. Almost to this day the history of the tribal chieftains and of the provincial governors in eastern Persia and Baluchistan resembles that of European princes in the middle ages, when it was a rare exception for any man of note to live or die peaceably.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
B., W. A Great Persian Traveller 1 . Nature 66, 418–420 (1902). https://doi.org/10.1038/066418a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/066418a0