Religious Narratives of Persian Travelers

Abstract

Persians have travelled far and wide but only those travel writings which have been in Arabic are known and mentioned. In this paper fourteen itineraries by Persian writers are discussed. These itineraries are written in Persian and range from Nasir Khosrow’s Itinerary of 1046 – 1052 to Mehdi Qoli Hedayat’s Mecca Itinerary of 1903. A short biography of each writer and the reason for the travel are presented. The content of these books is classified into five categories of administration, economics, sociodemographics, environment, and women. It is argued that itineraries play a dual role of showing both the observer and the observed; these writers present a dichotomy regarding the Arabs and the lands they visited. On the one hand, they were fascinated by the dignity of the Bedouins and on the other, they abhorred the way of life and their behaviours. There is a kind of disappointment in the reaction of these writers which might be due to the utopian outlook at religious places and the lack of mythical opulence of Abbasid caliphs. It can also be considered as the reaction of a bygone empire to its occupiers.