TEHRAN – The Persian translation of the book “Iran, the Land of the Imams,” by the Canadian Orientalist James Bassett has been released in the bookstores across Iran.

Navid Fazel Bakhsheshii has translated the book Behnashr Publications has brought it out in 352 pages, IRNA reported.

The introduction to the book states: Foreign travelers, in the travelogues they have written about countries, have depicted various scenes of the social lives of the people. In these travelogues, one can observe the socio-cultural conditions, customs, and sometimes the characteristics of individuals. Although the descriptions and perceptions of travelers are not without flaws, and despite personal or political motives, as well as errors and misinterpretations, leading to differences and contradictions, studying such travelogues and memoirs offers many benefits that can be utilized for societal improvement.

History researchers, among others, greatly benefit from these types of works, as research into any historical event requires various and numerous documents and references. A travelogue itself serves as a reference and document encompassing all dimensions of a society's life.

Due to its significant geographical, political, and economic position during the Qajar period, Iran became a focal point of attention and competition among other countries. Consequently, various individuals, as political agents, world travelers, and religious missionaries, journeyed to Iran with diverse goals and motivations. This era is distinguished by the sheer volume of travelogues and reports from Orientalists.

The increased presence of foreign travelers in Iran during the 19th century, the development and widespread adoption of printing, and the continuity of the Qajar period with our present day are among the most important factors that, on one hand, led to an increase in the number of travelogues by foreign travelers about Iran and, on the other hand, ensured the preservation of these works, making them accessible to modern researchers.

The present book is also the travelogue of one such foreign traveler. In 1832, when a mission of missionaries was formed in America to conduct necessary investigations for spreading Christianity in Syria, Asia Minor, Armenia, and Iran, it was decided that missionaries would be sent to Iran among the Assyrians of Urmia to promote Christianity.

Initially, in 1870, an Assyrian Christian evangelist was tasked with coming to Tehran to establish a center for distributing the Bible. Two years later, this office commissioned James Bassett (the author of the book) to study the feasibility of establishing a mission branch in Tehran or Hamedan and to provide his opinion. He arrived in Tehran with his wife and three children on November 29, 1872 (during the reign of Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar). After his investigations, he deemed Tehran more important and suitable than Hamedan.

The present book is a narrative of Bassett's journey to and stay in Iran. He wrote this work two years after returning to his country in 1884. 

In this book, Bassett recounts the social conditions and the atmosphere prevailing in the cities and villages of Iran at that time, particularly the famine that occurred in Iran then. His interactions with rulers and ordinary people in various regions are noteworthy. 

In addition to administrative, military, and financial reports, the author provides important and valuable information about the geography of cities such as Urmia, Tabriz, Zanjan, Qazvin, Tehran, Isfahan, Sanandaj, Semnan, Sabzevar, and Mashhad. Furthermore, his depiction of the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) and the explanations he provides about this sacred place are unprecedented in any of the travelogues by foreign travelers that have been translated to date.

He also touches upon the situation of the Turkmen east of the Caspian Sea after their separation from Iran. It is worth mentioning that even after returning to his country and writing his memoirs, Bassett continued to monitor events in Iran, making implicit references to them.

In the preface of the book “Iran, the Land of the Imams,” quoting the author, it is stated: “Iranians generally call their country the land of the Twelve Imams, meaning the 12 Imams from the lineage of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Those who travel to this land can witness the profound impact of this religious force on the people. People from all strata and classes invoke the names of the Imams; dervishes cry out their names day and night, and the shrines of the Imams sanctify many mountainous and valley regions. Consequently, I have named this book “Iran, the Land of the Imams,” which seems to be a fitting title, referring to the most prominent characteristic of the country today. In the first eleven chapters, I have described many journeys and presented information that I found most interesting and useful. In the remaining five chapters, I have attempted to comparatively present the information gathered during my eleven-year stay in Iran. Therefore, my source of information is my own observations”.

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