Iran: travel books to read before you go

Oct 1, 2010 11:04:42 AM

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This excerpt from Lonely Planet’s Iran guide provides a selection of travel literature to get you in the mood for your trip.

In the Land of the Ayatollahs Tupac Shakur is King: Reflections from Iran and the Arab World, by Shahzad Aziz, combines travelogue and humour in its often insightful observations of the modern Middle East.

Journey of the Magi, by Paul William Roberts, is the author’s thoughtprovoking, spiritual and often humorous account of his own journey ‘in search of the birth of Jesus’.

Neither East Nor West, by Christiane Bird, is an American woman’s sometimes painfully honest account of her travels in Iran, and does a decent job of getting behind the veil.

Persia Through Writers’ Eyes, edited by David Blow, gathers together some of the best descriptive writing about Iran from throughout history. Extracts from works by Herodotus, Xenophon, Freya Stark, Robert Byron, John Chardin, Isabella Bird and EG Browne, among others, make this like a sample bag of largely hard-to-find works.

Searching for Hassan, by Terence Ward, recounts the author’s return to Iran with his family in search of Hassan, the family’s 1960s housekeeper. However, looking for Hassan is really a subplot to a revealing look at the history and culture of Iran. Some have criticised Ward’s soft approach to the Islamic government.

The Road to Oxiana, by Robert Byron, is a classic. A vividly observed travel diary of the author’s 1930s passage from England to Afghanistan via Iran. Famous for its descriptive prose and often biting sketches of local people, its tone can verge uncomfortably close to racism by today’s standards.

The Valleys of the Assassins: and Other Persian Travels, by Freya Stark, was first published in 1934 but remains the archetypal travelogue – adventurous, challenging perceptions and illuminating reality.