Iran and the Iranian in Armaghan Soleimani (the book) Analysis of the viewpoint of the Turkish tourist.pdf

Travel writings are precious texts which contain useful information on social, political, cultural, and economic situations, in addition to geographical conditions of different regions. Seyahat-Alkobra, The Great Travelogue: A Gift from Suleymani to the Royal Court of His Majesty, written by a Turk tourist, Qarchinzadeh Suleyman Shokri (1865-1922), is one of the travelogues which considers the situations of such regions as Asia Minor, Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Russia between 1886 and 1907. Suleyman Shokri, born in Eğiirdir, was an agent and director of Post and Telegraph from 1886 to 1901. Further, during his exile period, he traveled to different cities and countries from 1901 to 1907 and recorded his close observations of the situations pertaining in the visited regions. One of the countries where this Turk tourist visited in 1902 was Iran at the era of Qajar dynasty. During that period, Iran and specifically its capital, Tehran, was the scene of various events including the Iranian Constitutional Revolution. His travel to Iran lasts for over 8 months. In his Seyahat-Alkobra, Suleyman Shokri did not refer to the Constitutional Movement despite his critical view of the governing system of the Country. He perceives Iran and the people with a political, social, and cultural arrogance; he believes that in spite of constituting a beautiful and pristine nature as well as a prosperous ancient history, Iran needs a fundamental reformation in the dimensions of policy, social aspects, economy, and culture. Thus, Suleyman Shokri’s travel book is an appropriate reference to comprehend the ottoman’s outlook of the society of Iran and the situation prevailing in the Country during the late Qajar dynasty period.