THE GLORY OF THE SHIA WORLD
THE TALE OF A PILGRIMAGE
TRANSLATED & EDITED FROM A PERSIAN MANUSCRIPT
BY
MAJOR P. M. SYKES, C.M.G.
HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S CONSUL-GENERAL
AND AGENT TO THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA IN KHORASAN
ROYAL GOLD MEDALLIST OF THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY
AUTHOR OF 'TEN THOUSAND MILES IN PERSIA'
ASSISTED BY
KHAN BAHADUR AHMAD DIN KHAN
ATTACHÉ TO THE BRITISH CONSULATE-GENERAL
WITH MANY ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT AND FOUR COLOURED REPRODUCTIONS FROM PERSIAN PAINTINGS
MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED
ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON
[1910]
Scanned, proofed and formatted by John Bruno Hare, at sacred-texts.com, November 2007. This text is in the public domain in the US because it was published prior to 1923. These files may be used for any purpose.
This is a slightly fictionalized account of life in Persia (Iran) in the 19th century, capped off by a perilous pilgrimage to the Shiite holy city of Meshed (Mashhad), in the foothills of the mountains that run up to the Zoroastrian Olympus, Damavand. The book is a rare collaboration between a turn of the 20th century English and Persian author. The narrative method presages the classic Oscar Lewis ethnographies of poor Mexican families. In both cases, a straightforward account would have been dangerous because of the repressive nature of the society being studied. This is, on one level, an orientalist conceit of an Englishman writing the life story of a (semi-fictional) Persian from the point of view of a Persian. However, Sykes manages to pull off this literary feat convincingly, even for readers at this later date. He also uses the opportunity as a perfect Swiftian setup to gently satire European civilization, which adds an entire ironic layer to the read.
This long-out-of-print (and quite rare) book is a delightful read, particularly for connoisseurs of travelogues. The Shiite, Sufi, Islamic, and Persian lore and legends which are described here will be of great interest to folklorists. The photographs and other illustrations will be of use to graphic designers, anthropologists and historians. This is obviously a primary source on the architecture of the Mashhad pilgrimage site. Largely unknown to outsiders, this complex has some very spectacular (and gorgeous) structures. Most of all, this book is an eye-opener for westerners interested in the deep culture and history of Iran.
¶ Index
- Prefatory Note
- Illustrations
- Prologue
- Chapter I. My Parentage And Birth
- Chapter II. A Campaign In Baluchistan
- Chapter III. A Persian Entertainment
- Chapter IV. An Awful Tragedy
- Chapter V. My Betrothal And Marriage
- Chapter VI. Kerman, the Heart of the World
- Chapter VII. The Death of Mirza Hasan Khan, Mustaufi
- Chapter VIII. My First Mamuriat
- Chapter IX. The Persian New Year
- Chapter X. The Pilgrimage Is Vowed
- Chapter XI. Yezd, the Prison of Alexander
- Chapter XII. Robbed In the Lut
- Chapter XIII. The Arrival at the Sacred Threshold
- Chapter XIV. The Sacred Shrine of the Imam Riza
- Chapter XV. The Pilgrimage Is Accepted
- Epilogue