The Baha'is of Iran, Transcaspia and the Caucasus: V. 1: Letters of Russian Officers and Officials

ISBN-13: 9781848853911 / Angielski / Twarda / 2011 / 312 str.

Shahvar, Soli

Opis

Despite growing interest in the Baha'is of Iran, research on the history of this often-persecuted community has been limited by the accessibility of primary sources. The Baha'is of Iran, Transcaspia and the Caucasus will help to fill this gap by assembling for the first time original material from Russian archives. These sources provide crucial information concerning the rise of the early Baha'i community - and their precursors, the Babis - as well as their relations with local, national, and foreign authorities.
Volume 1 showcases letters from the collection of the renowned Russian Orientalist Baron Viktor Rozen. Written by Rozen's former students, who had become diplomats and army officers, these letters candidly reveal the Russian view of developments concerning the Babis and Baha'is in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Iran and Russia. Apart from their importance for Babi and Baha'i history, these materials also provide valuable insights into Russian Oriental scholarship during the late nineteenth century as well as the perspective of one of the players of the ""Great Game"" of diplomacy and power in the region.
In addition to the complete texts in their original languages, the authors provide both annotated translations and analytical introductions which supply background information on the Babi and Baha'i religions as well as the personalities and events represented in the volumes and the significance of Babi and Baha'i history within Russian Orientalism. Combining original sources with discerning analysis, this book is an invaluable resource for scholars, researchers, and all readers interested in Babi and Baha'i history, the history of religion and minorities, Russo-Persian relations, and Qajar Iran.