Russiology in Iran: A Review on Iranian Itineraries

Although the Iranians know Russian nation and state by the diaries written within a thousand years, the most famous and effective itineraries were written in Qajar era, about 18th century. Before then, Ibn Fadzlan, Ibn Batuteh and Oruj Beik’s manuscripts also included some descriptions of Russia. But writing itineraries at Qajar era became a governmental duty of state officials and embassies. So, in this era, about 25 itineraries were written about Russia; among which, 15 are about general journeys to Russia and other countries and about 10 are specifically on journeys to Russia. What are the characteristics of these itineraries and what is the impact of which on the Iranians’ differentiating understanding of the Russians? How was these all affected policy making progress and bilateral relations of 2 countries? Can it be regarded as a Russiology trend in Iran? These are questions attempted to answer in this paper.