Travelogues and Travelogue Writers of the Safavid Period

Upon the rise of the Safavid government to power in Iran, the boundaries of the country were gradually specified and,after many centuries, the whole geographical realm of Iran was finallyruled by a single government. Through establishing security in different regions and trade routes of Iran and declaring Shiismas the official state religion, the Safavid government succeeded in bringing all Iranian people together under a single flag once again. During this period, because of the expansion of political and business relationships between Iran and other countries, foreign ambassadors had a vast presence in the country and, as a result, several travelogues were written by some travelers such as Shirley brothers, Charden, Tavernier, and Kaempfer. Following a descriptive-analytic method, the present paper examines the travelogues of this periods and explores the biography of their writers, the reasons for their presence in Iran, and the significant points in their travelogues. The findings of this study indicate that political and trade purposes were among the most important reasons behind the presence of travelers in Iran during the Safavid period.