Book Description

'Isfahan is half the world' was the proud boast of the seventeenth-century capital of Persia. One of the travellers attracted to Persia was Jean Chardin, a young French jeweller who spent most of his time in Isfahan. During this time, he became intimate with the city; he was invited into people's houses and entertained; he visited gardens and participated in hunts; his knowledge of court affairs was extensive, and he travelled many miles, visiting other towns and villages. Chardin's accounts and sketches are invaluable sources of information for all those interested in Middle East history, and they provide a vivid portrait of life in seventeenth-century Persia. In this beautiful book, illustrated with Chardin's drawings, Ronald Ferrier has distilled the writings and observations to produce a wonderful and evocative insight into Safavid Iran.