travelogues on westernisation in iran

8/20/2019 Travelogues on Westernisation in Iran

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Europe in Iran through the eyes of Europeans in Iran

Introduction

This essay will look at European presence in Iran during the

19th Century through the writings of European adventurers and

travellers, who experienced the scarce but notable glimpses of

change in the main cities of Iran, namely Tehran and Isfahan !irstly,

this essay will give an overview pro"le of the selected writers,

providing background information, which could give a basis for their

observations #econdly, in examining $estern in%uence in Iran, a

number areas have been identi"ed to re%ect the observations of

these travelogues, namely societal and cultural, infrastructure and

military This essay will also show how these travellers depicted and

&udged the introduction of $estern innovation in Iran It is hoped to

show how much Iran was a'ected by European presence within its

borders

Part One( Overview of the Selected Travellers

!or the purpose of this essay, "ve )ritish travellers and their

respective writings were selected It should be noted that there were

other travelogues from other Europeans, such as the !rench and

*ermans, but their writings tended to be more focused on

archaeology and the pursuit of ancient +ersia !or example, in the

writings of *ustave -.uier, who accompanied a !rench

archaeological team, he was more focused on the ancient

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architecture of Iran1 They spent considerable time in Iran in the

pursuit of career or merely as travellers of pleasure, with the

exception of *eneral #ir Thomas Edward *ordon, who served as the

former military attach- and oriental secretary to the )ritish legation

in Tehran/

0f the remaining four writers, two could be classi"ed as

0rientalists In the case Edward *ranville )rowne, he had knowledge

of Eastern languages, including +ersian, whereas #ir 2enry 3ayard

had a fascination with the East and wanted to know more of it,

having read the 4rabian 5ights 2e was writing about Iran in the

1678s, and as such is writing a little earlier than the other travellers,

who were making their observations about Iran during the 1668s

and later7

The fourth traveller was Edward #tack who served with

the )engal Civil #ervice, and travelled because he began to be

conscious that a change of climate was desirable:; 2e also spoke

+ersian The last writer was a true traveller in all sense of the word,

as she came from a wealthy background and had the desire to see

the world 2er travels included apan and 2awaii, and she spent two

1 *ustave -.uier, En +erse 169<=198/( ournal et 3ettres de *ustave -.uier,publi-s et annot-s par >ichel -.uier,

/ *eneral #ir Thomas Edward *ordon, +ersia ?evisited on 2I> >o@u'er=ed=Ain#hah and the +resent #ituation in +ersia B169D, B3ondon( Edward 4rnold, 169D,

Edward *ranville )rowne, 4 ear 4mongst the +ersians, B5ew ork( Century+ublishing, 1967D,

7 #ir 2enry 3ayard( Early 4dventures in +ersia, #usiana and )abylonia( Including a?esidence 4mong the )akhtiyari and 0ther $ild Tribes )efore the Aiscovery of

5ineveh B3ondon( ohn >urray, 166<D,; Edward #tack, #ix >onths in +ersia( In Two Folumes, Folume II, B3ondon(#ampson 3ow, >arston, #earle G ?ivington, 166/D, p1

/



years travelling throughout Iran Aespite such a diverse

background, all the writers made general observations on the

growing $estern in%uence in Iran during the 19th Century It should

be noted that their writings were not speci"cally on this issue but

rather on their travels in Iran, hence the result of their works being

classi"ed as travelogues Invariably, they made commentaries and

passed &udgments on that impact on Iranian society and identity

Part Two( European Presence and Westernisation

This section will look at the di'erent aspects of Iranian society in

Tehran and Isfahan, and to what extent they were a'ected by

European in%uence $estern travellers were more aware of

modernity and change in Iran as they associated them with

characteristics from their own countries The European diplomats,

travellers and traders brought their technology, goods, culture, as

well as religion into the country, which in turn resulted in the

introduction of modernising changes to Iran This is linked to the

view held by historians like )ernard 3ewis that non=European

societies modernised as a result of $estern impact and in%uence<

>rs )ishop BIsabella 3 )irdD, ourneys in +ersia and Hurdistan Including a#ummer in the pper Harun ?egion and 4 Fisit to the 5estorian ?ayahs, B3ondon(

ohn >urray, 1691D, pvii< >ohammad Tavakoli=Targhi, ?efashioning Iran( 0rientalism, 0ccidentalism and2istoriography, B5ew ork( +algrave, /881D, p/



!irstly, it is important to examine what the travelogues

identify as European presence in 19th Century Iran 4ccording to

)rowne, the Europeans in Tehran were a considerable community

that were made up of the diplomatic corps from the di'erent

embassies in the capital, the sta' of the Indo=European Telegraph

Company, missionaries, businessmen, as well as those who were

working in the service of the +ersians6 To this list, )ird adds

European civil and military travellers, and adventurers9 4ccording

to these travelogues, European presence was various and did not

&ust include traders, as it did in the previous centuries

$ith the European expatriate community, there was an

economic demand for European goods, which caused an in"ltration

of foreign items into the Iranian market In Tehran, the ba@aars were

stocked with foreign goods from all over Europe !urthermore, the

European .uarter housed the legations, together with European

shops18 European cotton in particular was seen as a contester for

local cloth, while ?ussia en&oyed monopoly over kerosene, candles

and sugar11 In her comments on Isfahan, )ird describes the city as

a commercial emporium: for )ritish goods, replacing the earlier

supremacy of ?ussian trade )esides cotton and crockery from

England, woollen goods from 4ustria and *ermany could also be

6 )rowne, 4 ear 4mongst the +ersians, p9

9 )ishop, ourneys in +ersia, pvii

18 )ishop, ourneys in +ersia, p198

11 Ibid, p16<

7



found1/ The variety of goods, according to her, highlights the

supreme position of )ritain in the Isfahan economy1 This pointed to

the in%ux of European commodities in the Iranian market, and made

the goods of the local ba@aars various and open to di'erent tastes

)esides its prominence on the Iranian market, $estern in%uence in

1668s Tehran became more noticeable when the city itself went

through some physical changes to re%ect their growing presence17

#ome of the traditional +ersian co'ee houses were redesigned to

look European with elegant couches and mirrors, and a drinking

bar:, while tailorJs shops were designed to appear more European

>oreover, inscriptions were in !rench( sine K *a@ and #alle K

+hotographie #tack describes the European signage as an invasion

of western in%uences: 1;

This was to have far=reaching

conse.uences as can be seen in present day !arsi, which has

incorporated many !rench words into its vocabulary The variety of

signage points to the westernisation of the language as well as the

physical appearance of the cities

)esides commenting on European presence in the cities, these

travelogues also criticised the visible in%uence of European tastes

)ird points to the lack of artistry and the incompatibility of European

goods with Eastern culture in the Tehran ba@aars, which was

1/ Ibid, p/<

1 Ibid, p/<

17 )rowne, 4 ear 4mongst the +ersians, pp188=18/

1; #tack, #ix >onths in +ersia, p1;/

;



in%uencing local tastes1 This was also re%ected in royal

architecture and art #tack describes the #hahJs palace in *ulahek,

which featured a lot of English scenes on its frescoes 2e picks out

the mismatched scenes that included the lobby of the 2ouse of

Commons, the interior of 3ondon restaurant and the interior of a

church1< The adoption of European culture amongst the elite of

Tehran is criticised by )rowne as it heavily diluted their uni.ue

identity16, and even their adoption of it was in itself crude and

misguided !rom the point of view of European travellers, it was

strange to see the refashioning of their home tastes in an Iranian

context, which also hints as to how westernisation meant the

sacri"ce of local identity

In terms of religious in%uence from Europe, missionaries were not an

uncommon presence in 19th Century Iran, which may indicate some

measure of openness towards other religions In Tehran alone there

were eleven 4merican missionaries19 ulfa, in the suburbs of

Isfahan, was where 4rmenian and European Christians lived It was

also home to the Church >ission 2ouse, which was run by an

Englishman 0riginally founded to convert the >uslims, they were

however unsuccessful in this endeavour Instead, according to )ird,

the mission gained respect, and importantly, recognition from the

local >uslim community 3ayard, writing in the 1678s, makes a very

1 )ishop, ourneys in +ersia, p16<

1< Ibid, pp1;;=1;

16 )rowne, 4 ear 4mongst the +ersians, p1/

19 )ishop, ourneys in +ersia, p19<



di'erent observation when he describes the +ersians as bigoted and

unwelcoming of Europeans and Christians/8 This shows that the

attitudes of Iranians towards foreigners, in particular those of a

di'erent faith, had altered signi"cantly Indeed, by the time of )irdJs

writings, some of the )ible had been translated into +ersian and the

mission often received in.uisitive >uslims/1 In Tehran, )ird

commends the >issionary school education as admirable: but were

too far from the >uslim and ewish community to make any real

impact// This showed that although $estern ideas were welcome,

the writings of )ird acknowledge that it was hard for Europeans to

penetrate local religious belief

Concomitantly, the desire to seek European in%uence came from

Iranians themselves Indeed, the 19th

Century was an important

period for reform and modernity in Iran The need to westernise was

the result of signi"cant military defeats at the hands of the ?ussians

and the ensuing closeness to )ritain/ Iranians had already begun

travelling to Europe and the 0ttoman Empire from the start of the

19th Century for diplomatic missions, and through their travels, they

were exposed to the beginnings of industrialisation and new

technology/7 $hile in Isfahan, #tack makes some key observations

on Lill al=#ultan, the son of 5asir al=Ain #hah and governor of

/8 3ayard, Early 4dventures in +ersia, p/8/

/1 Ibid, p/79

// Ibid, p169

/ Hatou@ian, The +ersians, p171/7 #haul )akhash, Iran( >onarchy, )ureaucracy G ?eform under the Ma&ars(16;6=169, B3ondon( Ithaca +ress, 19<6D, p/

<



Isfahan, who did not know music but professed to be an

accomplished pianist/; !urthermore, despite his inability to speak or

read !rench, he receives !rench newspapers/, which points to the

need to appear %uent in European languages #tack regards Lill al=

#ultanJs inability to express his thoughts elo.uently as a failing/<

$hat may seem comical to #tack as a European observer, Lill al=

#ultanJs apparent ridiculousness at trying to appear in%uenced by

European culture is indicative of IranJs desire to appear palatable to

Europe, which culminated in the desire to appear modernised and

welcoming of $estern ideas )rowne reinforces this idea when he

comments on 5asir al=Ain #hah was keen to modernise in order to

look good in the eyes of European public opinion/6

Europe in Infrastructure

European presence within the countryJs infrastructure is most

noticeable within the infrastructure of Iranian society In *eneral

*ordonJs travelogue, he lists the European companies involved in

this endeavour 4 *erman company was instrumental in improving

the road that connected the Turkish frontier with Tehran, as well as

extending the tramways from the suburbs to the capital/9 !or their

own trade interests and in order to improve the market for their

/; #tack, #ix >onths in +ersia, p/9

/ Ibid, p/9

/< Ibid, p/9

/6 )rowne, 4 ear 4mongst the +ersians, p118

/9 *ordon, +ersia ?evisited, pp9/=9

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local goods, the ?ussians built a road from the Caspian #ea to

Masvin8 0ther European nations such as )elgium and 2olland had

some minor businesses in tramway works as well irrigation works in

the Harun valley respectively1 The Indo=European telegraph

connected the country from Tabri@ to Masvin to Tehran and on to

India, which provided a more eNcient way of communicating/

In his writings, *eneral *ordon regards these European

innovations as ways to strengthen the nation, develop its resources

and to introduce good government 2e observes that European

technology and investment was important in helping Iran

modernise 2owever, )rowne in his writings, denounces these

writings as the fancies of 5asir al=Ain #hah, by observing that his

O5asir al=Ain #hahP supposed admiration for civilisation amounts to

little more than the languid amusement which he derives from the

contemplation and possession of mechanical toys:7 2e regarded

the reign of 5asir al=Ain #hah negatively because of the monarchJs

persecution of the )abi sect, which saw the persecution of many of

its followers; It can be observed that despite the introduction of

$estern innovations, they were sometimes overshadowed in the

writings due to the pre&udice of the writers themselves 2ere it can

be said that the $esternisation of infrastructure was not always

8 Ibid, p9

1 *ordon, +ersia ?evisited, p181

/ Ibid, p;8

Ibid, pp181=18/


; Ibid, p118

9



regarded positively by these $estern writers, as can be seen

through the observations of )rowne

Europe in the Military

European in%uence was most noticeable in the army, as the

travelogues also showed The beginning of the 19th Century saw Iran

look to the $est for new military technology and organisation in

order to replace its traditional forces 3ayard who travelled to Iran in

the 1678s, describes Isfahan to be in poor conditions while the

soldiers themselves were miserably clad:, while the customs were

still very much Eastern: $ith the market for European military

knowledge, Iranian reformers such as 4bbas >ir@a, heir to the Ma&ar

throne and governor of 4@erbai&an, began to reorganise his army

along European lines $esternisation of the army began with the

recruitment of 5apoleonJs former soldiers as military advisers< This

showed that Europeans were instrumental in the westernisation of

the army, which helped to modernise the armed forces

$esternisation of the military became noticeable under the

leadership of Lill al=#ultan who, over a short period of time, was able

to raise a more substantial and European=trained army in &ust three

months, which #tack regarded to be an eNcient feat6 2e was keen

3ayard, Early 4dventures in +ersia, p18

< !iru@ Ha@em@adeh, ?ussia and )ritain in +ersia, 167=1917( 4 #tudy inImperialism, B5ew 2aven( ale niversity +ress, 196D, p188

6 #tack, #ix >onths in +ersia, p

18



on attaining absolute political rule in the enclave of Isfahan, where

he was able to hold court and expand his own personal army9 2e

also modernised and westernised the army to considerable extent,

and this can be clearly seen in #tackJs writings Iranian trainers who

had been tutored by 4ustrians in Tehran drilled Lill al=#ultanJs

soldiers !urthermore they were well e.uipped in terms of weapons

and ammunition78 >oreover, )rowne described the well=trained

soldiers as more eNcient and soldierly than any of the regiments in

Tehran: 4lthough Iranian trainers trained them, they still followed

the European method of military organisation, which suggests that

westernisation was K la mode in army organisation

It should be noted that the descriptions of the military in the

travelogues were mainly concerned with the outward appearance of

the soldiers, which was typical of Iranian reform where the faQade of

modernisation does not necessarily correspond to a deep and

e'ectual change In terms of the soldiersJ exterior, the +ersian

Cossacks: were dressed in ?ussian uniforms while the bandmaster

played European tunes71 4ustrian soldiers trained the shahJs army

in Tehran but they were ine'ectual #tack reckoned that they would

not have been able to "ght the tribal forces, let alone a European

army Indeed, he described that there is nothing soldier=like in the

menR they are hangers=on of the ba@aars, where they spend their

9 2eidi 4 $alcher, In the #hadow of the Hing( Lill al=#ultan and the Isfahanunder the Ma&ars, B3ondon( I ) Tauris, /886D, p<9


71 )ishop, ourneys in +ersia, p169

11



time in buying or selling, eating and smoking:7/ This extended to

the police force that was under the command of an Italian, Count

>onte"ore The police oNcers were dressed in grey western=styled

uniforms and carried sabres )ut they did not garner much

con"dence from the local population7 The &udgments made by the

travelogues show that despite the westernisation of the army in

terms of uniform and training, this did not translate into eNciency or

military might

Conclusion

4s can be noted, European presence was signi"cant as well as

noticeable, and had some in%uence on the westernisation and

modernisation process of Iran as can be seen from the eyes of

$estern travellers !rom what has been discussed, a number of

observations can be observed !irstly, these travellers were keen

observers on what was taking place in Iran and noticed "rst=hand

the $estern impact on Iranian society #econdly, these travelogues

passed &udgment on these changes They criticised the way the

Iranian elite adopted $estern manners or in the way they wanted to

appear $esternised They also observed that the embracing of

$estern in%uence resulted in the loss of Iranian identity Thirdly,

their observations con"ne historians to a window of what

contemporary Iran was like and this enhances the study of Iranian

7/ #tack, #ix >onths in +ersia, pp1;=1

7 Ibid, pp1<=16

1/



history in the 19th Century but does not necessarily paint a full

picture 2owever, their writings provide valuable insight into the

modernisation and westernisation process, while their &udgments

show how )ritish travellers regarded this period in Iranian history,

and how they were able to help form public opinion on Iran

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travelogues on westernisation in iran

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