Sven Hedin in Iran Sven Anders Hedin, the Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, and travel writer arrived by paddle steamer in 1886. He journeyed to Persia twice in 1886 and 1890. In 1887, Hedin published a book about these travels entitled Through Persia, Mesopotamia, and the Caucasus.Sven Hedin is Sweden’s greatest explorer and adventurer of all time. He was born in Stockholm in 1865 and decided to follow this path in his early teens. The first step in his career was in 1885 when he was just 20 years old. He had the opportunity to travel to Baku, Azerbaijan, to work as a private tutor for the son of a Swedish engineer in the Nobel-owned oil industry. When Hedin had fulfilled his duties as a tutor, he set out on a three-month journey through Persia – today’s Iran. This was the beginning of a lifelong love affair with Iran’s rich nature, history, and culture so much so he returned twice (Wahlquist 2007). Hedin’s second visit to Iran was as a member of the Swedish King Oscar II’s diplomatic mission to the Persian King Naser al-Din Shah in 1890. After the formal assignment was completed, Hedin followed the Shah to the Alborz Mountains and made a successful attempt to ascend Mount Damavand – a snow-capped volcano reaching 5,671 meters above sea level and also the highest mountain in the Middle East. This achievement constituted the basis for Hedin’s doctoral dissertation two years later. Before returning to Sweden, Hedin set off on a reconnaissance trip from Tehran towards Central Asia that took him all the way to Kashgar in westernmost China. Along this route, he got his first glimpse of Iran’s central salt desert, the Dasht-e Kavir. In the following decade, Hedin conducted two extended scientific expeditions focusing on the deserts
Sven Hedin in Iran Sven Anders Hedin, the Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, and travel writer arrived by paddle steamer in 1886. He journeyed to Persia twice in 1886 and 1890. In 1887, Hedin published a book about these travels entitled Through Persia, Mesopotamia, and the Caucasus.Sven Hedin is Sweden’s greatest explorer and adventurer of
Iran Silk Road Iran was known as Persia during the Silk Road period. It was the main ring of the chain from East to West. It was strategically placed for the Silk Road trade with several routes passing through Iran’s ancient and beautiful country. Nowadays, Iran is no longer considered so famous for the Silk Road route compared to other central Asian countries. The Iranian tourism industry did not invest much time in marketing this interesting piece of history due to Iran being at the center of several difficult issues during the last 40 years. Despite this unfortunate drawback, Iran is firmly back on the map. Thanks to its attractiveness, and numerous ‘little-explored’ parts of this amazingly diverse country, there is so much to offer experienced travelers wishing to journey through Iran’s part of the Silk Road route which runs from China to Turkey. One of the main highlights of the Iran Silk Road is seeing the many historical sites alongside this route. In Iran’s Silk Road, there are plenty of ancient castles, caravanserais, citadels, and mosques that date back over a thousand years. There are a huge number of caravanserais, a lot of which have been renovated as boutique hotels. In addition, there are numerous oases in use in the Deserts of Iran on the original path of the Silk Road. These areas are still inhabited. The names of a couple of them are mentioned in the books of Alfons Gabriel and Sven Hedin who crossed the Iran desert about 100 years ago. In the Iran Deserts article, we also recommended adventurous individuals should visit Iran’s deserts to enjoy the countless attractions on offer. Iran has many caravanserais, many of which have been destroyed, and some of them still remain in their original form. Some of them have
Iran Silk Road Iran was known as Persia during the Silk Road period. It was the main ring of the chain from East to West. It was strategically placed for the Silk Road trade with several routes passing through Iran’s ancient and beautiful country. Nowadays, Iran is no longer considered so famous for the Silk
Nomadic Tribes in Iran Iran is a multi-ethnic country, made up of different ethnic groups who live in every corner of the land. There are also umpteen types of nomadic tribes living in the various regions of the Alborz and Zagros mountain ranges in Iran. They consist of Bakhtiari, Qashqai, Shah Savan (Ilsavan nomads), Kurdish, Taleshi, Mamiand, Boier Ahmadi, Khamseh, Behmaiee, Mamasani, Kord, Taiebi, Jalali, Zalaki, Baluchi, and Afshar. Their customs, language, culture, and food are dissimilar to each other. They are supported by the Nomads Affairs Organization of Iran, a government organization responsible for supplying services to mountain climbers by managing the migration and relocation of nomads. It regulates the essential guidelines and schemes in coordination with the superior organizations such as parliament, government, and the Nomads supreme council. The nomads with their families and herds generally move from lower altitudes to higher mountains during the hot season, moving again to lower altitudes during the cold season. The majority start moving from early spring “depending on the region” till mid-autumn with their families and sheep. The biggest and best-known Iran nomads are the Bakhtiari who live mainly in the provinces of Esfahan, Khuzestan, and Chaharmahal with the remaining ones (approximately 200,000 people), located in the west. Qashghais with around 120,000 people are the second most populous nomads, who have a seasonal life in Bushehr, Fars, and a small part of Esfahan, Chaharmahal, and Bakhtiari provinces. Shahsavans are the third most populous nomads in Iran with around 500,000 people. They live in the northwest in the provinces of East Azarbaijan, Gilan, and Ardabil. The lifestyle of the indigenous people is set to be changed. Iranian nomads are also changing with the times. In recent decades, Iran's nomads are fading away. Comparing the first Adventure Iran nomadic trips
Nomadic Tribes in Iran Iran is a multi-ethnic country, made up of different ethnic groups who live in every corner of the land. There are also umpteen types of nomadic tribes living in the various regions of the Alborz and Zagros mountain ranges in Iran. They consist of Bakhtiari, Qashqai, Shah Savan (Ilsavan nomads), Kurdish,
