The Way to Isfahan

From 17 April, 1900, to 6 June of that year, Pierre Loti travelled in a private capacity from Bushire on the
Persian Gulf, northwards through Shiraz, Persepolis, Isfahan and Tehran, before returning via the Caspian Sea
to Europe. It is the personal day-by-day account of his journey, the hardships of the mountainous terrain and
the empty desert. Loti excels in his descriptions of the world around him: the sky, the mountains, the fertile
plains, the deserted desert. His descriptions of the people he meets, their dress and manners are remarkable.
Loti had come from India and on his way to the Gulf, he stopped off at Muscat and his account of this brief
visit was published as ‘En passant à Mascate’ (Passing through Muscat). This is the first English translation of
both texts.