Rudi Matthee. The Safavids under Western Eyes: Seventeenth-Century European Travelers to Iran

After investigating Safavid perceptions of the West, Matthee has turned to examining the descriptions by 17th century European travelers of Safavid Persia and the potential value of these travel accounts to modern scholars. He relies on a large range of travelogues: the writings not only of the “usual suspects” (Della Valle, Olearius, Chardin and others) but also of lesser-known travelers. This confirms Matthee’s close familiarity with the historical sources while lending weight to his conclu..