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GREAT BRITAIN i. INTRODUCTION Under the Safavids and the interregnum (1500-1796). During the 16th century, several unsuccessful attempts were made by the Muscovy (or Russia) Company of London to develop trade between London and Persia via Russia. Continuous relations between Britain and Persia (apart from brief interruptions) date from 1616,…

GREAT BRITAIN ii. AN OVERVIEW OF RELATIONS: SAFAVID TO THE PRESENT Prior to the Safavid period, contacts between Britain and Persia were confined to the 13th century, and were infrequent and of short duration. The earliest recorded envoy from Persia was sent to the court of Henry III in 1238…

GREAT BRITAIN iii. BRITISH INFLUENCE IN PERSIA IN THE 19TH CENTURY British imperial interests in Persia in the Qajar period were primarily determined by the concern for the security of colonial India and, secondarily, by trade, telegraphic communication, and financial or other conces-sionary agreements. By the early 20th century, two…

GREAT BRITAIN iv. BRITISH INFLUENCE IN PERSIA, 1900-21 In the late 1890s, the Foreign Office in London came to regard Germany as the main threat to the European balance of power and British imperial hegemony around the globe. This perceived German threat required a substantial modification of British diplomacy in…

GREAT BRITAIN v. BRITISH INFLUENCE DURING THE REŻĀ SHAH PERIOD, 1921-41 During the reign of Reżā Shah (1925-1941) a profound transformation took place in both the character and the scope of British influence in Persia. Although Britain remained an imperial power, the British capacity to intervene directly in Persian politics,…

GREAT BRITAIN vi. BRITISH INFLUENCE IN PERSIA: 1941-79 Introduction. For the greater part of the Qajar era (1796-1924) Persia was the scene of intense rivalry between the Russian and British empires. Concerned about Russian expansion southward and securing India from encroachments via Persia, the British wanted to ensure their hegemony…

GREAT BRITAIN vii. BRITISH TRAVELERS TO PERSIA The British, more than any others, have been prolific authors of travelogues, and memoirs about Persia. Anthony Jenkinson of the Muscovy Co. led the way with his account of his travels there in 1562; journeys by other Muscovy Co. merchants followed a few…

GREAT BRITAIN viii. BRITISH ARCHEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS Excavations began in Persia before the so-called “French monopoly” on archeological excavations (1895-1927; see DE´LE´GATIONS ARCHE´OLOGIQUE FRANÇAISES). They were small-scale and focused on clearing sculptures and retrieving plans at the major sites of Persepolis and Susa. These investigations were primarily British and represented a…

GREAT BRITAIN ix. IRANIAN STUDIES IN BRITAIN, PRE-ISLAMIC Several fields of pre-Islamic Iranian Studies have seen great expansion during recent centuries, and to these, scholars and travelers from Great Britain have made substantial contributions. Religious, literary and historical studies. Already, before the discovery and publication in 1771 by the French…

GREAT BRITAIN x. IRANIAN STUDIES IN BRITAIN: ISLAMIC PERIOD British interest in, and scholarship on, Persia and Persian culture in the Islamic period goes back to the first formal contacts between the two countries, that is, at least to the 16th century and the growth of Britain’s involvement in the…

GREAT BRITAIN xi. PERSIAN ART COLLECTIONS IN BRITAIN   The collecting of Persian art in Great Britain goes back at least to the missions despatched by the Safavid Shah ʿAbbās I (996-1038/1588-1629) and the activities of the Sherley brothers at his court in Isfahan. The early 17th century also saw…

GREAT BRITAIN xii. PERSIAN COMMUNITY IN GREAT BRITAIN This entry will be treated in two separate articles: 1. Persian Community. 2. The Library for Iranian Studies.   PERSIAN COMMUNITY This article focuses particularly on the varying circumstances which led the Persian community in Britain to leave Persia, the continuing relationship…

GREAT BRITAIN xii(2).THE LIBRARY FOR IRANIAN STUDIES The Library for Iranian Studies in London was opened to members on 16 November 1991 with Māšāʾ-Allāh Ājudāni as its director. At that time the library consisted of a collection of 2,500 books and other publications, and was housed in rented premises in…

GREAT BRITAIN xiii. THE BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION (BBC) The World Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which now broadcasts in English as well as more than 40 other languages, has its roots in the English language Empire Service established in 1932 to keep Britons in the colonies and dependencies…

GREAT BRITAIN xiv. THE BRITISH INSTITUTE OF PERSIAN STUDIES The Institute was founded in the spring of 1961, thanks to the vision and commitment of a small group of scholars in Britain, each of whom had a special interest in the arts and letters of Persia. Three individuals were especially…