Persian Pilgrimages: Journeys Across Iran

New York and London: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2002. xxx, 315 pages, illustrations, maps; 25 cm. Near fine. Firm binding, clean inside copy. Foreedge lightly soiled. Stated First Edition. Dust jacket with light shelfwear. "A portrait of Iran seeks to measure the true feelings of its citizens despite government and media profiles, chronicling the author's year-long journey during which he interviewed people from all walks of life." - Publisher. CONTENTS: The Sleeping Guardian of the Islamic Books; Notes on a Pilgrimage: Cyrus the Great; Currencies and Passports aboard Iran Air Flight 327 to Shiraz; What Is the Name of This Street?; Persepolis: Celebrations and Revolutions; The Zoroastrian Stamp; Colonial Markings; Ancient History and Green Cards; Pilgrimage to the Tomb of Cyrus the Great; Cities: Tehran, Shiraz, Persepolis, Pasargad; The Imam and the Poet: An Introduction; Mr. Ghassemi's Funeral; Islam and the Iranian Accommodation; Mohammad's Melon Truck Tour; The Sunni/Shi'a Split; Mourning and Miracles; Pilgrimage: Ferdowsi, the Poet; Imam Ali or Rostam?; "Global Arrogance" and Green Cards at the Nader Shah Museum; Pilgrimage: Imam Reza Tomb; Cities: Mashhad, Tous; The Politics of Personal Appearance; A "Blasphemous" Play; Dance Party; Campus Politics; Hard-Liners and Green Cards; Elites and Masses; The Road to Neishapour; Notes on a Pilgrimage: Omar Khayyam, the Poet; The Spice Men of the Bazaar; The Pilgrimage: Omar Khayyam Tomb; Mohsen, the Student, and Hassan, the War Veteran; Martyrs' Cemetery; Cities: Tehran, Neishapour; The Silenced Satirist; Red Lines; Narges and the Censoring of Milan Kundera; Why a Fourteenth-Century Poet Speaks So Eloquently to Contemporary Iranians; Pilgrimage: The Tomb of Hafez, the Poet; Mrs. Teimouri's Wedding; The Case of Akbar Ganji: Journalist, Prodemocracy Advocate, Prisoner; Cities: Tehran, Shiraz; Islam and Democracy; The Shi'atization of Iran.. 1st. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. 8vo.