By Rasul Jafraiyan | Translated by Sayyid Ali Imran

This travelogue was written by Ḥājj ʿAbbās Mīrzā, son of Ḥājj Ḥasan—a simple farmer from the village of Jarīn in Khodābandeh County, Zanjān Province.

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The journey to the Kaʿbah holds a special place among Iranians, yet it has not been given the attention it deserves. Written travel accounts have given rise to a valuable cultural genre known as Hajj literature, which serves as a rich source for research in history, geography, and beyond. From political, social, and cultural perspectives, this body of literature is of great importance. The Shiʿi cultural context of the pilgrims, their encounters with foreign customs across various lands, and the hardships and challenges of the pilgrimage journey all add to the significance of these travelogues.

For the author of this text—a simple farmer and subject of local rulers living in one of the most remote rural regions—a pilgrimage to Mecca was considered an unattainable dream, fraught with numerous risks and hardships. He did not write these notes as a display of eloquence or historical narration, but simply to remember. The travelogue was penned by Ḥājj ʿAbbās Mīrzā, son of Ḥājj Ḥasan, a modest farmer from Jarīn village in Khodābandeh County, Zanjān.

Ḥājj ʿAbbās Mīrzā, the author, was born in Jarīn, part of the central district of Khodābandeh, Zanjān, and spent his life engaged in farming and animal husbandry. He was buried in the same village. His lineage is as follows: ʿAbbās Mīrzā, son of Ḥājj Mīrzā Ḥasan, son of Qurbān Qulī, son of Payghambar Qulī, son of Saʿīd Muḥammad. Saʿīd Muḥammad Beygdilī was the founder of the village of Saʿīd Muḥammad in Khodābandeh County.

Jarīn village, located in the central district of Khodābandeh, is bordered on the east by Ardalan, west by Pīr Gāwgol and ʿAlīābād, south by Nūrābād (Nūr Bahār), and north by Shahrstānak. The village has approximately 300 households, and the locals primarily engage in farming and livestock raising.

A handwritten note on page 140 of a manuscript of Sharḥ-i Shamsiyya¹—belonging to this family—records the date of Ḥājj ʿAbbās Mīrzā’s death as Monday, the 14th of Shaʿbān, 1338 AH (1919 CE). The note reads:

“The date of the passing of the late, forgiven, paradise-dwelling, eternal-resident, Ḥājj ʿAbbās Mīrzā, son of the late, forgiven, paradise-dwelling Ḥājj Mīrzā Ḥasan, resident of Jarīn village, during the springtime, Monday the 14th of Shaʿbān al-Muʿaẓẓam, the year Qawī-ʾīl 1338 AH of the Prophet’s Hijrah—written by the humble writer, Mashhadī Jabbār ʿAlī, son of Ḥājj ʿAbbās Mīrzā.”

Ḥājj ʿAbbās Mīrzā had five sons named Mashhadī ʿAlī Aṣghar, ʿAlī Mīrzā, Ramaḍān ʿAlī, Jabbār, and ʿAlī Dād, as well as two daughters.

He belonged to the distinguished Beygdilī family, one of the major Turkic tribes, which has served Iranian culture and civilization from the Safavid period to the present, renowned for its courage and learning. Members of this family are now dispersed across much of Iran, including Tehran, Qom, Sāveh, Zanjān, and other regions.²

On the back of page 140 of the Sharḥ-i Shamsiyya manuscript, a note records the date of his Hajj journey in 1319 AH (1901–1902 CE):

“In the year 1319 AH, Ḥājj ʿAbbās Mīrzā, along with his late father Ḥājj Mīrzā Ḥasan, traveled to Mecca.”

The travelogue begins from the city of Rasht and concludes at the end of the ʿUmrah of Tamattuʿ. It documents cities along the way, travel expenses, including fare, passport (tadhkirah) costs, currency exchange, and items purchased.

His route began in northern Iran, passing toward the Black Sea, then on to Istanbul, Alexandria, through the Suez Canal, and finally to Jeddah, with the return journey following the same route. He began writing his Hajj account an hour before sunset on the 27th of Ramaḍān 1321 AH (1904 CE), when he departed Rasht and took a small boat to Bandar Anzalī.

On 28th of Ramaḍān, he was transported from Baku, and from there continued on to Batumi, arriving there on ʿĪd al-Fiṭr. He documents the 36 overland stages of the route as follows: Ganja, Karabakh, Qaradağ, Qara Oghlān, Tbilisi, Batumi. The sea voyage, passing through Batumi, Trabzon, Giresun, Ordu, Samsun, and Istanbul, lasted 20 days.

On the 20th of Shawwāl, he reports his arrival in Istanbul, then travel to Izmir, where he visited the famous clock tower. The pilgrimage path continued from Izmir to Athens, and from Athens to Egypt, arriving in Alexandria. He covered this route by sea over ten days, until the end of Shawwāl, and notes having sighted the crescent moon of Dhū al-Qaʿdah in Alexandria.

The journey through the Suez Canal, and ports such as Port Said, Yanbuʿ, and Jeddah, lasted fourteen days. The final entry in this travel record recounts the two-day journey from Jeddah to Mecca. The total travel time from Rasht to Mecca was fifty days.

Unfortunately, the record does not include his departure from the village of Jarīn to Rasht, nor does it describe the Ḥajj rituals in Minā, ʿArafāt, Muzdalifah, or the visit to Madinah and the return trip from Mecca. However, based on the list of items purchased and where they were bought, it is apparent that the return route mirrored the outbound journey.

In the year this Hajj travelogue was written—1319 AH (1901–1902 CE)—two other travelogues from the same route are also known. These are:

• The Hajj travelogue of ʿAbdullāh Amīr Niẓām Qārāgūzlū, who departed with Shaykh Faḍlullāh Nūrī on 15th of Shawwāl. After arriving in Istanbul on the 27th of Shawwāl and staying there for nine days, he reached Mecca on the 5th of Dhū al-Ḥijjah. Amīr Niẓām completed this route in 42 days, and his governmental position as well as his companionship with Shaykh Faḍlullāh Nūrī, a first-tier scholar of the capital, likely explain the speed and efficiency of his journey.

• The second is the travelogue of Raʾīs al-Dhākirīn, which began on 26th of Rajab and includes a note from 8th of Shawwāl in Alexandria. He left Iran on 27th of Rajab, arrived in Istanbul on 21st of Shaʿbān, and stayed in the city for over a month. This timeline matches closely with Ḥājj ʿAbbās Mīrzā’s journey from Rasht to Istanbul, which spanned from 27th of Ramaḍān to 20th of Shawwāl.³

Fortunately, detailed reports of the pilgrimage and many incidents of the 1319 Hajj have been preserved in these two travelogues. Events that Ḥājj ʿAbbās Mīrzā briefly and indirectly referenced are described in detail, with thorough accounts of the stages of the Hajj route and prevailing conditions.

The chosen Hajj route—from Anzali to Istanbul to Jeddah—was described by one travel writer as a path full of:

“fear of losing wealth, fear of losing life, and fear of failing to fulfill daily religious obligations…”⁴

The route was so fraught with danger, including natural hardships like terrain, water, climate, and various human threats, that returning safely and alive was genuinely difficult. As noted in Amīr Niẓām’s travelogue, one danger was the “Consul threat”, where consular authorities would plunder travelers’ belongings, especially pilgrims, confiscating all their possessions.⁵

Quarantine procedures, which are mentioned several times in this travelogue, are also elaborated in Amīr Niẓām’s account:

“…If no illness is on the ship, passengers are quarantined for three days. If illness is present, they are quarantined for twelve days. If someone dies of plague or cholera during those twelve days, the quarantine is extended for another twelve days starting from the time of the new infection.”⁶

Such illnesses were quite expected among pilgrims due to the exhaustion, climate change, poor nutrition, and lack of basic sanitation.

The most significant crisis of that year’s Hajj—and in several other years—was the cholera epidemic, which spread from Mecca to Medina. According to Amīr Niẓām Qārāgūzlū:

“…The cholera outbreak spread among the pilgrims from Mecca to Medina. One-third of the pilgrims perished. Those who survived arrived half-dead, telling horrifying tales of the intense heat, the cruelty of the Arabs, and the raids from Yanbuʿ to Medina—stories that baffle the human mind.”⁷

“…It was a day of utter desperation—‘On the Day a man will flee from his brother…’ (Qur’an, 80:34). May God protect us—who knows what will become of these people! Every year, between ten thousand and fifty to sixty thousand souls are lost on this path, yet not a single person attempts to reform the situation, raise awareness, or write about it.”⁸

Another common hardship on this journey was the plundering of pilgrims by desert Arabs, particularly along the route from Jeddah to Mecca. These robbers would strip the pilgrims naked and loot all their possessions.⁹ This type of highway robbery by Bedouin tribes was so widespread that nearly every travelogue from the era mentions it.

About the Manuscript

The text of this travelogue is handwritten by the author on pages inserted into a leather pocketbook. The pocketbook has two compartments: one with 30 sheets for writing, and another with five slots for holding money.

The text consists of 19 lines per page, in 9 × 18 cm format, written in a neat naskh script, with numerals in traditional taḥrīr (calligraphic) style. Water damage and termite marks are visible on the pages.

This manuscript belongs to Ḥujjat al-Islām wal-Muslimīn Ḥājj Shaykh Ghafār ʿAlī Beygdilī, son of the late Mashhadī Jabbār, and grandson of Ḥājj ʿAbbās Mīrzā. It was donated on Tir 5, 1394 SH (June 26, 2015) to the library of Grand Ayatollah Marʿashī Najafī.

About the Donor

Ḥujjat al-Islām Shaykh Ghafār ʿAlī Beygdilī, a descendant of Ḥājj ʿAbbās Mīrzā, was born in 1351 AH / 1311 SH (1932 CE) in Jarīn village. He studied introductory Islamic sciences, tajwīd (Qur’anic recitation), and jurisprudence with his father, the late Mashhadī Jabbār. Until the age of 22, he worked as a farmer, and also served as a village schoolteacher, teaching Qur’an and Islamic law.

In 1333 SH (1954 CE), he entered the seminary in Qom, where he continued his religious education. Among his teachers in jurisprudence and Islamic philosophy were:

• Ḥājj Shaykh Fayyāẓ Ḥaydarī Andābādī (Sharḥ al-Lumʿah)

• Shaykh Ghulām Ḥusayn Fakhīmī Abharī (Ḥāshiya of Mullā ʿAbd Allāh)

• Mīrzā ʿAlī Mushkinī, Sayyid Muḥammad Jawād Khaṭīb Tabrīzī (Makāsib, Rasāʾil)

• Mīrzā Muṣṭafā Iʿtimādī, Sayyid Muḥammad Bāqir Sulṭānī Ṭabāṭabāʾī (Kifāyah)

He attended advanced jurisprudence classes of:

• Āyatullāh Sayyid Muḥammad Riḍā Gulpāyagānī

• Āyatullāh Sayyid Kāẓim Shariʿatmadārī

And in advanced principles of jurisprudence:

• Āyatullāh Sayyid Shahāb al-Dīn Marʿashī Najafī

• Āyatullāh Sayyid Muḥammad Muḥaqqiq Dāmād

At the same time, he taught Arabic grammar, logic, and jurisprudence (Sharḥ al-Lumʿah) at the Qom seminary. After the Revolution, he served as head of the Islamic Revolution Committee in Khodābandeh County, and from 1984, he worked as a judge in special civil courts, family courts, and appeals courts in Qom. In his retirement years, he leads congregational prayers and continues to preach in Qom. The present writer expresses deep appreciation to him for generously providing this manuscript, and prays to the Almighty for his continued health and success. May more valuable documents and manuscripts preserved in private libraries and family collections be published, providing new historical and scholarly resources for researchers.

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Travelogue Text

O Lord! My hope is in You.

[27 Ramaḍān 1319 AH: Departure from Rasht]

We departed from Rasht on the 27th of the Blessed Month of Ramaḍān, two hours after midday. We arrived at Pīl-e Bāzār (Pīr Bāzār). Boarded a barque and travelled two farsakhs by water.¹⁰ Disembarked and entered a smaller boat, travelling another hour on water until just before sunset, when we reached Anzali, where we stayed at Saray-e Yek Sarbīk (?).

We stayed there [in Anzali] for the night. The next day, we boarded a karji (small boat) and sailed for about two hours. Then we transferred to the main ship, which travelled day and night until we reached Baku. We were delayed overnight in the Caspian sea. After two hours into the day, we disembarked from the ship and entered Baku, where we took lodging in a caravanserai. We stayed there for two days, obtained our travel permits (tadhkiras), and on the 28th [of Ramaḍān], two hours before sunset, we departed Baku and went to the machine station.

[28 Ramaḍān: Departure from Baku]

We stayed there until six hours into the night, then boarded the train, which travelled through the night and day. Two hours after the Eid al-Fiṭr prayer, we arrived in Batumi.¹¹ The train ascended the mountain slopes for about an hour. The Black Sea, known locally as Karadeniz, borders Batumi.¹²

[30 Ramaḍān: Batumi]

We left Batumi on Wednesday, six hours before sunset, arriving at the shore of the Black Sea. We waited on the pier, and half an hour before sunset, on Wednesday night, we boarded the ship and settled in for the night. The ship departed that night. Two hours into the night, we reached a city called Rezeh, where the ship stopped for two hours to load cargo. Later, we continued. Around four hours before sunset on Friday night, we reached the area across from the valley of Buzan [Trabzon]. Two hours after nightfall, the ship again stopped at Buzan to load more cargo.

At dawn, we arrived opposite the city of Giresun, where the ship halted for four hours for cargo loading. From Batumi to Istanbul, the ship made several stops to load and unload cargo, which caused delays. On Friday, four hours before sunset, the ship reached Ordubad, and then two hours before sunset, it resumed its journey. At dawn on Saturday, we reached Samsun, where the ship stopped for eight hours.

Two hours before sunset, we departed Samsun. Six hours into Monday, Istanbul came into view. For four hours, the ship navigated along the strait, with mountains on both sides of the sea, gradually narrowing into what is called the Istanbul Strait (dahan-e Islambol).

[20 Shawwāl: Istanbul]

We arrived in the middle of Istanbul on Monday. A barque came to pick up our belongings, which were loaded and transported to the bridge (because the sea runs through Istanbul). We entered the city and secured lodging in a caravanserai. On the 20th of Shawwāl, three hours before sunset, we departed for the shore, boarded a barque again, then transferred to another ship and stayed overnight on it. Four hours into the day, we departed and reached Çanakkale Fortress (Qalʿeh-ye Çanāq), which is flanked by mountains on both sides. We continued until we reached Izmir (Kūr Izmir), where we visited the Izmir Clock Tower (burj sāʿat), along with Ḥājj Dīn Muḥammad.¹³

After an hour, we continued on to a Greek city with a military garrison, where soldiers blew warning trumpets. A doctor examined the pilgrims and found them in good health.

We then departed for Alexandria, and one hour before sunset, disembarked and entered quarantine. Customs duties were assessed, and six hours into the night, we entered the city and secured lodging. We stayed there for three days, then took a train to Suez. The journey from Alexandria to Suez included three stages and took two days.

In Alexandria, we stayed one more day to obtain travel permits. At the shore, we boarded a ship, but space was limited, so we were delayed. The crescent moon of Dhū al-Qaʿdah was sighted there. May God grant us health—God willing, I shall continue writing.

[2 Dhū al-Qaʿdah: Ṭūr Sīnā and Jeddah]

On the 2nd of Dhū al-Qaʿdah, we departed and arrived at Ṭūr Sīnā and the quarantine station on Tuesday. After 40 hours, we set sail again and reached Yanbuʿ. From there, we travelled for four hours into Friday night, announced the intention for ʾiḥrām, and headed to Jeddah. We spent two nights sleeping aboard the ship, and after two days, we were taken to quarantine again, this time on Abū Saʿīd Island. We stayed four nights, obtained travel permits, and on the 10th of Dhū al-Qaʿdah, travelled to Jeddah.

On the 14th of Dhū al-Qaʿdah, we departed Jeddah and took lodging. The next morning, we set out and, two hours before sunset, arrived in Mecca the Honoured.

[16 Dhū al-Qaʿdah: Mecca]

On the night of the 16th of Dhū al-Qaʿdah, we rested. The next morning, we went to the bathhouse, entered the ḥaram via Bāb al-Salām, recited supplications, performed seven circumambulations (ṭawāf), prayed two rakʿahs at Maqām Ibrāhīm (a), exited via Bāb al-Raḥmah, performed another seven circuits, completed Ṣafā and Marwah, did taqsīr (trimming hair), prayed two rakʿahs, and exited iḥrām.

Two days later, we visited the graves of Banū Hāshim:

1. Khadīja al-Kubrā

2. Āminah (Prophet’s mother)

3. Abū Ṭālib

4. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib and ʿAbd Manāf (both buried in the same chamber)

Then we visited:

• The birthplace of Fāṭimah al-Zahrāʾ (a) (i.e., the house of Khadījah)

• The place where the Prophet performed wuḍūʾ

• The birthplace of Ḥaydar al-Karrār (Imam ʿAlī)

• The birthplace of the Prophet Muḥammad (ṣ)

From then on, each day we would go to the ḥaram, perform ṭawāf, and offer prayers. May God, Lord of Majesty and Glory, preserve us, God willing.

Travel Summary and Expenses

• Rasht to Anzali: 1 day

• Anzali to Baku: 2 days

• Baku to Batumi (by train): 2 days (arrived on Eid al-Fiṭr)

• Batumi to Istanbul

• Istanbul to Alexandria

• Alexandria to Yanbuʿ

• Yanbuʿ to Abū Saʿīd Island (4 days)

• Abū Saʿīd to Jeddah, then to Mecca (8 farsakhs = 2 camel stages)

Fees and Purchases

Travel permits:

• Iran: 3 tomans, 1 qirān

• Russian consulate: 1 toman, 6 qirān, 10 shāhī

• Baku: 2 manāṭ, 1 ʿAbbāsī

• Batumi: 1 manāṭ, 1 ʿAbbāsī

• Istanbul: 67 qirsh

• Suez: 9 qirsh

• Jeddah & quarantine: 37.5 qirsh

• Boat fare: 15 qirsh

• Jeddah entry fee (twice): 2.5 qirsh

• Other permits: 2 majīdīs

Transportation:

• Rasht to Pīleh Bāzār: 2 qirān, 10 shāhī

• Pīleh Bāzār to Anzali: 1 qirān

• Anzali to Baku: 2 manāṭ

• Baku to Batumi (train): 7 manāṭ, 2 ʿAbbāsī

• Additional train fares: 5 manāṭ, 2 ʿAbbāsī

• Batumi to Istanbul (ship): 9.5 manāṭ

• Karji boat in Istanbul: 9 sanār

• Ship to Banṭūq (?): 3 lira

• Suez permit: 4 qirān, 10 shāhī

• Jeddah permit: 37 qirsh

• Jeddah to Mecca (camel fare): 9 majīdīs

Goods Purchased:

• Revolver: 9 tomans

• 2 watches: 9 tomans

• 3 prayer mats: 1 toman, 5 qirān

• Mahūt cloth (40.5 ells): 4 tomans, 5 qirān¹⁴

• Bānkeh cloth (2 ells): 1 toman, 5 qirān

• Blankets: 2 tomans each (two types)

• Iḥrām garments: 4 tomans

• Cap: 5 qirān

• Misc. items: 1 toman

• 7 pipe heads, compass, chains [no prices listed]

From Kūr Izmir:

• 5-barrel pistol: 7 tomans

• Watch: 2 tomans, 5 qirān

From Alexandria:

• Rifle: 10 tomans

• Binoculars: 3 tomans, 5 qirān

• Jet rosary: 1 toman

• White rosary: 15 tomans

• Yellow rosary: 10 tomans

• Qur’an: 2 qirān, 10 shāhī

• 30-juzʾ Qur’an: 5 tomans

• Kohl container: 6 qirān

• White & black kohl: 12 tomans

• Pure beeswax, flint stones, nutmeg, waterskin [no prices listed]

• Makkah official fee: 2 qirān, 10 shāhī

• Knife: 12 tomans

• Kḥ (possibly cosmetics): 2 qirān, 10 shāhī

• Senna from Mecca: 2 qirān, 10 shāhī

• Alum tincture (for wounds) [no price listed]

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• Fifty Qajar-Era Hajj Travelogues, Vol. 1, p. 42

• Ibid., pp. 172–173

• Ibid., Vol. 7, p. 249

• Ibid., Vol. 7, p. 272

• Ibid., Vol. 7, p. 274

• Ibid., Vol. 7, pp. 267–269

• Bārkas: a small boat or ship

• In the margin of the manuscript:
  “The machine road consists of 36 stages: beginning with Ganja, Qaradāgh, Qarabāgh, Qara Owghlān, Tbilisi, Batumi”

• Qara Danyz (correct form: Qara Denīz) means Black Sea

• The Izmir Clock Tower is what’s meant, one of Turkey’s famous landmarks

• Māhūt is a type of thick, high-quality woolen fabric with a nap, used for clothing, curtains, etc.

By: ʿAlī Akbar Ṣafārī
Mirāth-e Shihāb, Issues 79–80

1. This manuscript bears a colophon dated 21 Shaʿbān al-Muʿaẓẓam 1234 AH, written by Muḥammad Qāsim ibn Mullā ʿAskar Rashtī, consisting of 260 folios in taḥrīr-style naskh script.
2. For further information, refer to the five-volume series “Tārīkh-i Beygdilī” (The History of the Beygdilī Tribe):

   Tārīkh-i Beygdilī – Shāmilū, by Gholām-Ḥusayn Beygdilī
   (Tehran, Fatḥī Publishing, 1372 SH [1993], 1354 pages), Volumes 1 and 2

   Tārīkh-i Beygdilī – Shāmilū, by Gholām-Ḥusayn Beygdilī and Muḥammad Riḍā Beygdilī
   (Tehran, Āfarīnish Publishing, 1374 SH [1995], 824 pages), Volume 3

   Tārīkh-i Beygdilī – Shāmilū (Documents and Records), by the same authors
   (Tehran, Fatḥī Publishing, 1367 SH [1988], 1072 pages), Volume 4

   Tārīkh-i Beygdilī – Shāmilū: Poets, Calligraphers, and Writers,
   by Gholām-Ḥusayn Beygdilī and Muḥammad Riḍā Beygdilī Ẓayghamī
   (Zanjān, Dānish Zanjān Publishing, 1390 SH [2011], 516 pages), Volume 5

3. These two travelogues, along with forty-eight others, have been published in an eight-volume collection titled “Fifty Qajar-Era Hajj Travelogues”, edited by Dr. Rasūl Jafarian, published in 1389 SH (2010) by ʿIlm Publishing, Tehran. The ninth volume, titled “Fourteen More Qajar-Era Hajj Travelogues,” was published by the same publisher in 1392 SH (2013).
4. Fifty Qajar-Era Hajj Travelogues, Vol. 1, p. 42
5. Ibid., pp. 172–173
6. Ibid., Vol. 7, p. 249
7. Ibid., Vol. 7, p. 272
8. Ibid., Vol. 7, p. 274
9. Ibid., Vol. 7, pp. 267–269
10. Bārkas or karji (barque): a small boat or ship
11. In the margin of the manuscript: “The machine road consists of 36 stages: beginning with Ganja, Qaradāgh, Qarabāgh, Qara Owghlān, Tbilisi, Batumi.”
12. Qara Danyz (correct form: Qara Denīz) means Black Sea
13. The Izmir Clock Tower is what’s meant, one of Turkey’s famous landmarks
14. Māhūt is a type of thick, high-quality woolen fabric with a nap, used for clothing, curtains, etc.