Il contributo culturale dell’Italia alla Persia cagiara del XIX secolo

Abstract

Unlike Russia and Great Britain, the protagonists of the so-called “Great game”, since it was not a colonial power, Italy played a minor role in the events of the period in which Persia was ruled by the Qājār dynasty. However, the contribution of the European peninsula in the years prior to the Iranian Constitutional Revolution has a great historical and social value because is historically ascertained that the arrival of various Italian scholars in the land of the Shāhs has been an inspiration for the rising generation of Persian intellectuals and therefore had active role in the formation of young thinkers who would later lead the uprising – having sent teachers and instructors to the first university founded in Tehran. Hence, covering the 19th century, this essay will deal with the lives and experiences of the various Italian travelers – scientists, military and/or diplomats – who gave their contribution to the modernization of Qājār Persia, drawing on their direct testimonies and other historical sources that have survived numbers of wars and revolts.