The land of the Iranians, known to European travelers for centuries as Persia, is a land riven by mountain-ranges, made inhospitable by deserts, yet rich in plains, forests, and jewel-like gardens. Home to the most sublime architecture in the world, and a breeding ground for poets, Empires, mystics and saints, it has an enduring and invincible fascination. David Blow enriches our understanding with his knowledgeable selection of the best of three thousand years of descriptive writing. ""A history of Persia through the eyes of the outside world. . . An intriguing view of a culture that has lasted in one form or anther for almost three thousand years."" Book News

David Blow studied Persian at the University of Cambridge and SOAS, University of London and has worked as Assistant Director of the British Institute of Persian Studies in Tehran. He has also held positions within the BBC Persian Service and the BBC World Service in London and worked as a foreign correspondent throughout Europe, where he reported for theBBC and The Times, among other publications. He is the Editor of Persia: Through Writer's Eyes, a collection of mainly European writings about Iran.