Journeys in Persia and Kurdistan, Volume 2 (of 2): Including a Summer in the Upper Karun Region and a Visit to the Nestorian Rayahs

In Short

This second volume of Isabella L. Bird’s travel memoirs records her arduous, late-nineteenth-century journey through the Zagros Mountains, northern Persia, and Ottoman Kurdistan toward the Black Sea. Crossing extreme terrain in blinding summer heat and sub-zero winter cold, Bird surveys Bakhtiari nomads, American and Anglican missionary compounds, local provincial governors, and vulnerable Nestorian Christian communities. She captures a landscape defined by feudal hospitality, pervasive lawlessness, and systemic extortion. Written with meticulous observational detail, warm human empathy, and sharp geopolitical clarity, the volume endures as a masterwork of Victorian travel literature and a vital historical record of late-nineteenth-century Middle Eastern borderlands.

The Story

The narrative opens in the scorching heat of a Persian June, as Bird pushes through the upper reaches of the Karun River and the high plateaus of the Zagros range. Traversing elevations over eight thousand feet to escape the suffocating dust and insects of the lowlands, she documents the seasonal migrations of the Bakhtiari Lurs. She lives among these nomadic pastoralists, recording their daily rhythms, tent-weaving techniques, animal husbandry, and deep-seated tribal feuds. Moving north, her path leads through regional trade hubs like Daulatabad and the ancient city of Hamadan, where she visits local governors, observes the work of Christian missions, and explores historical sites such as the reputed tombs of Esther and Mordecai.

As the journey continues into Northern Persian Kurdistan, the daily hazards multiply. Bird hires local guides and village escorts to guard against banditry, directly negotiating with armed highwaymen who attempt to plunder her baggage. Arriving in Sujbulak, she analyzes the delicate political balance between rival Sunni and Shiah populations, Ottoman consuls, and trade networks stretching into Russia. Crossing into the Urmi plain, she conducts an extensive study of the American and Anglican Christian missions working among the indigenous Syrian and Armenian populations.

The journey takes an even more dangerous turn as Bird crosses into Ottoman territory without formal permits, riding through the rugged Hakkiari mountains toward Kochanes, the seat of the Nestorian Patriarch Mar Shimun. She spends cold autumn evenings in ancient, semi-subterranean stone houses and medieval churches, witnessing a fragile feudal society threatened by ruthless Kurdish chieftains and inactive imperial authorities. Beyond Kochanes, she skirts the magnificent shores of Lake Van, marveling at its ancient cliffside monasteries and terraced mountain villages, even as she documents the relentless plunder of Christian agricultural communities by local brigands.

By December, as deep snow blocks the high mountain passes, Bird drives her small caravan toward Erzerum and across the treacherous Kop Dagh pass in five-below-zero temperatures. Navigating howling blizzards and ice-choked rivers, she completes her passage across the watershed to the Black Sea port of Trebizond, concluding a monumental overland trek through some of the most remote, politically unstable regions of the late Ottoman and Qajar empires.

How It Unfolds

Across the Zagros highlands Bird leads her caravan through the burning summer heat of the upper Karun region, seeking relief in high alpine pastures where nomadic Bakhtiari tribes pitch their black goat-hair tents. She observes their daily labor, from carpet-weaving and butter-churning to horse-breeding, while navigating intense heat, stinging insects, and local feuds.

Encountering the town life Descending into valley cities like Daulatabad and Hamadan, Bird transitions from wilderness camping to visiting missionary stations, local governors, and bustling bazars. She takes careful note of urban administration, Persian upper-class social etiquette, and the complex interactions between Muslim authorities, Christian converts, and Jewish communities.

Among the Kurdish strongholds Moving north toward Sujbulak and the borderlands, the caravan faces constant threats from armed robbers on high mountain tracks. Relying on local village escorts and clever deceptions by her interpreter, Bird secures safe passage through turbulent territory, documenting Kurdish tribal dress, commercial trade in furs and gall-nuts, and regional volatility.

Within the Nestorian valleys Crossing into Turkish Kurdistan, Bird ascends into the remote mountain sanctuary of Kochanes to meet the Syrian Patriarch and his family. She describes ancient liturgical rites in dark stone churches, feudal court gatherings around hearth fires, and the constant fear of Kurdish raids hanging over the isolated Christian villages.

The final winter push Leaving Lake Van behind, Bird rides through freezing weather and heavy snowdrifts toward Erzerum, ultimately tackling the hazardous Kop Dagh pass. She battles frostbite, frozen rations, and deadly winter blizzards before descending safely to the Black Sea coast at Trebizond.

The People

• Isabella L. Bird (Mrs. Bishop), the resilient English narrator, seeks to explore, observe, and document the remote regions of Persia and Kurdistan. Armed with a camera, medical supplies, and an unshakeable resolve, she survives extreme environmental conditions, theft, and constant physical danger, completing her long journey with analytical poise.
• Aziz Khan, a Bakhtiari tribal chief of the Haft Lang division, provides temporary protection to the caravan while demanding constant medical attention for his horse's injuries and managing his tribe's endless internal rivalries.
• Aslam Khan, a regional Bakhtiari ruler whose features remind Bird of Judas in Leonardo's Last Supper, repeatedly attempts to extract valuable items—including binoculars, telescopes, and travel clocks—from Bird's baggage through petty theft and subterfuge.
• Mirza, Bird's cheerful and clever Persian interpreter, maintains good humor through perilous encounters, using quick thinking and elaborate fabrications to ward off armed bandits along high mountain passes.
• Mr. Browne, a dedicated English priest living among the mountain Syrians at Kochanes, adopts the local dress and customs, striving to support and educate the isolated Christian community while acting as a bridge between the Patriarchal family and foreign visitors.

In Its Own Voice

Context: Describing the relentless, oppressive environment of a midsummer march through the high Persian valleys.

"The heaven above is as brass, and the earth beneath is as iron."

Context: Observing the picturesque late-night social gathering inside the Patriarchal house at Kochanes.

"Nothing could exceed the picturesqueness of the 'house' to-night."

Context: Writing from a cramped, subterranean village guest-house during a winter snowstorm near Lake Van.

"I am fast coming to like these cheery evenings in the odahs, where one hears the news of the country and villages."

What It's Really About

Behind its day-by-day travel log, the book explores the precarious balance between traditional feudal order and imperial decay. Bird continuously evaluates how ordinary people endure under arbitrary power, highlighting the contrast between nomadic autonomy and settled vulnerability. Her account examines the complexities of religious coexistence, detailing how ancient minority communities navigate survival between predatory regional tribes and weak central governments. She also scrutinizes the real-world impact of Western missionary efforts, candidly measuring their humanitarian benefits against their limited success in converting local populations. Underneath her sharp descriptions lies a deep inquiry into how human courage, domestic affection, and social order persist within harsh, lawless environments.

Why Read It Today

This volume appeals to readers who appreciate rigorous historical travel writing, raw adventure, and detailed cultural observation. Reading Bird's journal feels like riding beside a extraordinarily tough, sharp-eyed companion who refuses to succumb to self-pity or exaggerate her hardships. She brings a keen eye to landscape, architecture, and human character, delivering vivid descriptions of places that have changed dramatically over the last century.

Modern readers must navigate period attitudes, including nineteenth-century European perspectives on empire and religion, as well as dense geographic details and occasional transcriptions of local terms. Yet Bird’s narrative remains remarkably rewarding due to her sheer stamina, unpretentious voice, and authentic empathy for the varied people she encounters—from Bakhtiari women weaving in mountain booths to solitary priests in remote stone monasteries. What lingers long after finishing the book is the memory of her quiet courage, her refusal to be intimidated by physical hardship or danger, and her profound respect for the complex cultures of the Middle Eastern borderlands.