Arg-e Tehran in Nasserid era in the sight of Dr. Feuvrier and a comparative study with some French itineraries from Qajar period

In this paper, we try to examine Arg-e Tehran and its related monuments using Dr. Feuvrier's itinerary and evaluate his reports by comparing them to some French itineraries in Qajar era. The purpose of the current research – which is based on desk research- is to find out what the status of historical Tehran Argwas in Dr. Feuvrier's point of view and how close his view is to reality comparing to other itineraries of that time.From 17th century onwards, after Irano-French relationship got stronger, someFrench ambassadors were sent to the Safavid court, but in Qajar era, a newstage of French travelling to Iran began which continued till the end of the era. Amongst several French travellers who visited Iran in 19th century, Dr. Feuvrierhas a special position. He was able to gain Nasser ed-Din Shah's trust as the Shah's special physician and therefore had access to a lot of information andalso some of the most private sanctums. He was dispatched to Qajar court after Dr. Tholozan and lived in Iran for threeyears (1889-1892). He wrote his observations precisely and the result is anitinerary called Trois ans a la cour de Perse or (Three years at the Persiancourt) which was published in Paris in 1906. In this itinerary, considerable contents are found about Tehran and its monuments which we point out in thispaper and also compare his views to some other French travelers – such as Comte de Sercey, Flandin and Coste – to obtain a general evaluation of Dr.Feuvrier's book. It is worth mentioning that among the itineraries which were written about Iran in the 19th century, only the ones which mentioned Tehranand its historical Arg are considered in this study. Finally, the result of this study is that the most parts of Feuvrier's itinerary about Arg-e Tehran was confirmed by the other French itineraries in 19th century which –as expected –verifies the credibility of the itinerary.

Keywords:

Tehran , historical Arg , nineteenth century , Qajar