Mohammad Hosayn Farahani's Hajj Travel Route (1885-86)

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Adopted from "The Safarnameh of Mirza Mohammad Hosayn Farahani", from his pilgrimage in 1885-1886.

Farahani's journey to Mecca not only fulfills his pilgrimage obligation but also provides a detailed guidebook for his contemporary Persians needed for their Hajj travels. Thanks to the introduction of railroads between Baku and Batumi, Farahani takes the unconventional route to Mecca, traveling first to Batumi via train and then going to Istanbul by boat stopping along the route in several cities such as Trabzon and Sinop. After Istanbul, he continues his journey by boat to reach Alexandria over the Aegean Sea and from thereon to Jidda via Suez Canal. His return trip was also from the same route and his book was considered to be Guide Michelin of his time for round-trip Persian Hajj.

Map of Nasir Khusraw's Travels (1046-1052)

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Adapted from the Naser-e Khosraw's Book of Travels, W. M. Thackston, Jr. New York, 1986

Nasir Khusraw's Safarname (Book of Travels) has been a classical text for Persian travel writing for the last 1000 years. Confessing that his travels are due to mid life crisis, he set out for Mecca at the age 42 after seeing a dream while in a drunk situation. In his dream, he was pointed the qibla direction (Mecca) when he asks about where the wisdom lays. Following this, he resolves to go for Hajj and rather immediately sets our for Mecca. For the next seven years, he travels through Persia, West Azerbaijan, Turkey, Syria, Cairo, Hijaz, Hafsa and Basra region.