Travelers and travelees: Russians through Iranian eyes as imagined by the travelers (discourse with themselves)

Though many Iranians regarded Russians as “unclean,” according to the authors of the travelogues, those emotions were not directed specifically against the Russians but generally against all non-Muslim foreigners. As for their attitude towards the Russians, many authors state that different groups of Iranians treated them with respect and sympathy. However, the Russian travelers never actually ask the Iranians, or “the Other,” what they think about them: they are not interested in their real opinion. The travelers’ accounts barely ever reflect a dialogue, but usually a conversation with themselves.