ABSTRACT
Amin al-Zarb's search for a means of transportation between Mahmudabad and the mine inadvertently took him on an odyssey of travels through Russia, ending in Belgium and France. His letters to Tehran demonstrate well how the search for transportation unintentionally took him from one town to another. Aside from his letters and observation to Amin al-Sultan and the numerous letters that he wrote to his son and agents in Tehran, he was daily getting more and more agitated awaiting Amin al-Sultan's reply regarding the railway equipment clearing Russian customs. Paris, the jewel of European capitals, must have been the most unique experience for Amin al-Zarb. As Amin al-Zarb was known as a prominent merchant and they had heard about his purchase of the railway line and his interest in industrial development, they probably hoped that as a result of the relationship, some future business association might transpire.
