ABSTRACT
Russian travel accounts provide information on several major topics connected with Russian policy toward Iran, including Russian military activity and aims in Iran, Russian diplomacy in Iran, Russian colonization of Iran and Russian trade in Iran. All these areas of Russian activity are interlocked and inevitably connected with her rivalry with Britain in the context of the “Great Game.” The Great Game has been so far mainly examined from the British perspective; therefore, the travelogues provide a unique opportunity to study the Russian perspective on it and to learn about Russia’s activities in its framework. The first-hand information is displayed by the participants in the Game who were implementing the imperial policy in the military, diplomatic and economic areas.
