Mirrors of the Unseen: Journeys in Iran

by Jason Elliot

Book Overview

Filling a long-neglected gap in the travel writing of the region, Jason Elliot's Mirrors of the Unseen is a rare and timely portrait of the nation descended from the world's earliest superpower: Iran.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031230191X
• ISBN13: 9780312301910
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.5" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Seeing clearly

Excellent, interesting hearing from someone who actually put their foot on the ground and reported the good & the bad. From our news publications we obviously hear only one side of the story. It's this type of book that draws humanity together rather than expanding on the differences.

A Deeper Understanding of Iran

When I picked up Mirrors of the Unseen, I was very excited since I had so enjoyed Jason Elliot's An Unexpected Light. At first, I was disappointed. In An Unexpected Light, Elliot concentrates on the people he met and the social structures he encountered. This was essential for understanding Afghanistan. Mirrors of Light is Elliot's impression of Iran. He sees the key to understanding Iran in the history of its people, as shown through the people themselves, the geography, and the art and architecture. Each of these provides important keys to understanding the Iranian psyche. In Elliot's view, these are much more important than the current fundamentalist regime. Once I grasped this emphasis, the book was much more interesting as well as enlightening. Elliot sees the ancient Persian history, dating back three millennia, as the key to modern Iran. The deep understanding of faith, the past glories of Persia, and the representations of these glories in art and architecture are all interrelated. In Elliot's view, the current hot button of fundamentalist faith has only minimal effect on the values and lives of average people, much as many Americans and v ery spiritual, faithful people even if they don't buy into the fundamentalism that is espoused by many in the government. Unfortunately the fundamentalism on both sides of the American - Iranian divide is what is reported in the press. Elliot gives us a view of Iran that can hopefully lead to peace rather than war. By the way, IMHO I highly recommend that you IGNORE Elliot's Caveat Lector on page 319 and continue reading. If you skip these pages, you may miss the key to the entire book.