SAEDNEWS: In his memoirs, Naser al-Din Shah wrote about a visit to a rural area in Scotland: ‘In front of one of the houses belonging to a Mackenzie, we saw a girl of extraordinary beauty. In Europe, we had never seen anyone so lovely and delicate.
According to the Saed News Society Service, quoting Asr Iran, Naser al-Din Shah’s third trip to Europe began in Farvardin 1268 SH (April 1889). On this journey, he first visited Russia and then traveled to Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and England.
Faradid reports a selection from his diary on Saturday, 29 Tir 1268 SH (Dhu al-Qi’dah 1306 AH), during his stay in the village of Ballater in Aberdeenshire, Scotland:
“This morning we awoke from a good night’s sleep, feeling well and clear-headed… We went for a walk in the park. Mackenzie, our host, joined us, and the locals gathered around. Mackenzie’s grandchildren came along—very charming children. A little girl was playing with a kitten in her arms and speaking rapid English—it was very amusing… A light drizzle began, and we stood there enjoying the pleasant weather. Afterwards, we returned and had lunch with hookah.”
Last night, Mehdi Khan, Fakhr al-Atibba, and Haji Heydar stayed in a small house in the forest behind the mansion. Upon their arrival, one of the servants brought drinks. Fakhr grabbed a bottle and drank it all, becoming completely intoxicated. This morning, they recounted his strange behavior: he had fallen there, his unshaven head exposed, his disheveled beard cursing the universe. He ranted about the person who invented the word “Yes”—which in English means “affirmative”—while the foreigners gathered around him. He continued shouting and cursing the inventor of “Yes.” Mehdi Khan, terrified, locked himself in his room. Mirza Mohammad Khan, Akbar Khan, and Adib al-Mamalek went one by one to witness him. Each described his state, and we laughed until we could hardly breathe.”
Ballater is a small village of about three hundred households. The valley, surrounding hills, and general landscape closely resemble Marzanabad, and the local river is reminiscent of the Chalus River—it feels as if one is in Chalus. This gorge also bears strong similarities to Nafeh Deh and Kelardasht; the resemblance is striking.
In Birmingham, Manchester, and other places, we saw many pigeon fanciers, just like in Iran, letting their pigeons fly. Kites were also flown repeatedly. On leaving Mackenzie’s house, we passed one of his properties and saw a girl of extraordinary beauty, unmatched in Europe in both delicacy and charm. Across all of England, we did not see flies or mosquitoes, particularly in Scotland, where seeing any crawling insect is nearly impossible—flies and mosquitoes are entirely absent.”
