gems, turquoise, Iran, Persia, Persian turquoise, Nishapur

An account of James Baillie Fraser’s travels through the Persian provinces bordering the southern Caspian Sea, describing the geography, peoples, settlements, political conditions, commerce, and natural resources encountered along his route. The cited pages (pp. 343–347) are of particular gemological interest for Fraser’s discussion of turquoise and its trade, including observations on the stones, their sources, qualities, valuation, and commercial importance. The work provides useful firsthand evidence for the early nineteenth-century Persian gemstone trade and complements Fraser’s more detailed account of the celebrated turquoise mines of Khorasan.