Despite growing interest in the Baha'is of Iran, research on the history of this often-persecuted minority community has been limited by the availability of sources. 'The Baha'is of Iran, Transcaspia and the Caucasus' will help to fill this gap by assembling for the first time original material from Russian archives. Volume 1 of this set showcases letters from the Rozen collection, including those of diplomats, army officers and scholars, candidly revealing the Russian perspective on developments concerning the Baha'is in Iran and Russia. In addition to the complete texts in their original languages, the authors provide both annotated translations and analytical introductions which supply essential background information, thus making this book an invaluable resource for anyone interested in Babi and Baha'i history, the history of religion and minorities, Russo-Persian relations or Qajar Iran.

Soli Shahvar is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Middle Eastern History and Director of the Ezri Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies at the University of Haifa. He completed his PhD at SOAS, University of London, and is the author of 'The Forgotten Schools: The Baha'is and Modern Education in Iran, 1899-1934' (I.B.Tauris, 2009). Boris Morozov is Researcher in Russian History at the Cummings Institute, Tel Aviv University. He holds a PhD in Russian History from Moscow State University. He is the author of 'Documents on Soviet Jewish Emigration' (1999) and the co-author of 'Traitors to Mother Russia: Jewish Emigration through Soviet Eyes' (2005). Gad Gilbar is Professor of Economic History in the Department of Middle Eastern History, and Head of the Tujjar Project at the University of Haifa. He has previously served as a member of Israel's Council for Higher Education, and is the author of various articles and books including 'Ottoman Palestine 1800-1914: Studies in Economic and Social History' (1990), and 'Population Dilemmas in the Middle East' (1996).