Page:From Constantinople to the home of Omar Khayyam.djvu/14

 viii PREFACE

religion, ran as a minor chord through the pages of the earlier volume ; in the present volume Alexander the Great, upon whose track I have traveled so extensively, adds another con- necting link between the interests of East and West, while Omar's home, as a goal to visit, gave to the journey the sem- blance, at least, of a pilgrimage.

Most of the places described in these pages have been visited twice (some even three times) in the course of the travels, so the accounts of them will, I trust, be found fairly accurate. In several instances, moreover, it seemed convenient to com- bine the incidents or experiences of the different journeys into a single account, since the circumstances were practically the same. As to the general aim of the travels, the manner of observation, and the method of presentation, I may refer to what has been said already in the Preface of the companion book. Special attention has been given, as before, to the sub- ject of illustration ; the material generally accessible has been augmented by photographs taken with my own camera or that of my fellow-traveler, supplemented by pictures secured by friends who live in Persia. In every case, where possible, I have acknowledged the source in the List of Illustrations, and I here express my added thanks and appreciation of the obliga- tion. I wish at the same time to acknowledge my indebted- ness to those writers, ancient and modern, who have left records of their own journeys in the territories named, or who have made researches along similar lines. The footnotes on every page will bear sufficient testimony to my sense of obliga- tion in that respect.

There are certain particular friends who come in for a special score of recognition which I gladly record now and always. First, I may mention the friend of years and comrade on the longest of my journeys, Mr. Alexander Smith Cochran, of Yonkers, New York, whose name graces the dedication-page of this volume and whom I desire thus to assure of my true and lasting regard. At the same moment I wish to record my

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