Richard N. Frye, who worked for many years in Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and Egypt, brings to this 1960 book an historian¿s accuracy, a writer¿s talent, and an eye for colour. The result is a fascinating, accurate portrait of a vital area in the cold war, an area composed of many peoples of ancient religions and customs and characterised by a vigorous nationalist spirit fanned by religious, economic nand political pressures from east and West.