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Some of the typical features of the Iranian landscape are described, together with the ways in which the author came across them on his many journeys in Iran. The presence of the same features in other countries is then described as evidence of the universal nature of some elements of the Iranian landscape which, in this sense, extends outside the current borders. This theory is supported by 50 photos taken in Iran and in other parts of the world. The individual chapters in the article are prefaced by lines from the poetry of Mirzā ‘Abdo ’l-Qāder Bidel (1644-1720), meant as an introduction to and evocation of the topics addressed., Eurasiatica

Tur-e Ma‘refat is a masnavi composed around 1687-8 by Indo-persian poet Mirzâ ‘Abdo ’l-Qâder Bidel (1644-1720). The masnavi is dedicated to a series of natural elements (fields, gardens, flowers, mountains, waterfalls, clouds, water drops, rainbows, etc.) set in the region of Bairat, a town in the Rajasthan province north of Jaipur. These natural elements inspire the poet’s philosophical and spiritual thoughts and advice. Here we present the transliteration and the translation into prose of three chapters of the masnavi (nos. 28, 29 and 30), respectively devoted to the appreciation of friends, gardens and flowers. Four photographs of the Bairat area are included at the end of the article in order to provide the Tur-e Ma‘refat descriptions with a few travel memories., Eurasiatica