Passage to Persia

Writings of an American doctor during her life in Iran, 1929-1957

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Margaret A Frame

Adelaide Kibbe was a 27 year-old missionary physician when she set out from New York on the steamer SS American Banker, headed for Iran, in 1929. Her route to Persia took her through England, Scandinavia, Germany, Switzerland and Egypt, all detailed in her letters.

Little did she know it would be 28 years before she returned home, and during the ensuing decades she would see huge cultural and political changes in her adopted country. She saw the development of modern roads, railway and air transport, the spread of telephones and radio, and modern schools in the cities, bringing literacy to girls as well as boys, and the growth of the modern University of Tehran.

Through her letters to family, diaries and mission reports we have an insight into a country which has undergone tremendous cultural, social and political change. Adelaide’s personal observations open a window to a bygone era brought to life through her engaging and timeless writings.