The early history of all the Bahá'í communities of southern Iran, narrated here for the first time and drawn from original sources including manuscript histories, letters, family records and material previously published only in Persian.

Dr Moojan Momen provides a panoramic yet detailed account of the largest and the smallest Bahá'í communities during the period 1851 to 1921. During this time they acquired characteristics that differentiated them from the rest of the population—their ethos and outlook, their system of administration and social institutions—and the persecution they faced as a result. Using a narrative style, he presents an account of the Bahá'í communities in the southern half of Iran, province by province, during the early years of their formation and development.

By the period of the leadership of 'Abdu'l-Baha, these communities were making a notable difference, with the establishment of modern schools, the promotion of the education and social role of women, the development of health facilities and the building of modern public baths. In all these areas the Baha'is were at the forefront of modernity and development in Iran. However, each upsurge in the activities of the Baha'i community resulted in an upsurge of persecution.

This book is an important contribution to the knowledge of the early days of the Baha'i Faith, the development of the largest non-Muslim minority in Iran and the emergence of modernity in the Middle East.