‘Complete Anglers’ in Persia: On the Genesis of the Art of Angling in the ‘Valley of Happiness’

Abstract

Fishing is one of the most ancient human cultures, and sportfishing is an influential specialized recreation of the modern era. This article represents the history of two centuries displaying the introduction and popularisation of sportfishing in general and fly-fishing in Iran since the early 1800s. Returning to the memories of the foreign legations in Tehran, catching the Persian brown trout in Lar River during their summer retreats opened a new chapter in Iran’s field sports history. The dialogue of the keen foreign anglers with the Qajarid noblemen gradually integrated the art of angling into the ‘Art of Hunting’ (Nakhjir) historical culture, to which Persian monarchs and nobilities have eternally been devoted. Over time, this art de vivre gradually disseminated to the modernising middle class and, from the 1950s onward, partially established the sportfishing culture as ‘serious leisure’ among many Iranian nature enthusiasts. The Persian narrative of the art of angling reflects an impressive portrayal enriched and extracted by the Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) approach from prominent historical records from foreign travelogues, unique archival materials, memoirs, reports, and pictures from vintage family albums. Finally, fly-fishing development in the environmental context of Lar Valley is revisited.