Cholera in 19 th Century Iran

This paper explores why Iran was a particularly fertile ground for repeated visitation of cholera in the 19th century. Along with certain unique Iranian cultural and religious factors, the author demonstrates how Iranian urban ecology, particularly the qanat system, contributed to the fatal spread of the epidemic. These multi-faceted conditions, the author concludes, resulted in distinct modes of disease transmission and mortality in Iran. 1 One does not need to look any farther than the colloquial use of the great riversystems from the “Oxus to the Nile” in delineating the geographical-cultural boundaries of the Middle East.