Abstract
With the arrival of European tourists to Iran, it became possible for them to know Iran more directly. Subsequently, they were presented with a conceptual understanding of the historical existence of Iran. Chardin's arrival and his long stay in Iran led to the articulation of a historical concept of Iran, which explained historical Iran under the dual influence of East and West in Europe and Greco-Roman historiography. This research is based on rational explanation method and shows that Chardin had a different historical-philosophical concept of Iran. While he was much influenced by Occident-Orient duality and the Greco-Roman historiography, his attention and reflection on the then (material) realities of the land of Iran made him different from his European peers, and generally, European historical understanding of Iran
Keywords: Iran, the concept of Iran, Safavid period, Jean Chardin's travelogue, the duality of East and West.
 
Introduction
Contemporaneously with the establishment of the Safavid dynasty in Iran (907 AH / 1501 AD), Europe initiated a new era in its history and civilization. This new era, in the view of Europeans, was intertwined with geographical discoveries and journeys to lands near and far. Although we see the presence of some European travel writers in Iran before the Safavid period, European travels expanded during this period due to political and commercial reasons, and political ambassadors, religious missionaries, and Western merchants committed their observations to writing.
Following their observations, they posed questions about Iran and Iranian society, seeking to answer them. These travelogues and the questions arising from them later laid the groundwork for the formation of Orientalist and Iranological studies. Among the topics of these questions were: What is Iran? The history of Iran, the geography of Iran, the culture and customs of Iran, politics in Iran, and so on.
Undoubtedly, the most important travelogue of this era is that of the Frenchman Jean Chardin. Influenced by the political and religious climate prevailing in France and by commercial objectives, Chardin traveled to Iran. Affected by the society of Safavid-era Iran and the new atmosphere prevailing in the West and France of Louis XIV, and due to his curious, meticulous, and scholarly spirit, he set out to compile his travelogue. The importance of Chardin's travelogue was such that it later attracted the attention of Western politicians and thinkers and was printed and published in the late 17th century.
Chardin entered Iran influenced by the intellectual background of Western historians, namely the dichotomy of "East and West." His curious and adventurous spirit helped Chardin travel to various parts of Iran, and, relying on the new intellectual and cultural atmosphere and new knowledge on the one hand, and also with comparative and degradation-oriented contemplation between Iran and European countries, he examined Iran from a novel perspective. This has given Chardin's travelogue a special place in Iranian studies. Initially, Chardin's understanding of Iran was based on Greco-Roman writings from antiquity, but Chardin's entry into Iran and objective encounter with new Iranian issues and efforts to critique the old writings of Greco-Roman historiography led to new answers and new layers of meaning of the concept of Iran for him.
 
Materials and Methods
"This research employs the methodology of conceptual history (Begriffsgeschichte) to examine the key concept of "Iran" within a specific historical context. Conceptual history is a method for elucidating the evolution of key concepts within a historical period. It moves beyond traditional historiography by assigning a central role to the study of concepts, emphasizing that their creation, transformation, and adaptation can reveal ideological conflicts within a political structure (Jazaei et al., 1399: 75). This approach acknowledges that concepts are gradually shaped and transformed within specific historical contexts, and that understanding these contexts is crucial to understanding the evolution of the concepts themselves.
In this study, the initial focus is on the formation of the concept of "Iran." It explores how this concept was constructed within the Western tradition, arguing that Chardin's understanding of Iran was influenced by this historical tradition, as well as the East-West binary and Western perceptions of ancient Iranian history.
The research proceeds in two stages. First, instances of the name "Iran" are extracted from Jean Chardin's travelogue. Second, the study analyzes the textual context surrounding these instances to identify the conceptual themes associated with the name "Iran" in Chardin's work. Drawing on the insights of Reinhart Koselleck and the broader framework of conceptual history, the research then analyzes the concept of "Iran" as it is presented in Chardin's travelogue."
 
Discussion and Results
The findings of this research can be discussed across four main axes.
Firstly, the concept of "Iran" as observed in Chardin's travelogue is examined. Chardin's perspective on the name "Iran" highlights, on the one hand, its historical significance within the context of historical relations with the West. On the other hand, it reveals how this name acquired new layers of meaning through historical transformations, which Chardin elucidates through his empirical observations.
Secondly, Chardin's travelogue portrays Iran as an ancient concept. This section aims to elucidate the roots of this ancient understanding of Iran. Furthermore, Chardin's narrative consistently depicts the name "Iran" with historical evolution and continuity. Despite various ups and downs, Chardin presents Iran within a framework of historical persistence, and the name "Iran" consistently embodies this historical continuity in his perception.
Thirdly, from Chardin's perspective, the concept of Iran possesses distinct political and territorial dimensions. Iran is presented as a unified political and territorial entity with defined borders and clear national symbols, administered under the Safavid monarchy.
Finally, this discussion addresses the position of the concept of Iran as a land situated within the dichotomy of East and West, as perceived by Chardin.
 
Conclusion
Jean Chardin's travelogue was specifically written with the aim of comprehensively examining Iranian society during the Safavid era. Its central idea is "Safavid Iran," and all sub-topics are discussed and explored around the axis of "the land of Iran." It must be noted that Chardin understood and depicted Safavid Iran influenced by Western historical sources from antiquity concerning Iran. Therefore, Chardin's understanding of the concept of Iran is based on historical thought. The concept of Iran, from Chardin's perspective, has a direct link to Iran's history, Iran's historical geography, Iran's historical name, Iran's historical continuity, and a land confined within a specific political territory. These can be considered the key elements of Chardin's understanding of "the concept of Iran." Influenced by Western historiography, Chardin is situated within the ideological dichotomy of "East and West," and although he attempted to present a new and different view of Iran, ultimately, in a general classification, he placed Iran around this dichotomy and tried to introduce Iran with a culture close to the West or in between East and West. However, it should be noted that this ideological perspective did not prevent the territorial characteristics and the concept of Iran in the Safavid era from remaining hidden from Chardin's view. Chardin's curious and inquisitive spirit, along with his historical studies, helped him to describe Iran as a country with an independent territory and identity rooted in ancient times. The historical continuity and renewal of Iran in the Safavid era are among the new layers of meaning of the concept of Iran that were added to his historical understanding through Chardin's direct encounter with the land of Iran.