Scoperte tecnologiche europee e modernità iraniana: accenni al telegrafo di Marconi nel Masâleko’l-mohsenin di Tâlebof

In the process of general modernisation of Iran in the 19th century, the reception of European ideas was a significant element, especially for the ruling classes who saw technology as the secret of European power and progress. Many Iranian intellectuals shared the urgency of reform in Iran, also driven by the conviction that modernisation could be the main means through which they could not only overcome their deficiency in the technological and military fields, but also protect their country's independence in a world dominated by great imperialist powers.
The article emphasises how, in conveying modernity, a decisive role was played by travelogues, and then emphasises the no lesser function in the process of Iran's transformation and modernisation played by works of literary fiction written in the form of travelogues. In one of these, the Masâleko'l-mohsenin by 'Abdorrahim Tâlebof, among the many topics addressed is that concerning the discoveries of Guglielmo Marconi and, specifically, his invention of the wireless telegraph. The article offers the reader the Italian translation of the entire passage concerning the detailed description of the functioning of the telegraph and the importance of long-distance transmission through electromagnetic waves, the result of Marconi's invention in 1896, as well as a glance at the introduction and diffusion of the telegraph in Iran.