Hafez Farmayan is Emeritus Professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin. He received his M.A. from Stanford University and his Ph.D. from Georgtown University. He began his academic career at the University of Tehran where he held the chair of European history and became the founder and Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at that institution. Before coming to Texas he held a visiting Professorship at Columbia University. Professor Farmayan's areas of interest are modern Islamic history, nineteenth century Iran and political history of modern Europe. He has written numerous articles in International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, The Middle East Journal, Iranian Studies, and Muslim World. His books include Europe in the Age of Revolution, Travels of Hajji Pirzadeh, and A Shi'ite Pilgrimage to Mecca. Professor Farmayan has an intimate knowledge of Middle Eastern Culture and has lectured extensively on the subject of cultural interactions between the United States and contemporary societies of the Middle East.