author

Francis Henry Skrine

1847–1933

A British writer, traveler, and former Indian civil servant, he wrote vividly about Central Asia, Russia, and the Baha'i faith. His books reflect a life shaped by imperial service, long-distance travel, and a strong curiosity about politics and religion.

1 Audiobook

The heart of Asia : A history of Russian Turkestan and the Central Asian Khanates from the earliest times

The heart of Asia : A history of Russian Turkestan and the Central Asian Khanates from the earliest times

by Francis Henry Skrine, Sir E. Denison (Edward Denison) Ross

About the author

Born in 1847, Francis Henry Skrine was an English traveler, orientalist, and official in British India. He is associated with writing on history, religion, and international affairs, especially subjects linked to Russia, Central Asia, and Asia more broadly.

His published works include Bahaism, the religion of brotherhood and its place in the evolution of creeds and The expansion of Russia, showing the wide range of his interests. Those books suggest a writer drawn both to global political change and to the study of belief systems.

Skrine died in 1933. Although detailed biographical information is limited in the sources available here, the record that survives presents him as a thoughtful late-Victorian and early-20th-century observer of the wider world.