Sir Percy Sykes

Educated at Rugby and Sandhurst, Sir Percy Sykes served in the British Army and built his career on the frontiers of empire. He became especially closely linked with Persia, where he worked in diplomatic and consular roles and traveled widely through places that were still little known to most British readers.

Alongside his official work, he wrote extensively about the lands he knew firsthand. He is best remembered for books on Persia and Central Asia, including travel accounts and historical studies that drew on his journeys, political experience, and deep interest in the region's past.

Sykes was also active during the First World War era, when he helped raise and command the South Persia Rifles. Today he is remembered as a prolific writer as well as a soldier and imperial official whose work offers a revealing window into British views of Iran and its neighbors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.