At the age of 23, Hajj Sayyah embarked on a remarkable journey around the globe, and which would last for nearly 18 years. He began his travels by wandering throughout Central Asia and Europe for more than six years. Often, he traveled alone and in poverty.The motivation for his travels was his thirst for knowledge and spiritual strength. He wanted to learn as much as he could about the world and how other people lived to bring those ideas back to Persia. As a result of his observations throughout his travels, he concluded that human beings are supposed to live in reasonably-humane societies and, to enjoy basic human rights.Hajj Sayyah came to the United States through New York City. During his ten-year stay in the country, he met with many prominent personalities such as US President Ulysses Grant on more than one occasion.