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Uil D 4 ey e y B o 4 L t i I il N i PR T 5 o T if (4 g et o g ¥ 3 ; : e Y,V o il 6 Ly b P v i e o B A e\ o, il i i ;ef -\ E 8 i = b 2 o, ; 4 s,f:\ . e : i 1R o Wi Leodf L) l, 2 f v &3 3 i e 4 ¥ ¢ i % i o e ot () () "o o = e | & b i HEL A G t& L & ., | R EA s o nian ; o A o 1 g & ¥ 3 AR ; 7 Ase I 7 kol ’Q}S“," i Ehe i AL } oy > i, ;, 3 “‘ T 3 t{ = ! i & Thdy ‘:: 1 5 W ¥ % X @ ; {;;’w« 5 - :5 & by E7 ] ;& e 4 o Lk X % -, S A i it = i HEE «!f“‘"i R &y Noss f*/ l&" 0. it . 5 s\ 0 7 e TN J‘ # _— b i SO e For W =4 gl it 2 au "~ ,ﬂ,&, 1‘: i A i T ) P i A N < "3 L (i ™~ s(f 4 P ] - 0 - P Rt :: : i e . AN ; 5.8 o Y e R} N é 0 £ A & f "X oy ALt i AL I . 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This Catalogue contains nearl all the Works in Oriental Literature obtainable at the present day. = [ il m | | i 1 8, LEADENHALL STREET. 9t 2 i 1 Sy i 7 R e way [ e o REoR oaes ¢ &l = ~,..\.»\ K o : g el w 1 Sk BT at 3 o e i sy <y g Ny X % =i 53 < o oEH 5 $ g ¥ i 4 ' AR A R T 4 G- pask ¥ ey e Al 23 : HaAEE £e 25 Sy o s P S En = b Y. o o &% e bt e s e ‘ﬁ» % s % = X [ & o ¥ 1 ke ps - B i sty SR e Iy PENE e = o & i arx o ‘W s G =S TETHRDEN puiew e $ £ a0 i El . o e s e . et 77 RO b 2 B I R IHT 2 = 5 . e % ] = e £ ik L] i e s A3 EEE P 4 1A e o 23 1% £ & T - it o5 £ = £ L 2 3% 1 3% ¥ s ke o e b A 2 4 st o5 oo 255 i i TROAER Ph o IR el # ¥ £ o s e & ot b W HT 3 A qaAr eied 3 53 £ 2 2 24y CrTE i, e s w A S % S < 3 & 3 o AR = i 3 L LB £ s 4 TE 4 b8 5 e i A s e 5 i, a;‘-ﬁ.ﬁﬂ: L s D G St & AN =k TS o gesa e = s = s =5 5 S e § - S b Lo | o snSifragte. . b ik ,A ol i £ . o 3 5 2 ot g 5 3 m i R P A # s 4 DY a2 >, = i A o * ¥ & e ~ e, ,r, ¥ o o e 5. g & = 5% i bt e s - P - 3 WL £ 2 - A ot ¥ * e X I i % 4 13 53 i e i B S o T A o o 4 3 2] 7 o e S o x5 i & 455 A - B 4, p..w e g ot et i & e & g s - s st A = SiaAg i, o 2 ey P 5 o S 5 5 o s gk 57 = F oty 4 2 2 S £ > 0 - s L 5. e v E s i 2 R i e o i I 5 e = % 3 & e BT & s o % S 3 C e e s = = B =N = = il o ,“un,. =2 o 7 Wy 8 5 e o S 2 o A e ,‘fs o 7 2o oy RV s o i, Xy i = e s o LF v e S o W. £5 g{ e 2 L Ry s e, = Cont! b = = A 3 b P L ur“ 2 i 5 E = & s = L e & o - 5, B 22 Ay prs oty 5 e £ 3 e i . &y 5 g e gt S L5 37 ‘> ot = st 2 it e e S o, s b = 2 = T En = o : = 0 %5 e i Aoy S S e i 4 e $HREs . & & e i 3 o B \.M, 5 £ 7 T i 23 o e s 52 Rt e ks & o o ¥ i ey A 5 i i o s 5 = 4 & o I ¥ = LS i 5 ik T B 5 iy R = £ et s 5 ¥ e o~ & Fa e 3 TR = . “ i e 2 o T ¥ir B e 8 €51 ¥ B al % 2 R i T i e - s o ot w i % et e RO rmw.m. x5 = s " ¥ o e 2k e e o s B 20, ¥ 3 S B 2 - v A o 4% B8 e b 3 . 2 = m A E: - 2 £ x e B are o g2 G g 3 4 e o oS b L =t Sl &5 2 o = P 82 = 9 £ o e S e i P X Ze St = e i % B R w S o = ki~ 5 e R ;. P e i 8T = B 5 w, # B iy T 5 b % N e 2 i & ) 3L £ R, . S e % oy 2 = 3 R 3 5 Go pa 2 A 25 e e S 2% e 8 i) St FEs % = < e B 33 e R .ﬂ&» o s e - e e S S S o = e S T = e = £ ¥ P e = 2 o, o e e 5 & e ~ - 5 I, s g s Eres Svie 25 S £ o s Xy = A s 557 3 o g 5" o £ 5 o g i B o " _ & P w:’f ¢ e - & > 5 %} &5 oo ¥, e i A4 L 18 s it Sk ey i e oy * : 3 4 e g 4 3 RS o I 28 vl oy it 24 4 & ;! bt g g i N 0 % g & ag % i o = .2 1 3% L8 o A & e i Vs “ 4 b * L i e & S il i w1 e R A 2 v & X 8 4 5§ ® g Y o ) ) L o 3 s & ¥ %, 7 s P o o iy T, . 5 [P 201 ol b 5 fre 5 ik i A 39 % £4 5 s £t 2 ) P 45 £ i b5 ey 4 di g 2 2 1 i 4 = s gt il e % HE i e frd & kL % it " b » F - L ¥ 4 T U I v (Y % 3 74 & 1‘" ey b e ; %« Y& R * oE A %}} 2 -~ Mt LR 4 B A J,& i o 4 i fk A . - B A b } % o 5 & 4“‘\.* R 5y i iy B - ? R @ B gt s » ) L oy T i gt # i i 4 ;_ P 2 : Ll 3 o i A Y 0 fAs ey % :3 5 & b T & L by ¥ % I’ Nad ¥ % e o ». £ &l W »} 4 ’} 4§ ke g% " N 5 e ;) & & 4, it 4438 1 A W f ey o he gt L. ¥ o 5t e K o ' ey 1 2 23 A x(: g8 » i iy iy * v i ¥ it T 2} ' [ ) i il i il I I (! ‘? A/ i 14 { 40 il a i m,,\ # \,“m“ ) I i ) (i) AN { \ \;"1 0 1 oA HoA A l'h | ) B W f o~ ! R g ol il s ! | i 2 oA e I 1 il W [, \ ’{\"' o | I I I FALAME A i I » el 7 VT il A ) 6’(() " PN S | &\ ) i I (i i b i | | i i 1 i it i 1 /g 4 oy LAl ! | ! i | I B ]r s A | ! y ey I !\ ST i l / E, | 1] i it i ‘: 1 il i N if 'y ': | it i fl it} 'ilu i ‘l I E fil (e e (i il i i I3 (! (it ﬂ f it i | If ‘| ] ol i :; l fke W I/ i 'y il I " 0l p] i ) i [} ! A\ 4 /1 1) i -~ MINAR AT NATENS (PERSIA). TRAVELS IN LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN.. BY THE BARON C . A. DE BODE. VOL. 11 “ 11 n'y a point de description de voyage sans défaut, ni aucun voyageur exempt de tout préjugé, ainsi le parti le plus sage c’est de ne pas défendre ses opinions avec opinidtreté.”—NIEBUHR, i\ i/ / //// . hil 1 W) A N\ LA Y 4 A 75 - ¢ ) y "/ 7 / i 3 */ \ | |/ . 4 F = \ /4\ [ : 7 Pl N A L II.|l\\ > 'w { f 7 Jl | @ - = \ == ILIYATS MILKING THEIR SH EEP AND CHURNING BUTTER. LONDON : J. MADDEN AND CO., 8, LEADENHALL STREET. 1845. CONTENTS OF VOL. 1I. CHAPTER XVI. ADVENTURES AMONG THE BAKHTIYARI MOUNTAINS. Arrival at the encampment of the Bakhtiyari Chief at I\Izﬂ—A|nfr.—-l{v(:vption made me by Muhammed Taghi-Khan.—Leave this Chief with the intention of returnming to Isfahdn over the Bakhtiyari moun- tains.—First day’s journcy.—Meet with the Gover- nor-in-Chief.—TImpossibility of penetrating further into the mountains on account of the advanced season.—Retrace my steps to Mal-Amir, in company of the Modtemid.—State of his forces and those of the Bakhtiyari Chief.—The Persian artillerymen.— Jaddehi, or causeway of the Atabegs (the probable ladder-road of Diodorug-Siculus).—Istak-bal, or re- ception made to the Governor-in-Chief by Muham- med Taghi-Khan. — Bakhtiyari horsemanship. — Arrival at the tents . . CHAPTER XVIL ANTIQUITIES OF MAL-AMIR. Situation of the plain of Mal-Amir, in which remains of antiquity are found.—Cave of Shikafti-Salmin.— YOL. 11. [ v CONTENTS. Yage Sculptures in the interior of the cave.—Tablet with arrow-headed inscriptions.— External bas-reliefs on the face of the rock.—Ruins of houses from the caves down to the plain.—Cave of Salmin.— Con- Jecture about the locality of Eidej.— Cascades in the mountains of Persia.—Shishin.— Other remains of antiquity said to exist in the Bahktiyari mountains. —Description of the Jaddehi-Atabeg, or causeway of the Atabegs.—Comparison with the stone pavement of Shah-Abbas, in the Persian provinces of the Caspian Sea.—Improbability of the Jaddehi-Atabeg being originally constructed by the Seljuk chiefs of Luristdn Bizlrg. — Line of communication with Isfahdn.—Comparison between the route pursued by the Author and that of Mr. Stoqueler, across the mountaing, — Possibility of Jaddehi-Atabeg repre- senting the climax megale of Pliny, as well as the ladder-road deseribed by Diodorus Siculus v . 29 CHAPTER XVIIIL ON THE SITE OF THE UXIAN €CITY. On the probable site of the Uxian city besieged by Alexander the Great on his way from Susa to . 47 Persepolis CHAPTER XIX. ACCOUNT OF THE BAKHTIYARI TRIBES. Account of the Bakhtiyari tribes of Luristin-Bazirg. ~—Division of the country into Luristdn-Bazirg and CONTENTS. Page Luristdn-Kuchtk.—Known to the ancients as the country of the Cosseans, Uxians, and Elamites.— Traces of its ancient civilization. — Ibn Batuta’s account of Xl-Lur under the Atabegs.-—Communi- cation between India and Central Persia. — No caravans cross it at present.—A short historical account of the Bakhtiyari—A colony of this tribe divided into in Afghanistin. — The Bakhtiyari Chehar-lang and Heft-lang. — Muhammed Taghi- Khan.— Anecdote concerning him, &c.— Annual tax- ation of the Bakhtiyari Chehar-lang. — Bakhtiyari Heft-lang.—Sub-division of the tribe.—Geographical aspect of the country to the north of the Alvend range.—Sedentary and nomadic Bakhtiyari.—Taxa- tion.—Feuds between the Bakhtiyari Chehar-lang and Heft-lang.—Their predatory habits —Tenets.— Character.—Occupations.—Produce of the country. —Their sheep brought to the market of Isfahdn.— Arab horses.—Features and external appearance.— Dress.— Ghiveh. 61 CHAPTER XX. ROUTE FROM MAL-AMIR TO SHUSHTER. Quit Mal- Amir.—Different roads leading to Shshter. —Travel in company with the mountaineers of the Janeki tribe.—Come to an understanding with the brother of the Bakhtiyari Chief at parting.—Bridge of Harah-Zad.—Aspect of the country along the course of the Shah-Riben. —River of Dirto.—Pass a comfortless night at an encampment of the Tembi tribe.— Interior of their tents.— Account of the Cha’h Rp— V1 CONTENTS. Page Arabs.—Became partially known in the last century. —Capture two English vessels.— Approximative limits of the tribe at the commencement of the Sefevi dynasty.— Encamp near Haviza.—Encroach on Datrak.—Repulsed by Shah-Abbas the Great.— The Vali of Haviza or Arabistin, a vassal of the Persian Crown.— Treacherous conduct of the Arab Vali during the Afghdn invasion into Persia.—The Cha’b Arabs again encroach on Dairdk and expel the Afshars during the wars of succession in Persia. —Sheikh Suleyman. - Kerim-Khan Zend grants Hindiydn to the Cha’b Arabs.— Connexion with Persia during the reign of the late and the present Shah.— Cause of the expedition of the Pasha of Bagdad against Muhammereh.—The Sheikh declines the offer of assistance of the Bakhtiyari Chief.—The Sheikh deluded by his kinsman.—Amount of the losses sustained by the Shashteri merchants, — Muhammereh might have been easily defended.— . . . . 102 Notes CHAPTER XXI. CONTINUATION OF THE JOURNEY. Continue the journey over a hilly country.—Valley of Murde-fil inhabited by the Arab-Gomish tribe.— Sulphurous spring at the foot of the Asmari hills,.— Ruins on the plain of Gulgir.—Disappointed in my antiquarian researches.—Our appearance frightens away some Iliyat women.— Leave the place to escape an attack.— Cultivation of the fields at Gulgir.— Arrive at the encampment of the Janeki.—Ihori CONTENTS. Vil Page Shiitur-Zar.—Scenes of Iliyat life.—Comparison between the agriculturist and the shepherd.—Opinion of Lord Bacon on the subject.—An Tliyat woman enjoys more freedom and is more rvespected than the women who lead a sedentary life in Persia.— Anecdote of a Kurdish amazon.—Division of the Janeki tribe.—Resume my journey.—Arrival at Beitavend.—Deserted village.—Contrast between the highways of Europe and those of Persia.—Descrip- tion of Beitavend.— Give battle to an army of mice. —Repent of my victory. — Proceed to Shishter 124 CHAPTER XXII. ARRIVAL AT SHUSHTER. Reach Shashter.—Entertained by Mirza Sultan ’Ali Khan,—Syrup of dates and syrup of grapes.— Arrival of an Arab Sheikh.— Remove to the citadel. —Dyke of Shushter constructed by Shaptar Dhu- lektaf.—Description of the town.—Artificial irri- gation of the Meand’ab.—Taxation.—Productions.— Water communication with the Persian Gulfi— Former sugar plantations at Ahviz.—Alleged reasons for their destruction.—Ophthalmic com- plaints,— Quickness of the Shiishteri.—Improvisatori. —A Shushteri blind diviner.—Loose morals of the inhabitants . 145 CHAPTER XXIIL JOURNEY FROM SHUSHTER TO DIZFUL. Departure from Shishter to Dizfal.—My young Persian fellow-traveller. — Some account of the viii CONTENTS. Page bridge of Dizfl.— Aspect of the road.—Seized by a fit of drowsiness.—Village of Kahnek.—Ruins of Shahabéd supposed to be Jondi-Shaptr.—Incon- veniences of FEastern travelling.—Reception by Zohrab-Khan, Chief of DizfGl.—My host Mustafa Kuli-Khan.—-Suspicions attached to him.—Jnfor- mation concerning the sect of the Sabeans, generally known by the name of the Christians of St. John.— Their aversion to blue colour mentioned in Tavernier. —Similar antipathy observed among the Yezidi sect, who worship the devil.—Ceremony of the fowl among the Sabeans, Jews, and the Ali-Ildhi Gurani of Kermanshah 162 CHAPTER XXIV. VISIT TO THE RUINS OF SUSA. Visit to the ruins of Shush, or Shus (ancient Susa). —Account of the Arab Iliyats.—The tomb of the Prophet Daniel.—Wonderful property attributed to a black stone in the interior of the chapel.—The den of lions.—Jealousy of the Arabs of strangers touching any of the marble fragments at Shush.— Rivers Shaver, Dizfal, and Kerkhéh.—The great mound.—The ruins of Ivani, Kherkh, and Shaptr. —Anecdote of an Arab boy meeting two lions.— The Beni-Lam, Mutefij, Alakesir, and Ala-Chetir Arabs.—Indigo of Dizfil 186 CONTENTS. 1X CHAPTER XXV. THE AUTHOR LEAVES DIZFUL AND PENETRATES INTO LURISTAN- KUCHUK. Page Departure from Dizfal.—Aspect of the town.—River and bridge of Dizful.—Deserted palace of Muham- med Ali-Mirza.—¥Encampment of the Segvend Tliyats.—Night passed in their tents.— Arrival at Kilab.—Scene with Mirza Riza Nuri.—Anecdote of Safar Ali-Khan Jelilevend.—Various roads to Khorremabid.—A hint to travellers in the East 201 CHAPTER XXVI. CONTINUATION OF THE ROUTE. Quit Kil-ob.—Ruined fort of Kal’eh-Riza.—Graves of Dirikavend robbers.—Affecting custom among the Lur women.—Arrival at the encampment of the Boérekevend tribe.—Use of the ob-i-dGgh.— Inside of an Iliyat tent during a wet night.— Difference between travelling in the Kast and in the West.—Leave the encampment.—Cross the Ob-i-Zal.—Pass the night at Ob-i-Gherm.—Family scene.—Resume my journey.—Bid adieu to the Kerkhéh river and to the mountain of Kabir-kah.— Beautiful sight of the mountainous region beyond Joider.—Passage over the Kashgén river.—Scruples of my guide on the occasion.—Iliyat naiveté.— Remains of Pul-i-Kuréh-Dokhter, or Shapfir-bridge. —Expostulation with my host, a Yussufvend Tliyat. —The two English travellers, Captains Grant and Fotheringham, murdered m Luristdn. — Carpet- CONTENTS. Page weaving.—Resume the journey, and arrive at the encampment of Hajji-Mullah Ahmed Governor of Luristan . 216 CHAPTER XXVII. CONTINUATION OF THE ROUTE, AND ARRIVAL AT KHORREMABAD. Forces of Hajji-Mullah Ahmed in camp.— Defects in the organization of the Persian regular troops.— Nomadic life of the Chief of Khorremabad.— Departure from Madianra.—Stop for the night at Haiyat-Gheib.— Description of the place.— Various roads from MadianrG to Khorremabad.—Desert of Chle-Hal.—Departure from Haiyét-Gheib.—Valley of Dilber.—Woody country inhabited by the Chin- giini.— Plain of Khorremabad.—Black stone with Cufic inscriptions. — Arrival at Khorremabfid.— Divan-Khaneh of the Kedkhtda in my apartment 242 Ci{APTER XXVIIL ROUTE FROM KHORREMABAD TO BURUJIRD. Description of Khorremabéd.—Trade of the town. —Garden of Cypresses. Superstitious belief attached to them.—Khorremabdd destroyed by Timur.— For some time in possession of the Pasha of Bagdad. —Black monolite with Cufic inscriptions.—Depar- ture from Khorremabdd.—Arrival at the village of Resh.—Mode of baking bread.—Stability of Eastern customs,—Passage over the high chain of the Alvend — Arrival at Bardjird . 254 X1 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXIX. ACCOUNT OF THE LURISTANIL Page Deseription of Luristdn-Kuchk.—Limits.—Pish-kuh and Pusht-i-kuh.—The Alvend and Taughi-Girrah chains of mountains.—Reasons for considering the former the loftiest of the two.—Parallel system of the mountain-ridges observable in the Zagros chain. — Rivers. — Luristan-Kuchtk anciently in- habited by the Cossmans.—Traversed by Antigonus. —Later by the Arabs,—Timur’s expedition into Lu- ristan during the reign of the Atabegs.—The Valis of Luristin, Gurjistdn, Kurdistdn, and Arabistdn. —~Conduct of the Vali of Luristdn during the Afghén invasion into Persia.—Recent intrigues among the members of that family.—Division of the tribes of Luristdn-Kuchtk.—Pishi-k(h tribes. —The Silasilé.—The Dilftins.—The >Amaldh.— The Bald-Gheriveh.—The Pisht-ktth tribes.—The Feili, &c.—Taxation.—Produce of the country.— Character, rveligion, and customs of the Lurs.— Burning incense at the approach of a guest.—A gimilar custom mentioned in Ferdausi’s ¢ Shah- nameh?” as existing among Arabs in the early ages . . . . . . . 269 of the world CHAPTER XXX. DEPARTURE FROM BURUJIRD AND RETURN TO TEHERAN. Arrival at Barajird.—Theological controversy.—Ra- mazén fast.—Deseription of the provinee of Bardjird. VOL. 11, b x11 CONTENTS. Page —Revenue.—Manufactures of the town.—District of Tasarkan.—Khozrov-Mirza, the blinded Prince.— Various routes to Teherdn.— Departure from Bara- of jird.—Hissar.— Description Kéros.—Shehr-nd, or Sultanabid.—Feraghén.—Birth-place of the late Kaimacan.— Some account of the life of this Minister. —Mountainous country of Mahalat- Aga-Khan, Chief of the Izmaeli sect.—The Helej of Kim.—Opinions of the Persians concerning this people.—Saliyan.— Kim.— Arrival at Teherin.—Summary of the dis- tances between the principal places visited by the . . . . author.— Conclusion . . . . 298 BT A S AP PSEs LV LB R OBSERVATIONS ON THE MArcH or TiMURr, rroMm Toster (SHUSHTER) 10 KAL’EH SEFID ; AND ON THE PROBABLE COURSE PURSUED BY ALEXANDER THE GREAT, ON His EXPEDITION FROM SUSA TO PERSEPOLIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 825 M a ] of the (ountry & foor through which the Kam Fraz ( Avaxes ) o5 % i anc the Murgab ( Medus ) flow, with the ruins of’ MESHEDT MURGAB & PERSEPOLIS . s JW&"/ i\ from the original drawn by the Author i ) ab 3 | Y »5) A X 2\°\&\\ i % ; & & Fa of Ghud " vl hg o iy o DS )N‘&” 4y, wedbegi $- ;ﬁ% 2 Z z H g ¥ ”4[,9 Olvinan 55 At &W‘ i Bk & Bul™ Mo . <5 T % %y 23 MKiih shala i g w ghe o7 2 Ay, Kalc1 1 TEA Bl dy gy N SN ERL Bulkof Pulinog 3% abado! urak as gl 7 i Bevzo N ) i = gab8d “aq o Busnuan W \ JKaratart A % Tore thifyy Zramy; Sdrsenjan a;, o Delibid) 1 Mer®” 2, / &, v, & ey M desht 9%, o+ 40(/ "4,,/ iy, s SErons puti K Yy, e ot A “, 4 i . ba, 7 o ’“’{’Z\w”,, “ner o g ,1[ & 2 : Seale of’ l’t'r;?_iuu I"hr.mn‘q,c ” o Shiraz [t f e cereneeon oo Pewore 3 K 5 4 8 9 10 asion 4 | AR to tllustrate J B\/in'l.jh'd Baron C.A.de Bode’s |2 route f'rom m F " Dy 9% SHUSHTER To BURUJIRD 4 J '/ A i ¢ B ;:L < through Lurstan Kichik i %&’ / A tiromuthe ortginal drawn by the Author. )\ ; 16y jan Farsangs L 4 .b'm(v of" P 3 ! 6 10 A roe - e f — < . . o e et / .;‘ i H | LU = . { i “% “%y ”, %) i N T]ll'l‘(l,,“l," :I;,‘,l”, '; s ht s h’uhl .]lv z i Pt % e 5 L ilh et H iy { Madianrid 2 1O1TC) o iy { { layat Ghegh, y “Z, 2 % et (& o W ! ”, Uy 7 g iy, S v_.xh.mab/..: Z, L R T C g 5/ N o dp 5 rd i 1y 074 2% i 71, D0htey Vu,{ “I"I[lur '( i ! ;:f\; ’:‘ i\ o I % R > A® .:51 W & & S @ R 1'1/7' : k7 e 4' s, £ WY 50 E; ¢ ‘E"‘ '] e ? Kith Chenare e ; Kih Mengjerch L) Nl 4 n A ™ o Kl o S it i or -:: o £ i Hilob, :r w: o iy Av: E”\a i I Ry 4 7 i & mo! e 4 :E { ¢ HUSI —— STA \ml AR ADIS T AN % a s 'r' /& ¥ = Madden & C°lLeadenhall St 1815, LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. e e it CHAPTER XVI. Arrival at the encampment of the Bakhtiyari Chief at Mal- Amir.—Reception made me by Muhammed Taghi- Khan.—TLeave this Chief with the intention of returning to Isfahdn over the Bakhtiyari mountains.—First day’s journey.—Meet with the Governor-in-Chief.—Impossi- bility of penetrating further into the mountains on account of the advanced season.—Retrace my steps to Mil-Amir, in company of the Moétemid.—State of his forces and those of the Bakhtiyari Chief.—The Persian artillerymen.—dJaddehi, or causeway of the Atabegs (the probable ladder-road of Diodorus-Siculus).—Istak-bal, or reception made to the Governor-in-Chief by Muham- med Taghi-Khan.—Bakhtiyari horsemanship.—Arrival at the tents. Ox arriving at the encampment, [ proceeded with my fellow-traveller from Kal’eh Tual to VOL. II. B 2 TRAVELS IN the tent of the Bakhtiyari Chief, whom we had previously apprized of our coming. I found Muhammed Taghi-Khan surrounded by the different chieftains of the Arab and Lar tribes, who were assembled in Méal-Amir, in expecta- tion of the Governor-in-Chief of Laristain and Arabistan. The tent was crammed full ; how- ever, room was made, and I sat myself down at the side of my host. After the first saluta- tions were over, I inquired what news there was of the movements of the Moétemid, and whether he was soon expected. In his answers, however, Muhammed Taghi-Khan was very laconic, and I soon perceived that I was not welcomed with the cordiality to which I had been hitherto accustomed in Persia. At first I could not account for Muhammed Taghi- Khan’s strange reserve towards me ; but the mystery was afterwards unravelled. Not finding my host very agreeable in his monosyllabic humour, I soon took my leave, expressing a hope that the Khan would give directions to have me accommodated with a LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 3 tent. I found, however, that my new acquaint- ances, the Bakhtiyari, were not very hospitably inclined ; nor were they half so civil as I had invariably found Persians, even those of Beh- behan and the rude Mamaseni, to be. Had it not been for the kind exertions of my fellow- traveller, who, from having lived several months with Muhammed Taghi-Khan, seemed to be more at home, T should have waited long before the tent destined for my reception was cleared of all intruders. I had in the meantime sent the guide, to whose care Mirza Kamo had intrusted me on leaving Behbehéan to Muhammed Taghi-Khan, with a request that I might be furnished with fresh horses, as I wished to set out the next morning to meet the Governor, and as I had been obliged to send back those that had brought me from Behbehan, at Kal'eh Tul. I had taken, moreover, the precaution to bring a written order from Teheran, addressed to the provincial authorities, requesting them to fur- nish me with cattle when called upon. B 2 TRAVELS IN The guide soon returned with the answer, that Muhammed Taghi-Khan was averse to my going, and had refused to give the horses required. I well knew, that without his consent nobody in the camp durst venture to lend me any, whatever sum I might offer for their hire. His refusal, however, rendered me more anxious to depart; and I let him know, that if T could procure no horses, I would proceed on foot; but that the Moétemid would pro- bably be surprised at my mnovel mode of travelling in Persia, and would certainly inquire into the cause. I do not know whether these reasons, or any other considerations, had the desired effect of changing the Chief’s mind, but the horses were furnished the next day, and T set out on my journey. I afterwards learned why Muhammed Taghi- Khan did not wish me to see the Moétemid. It appears that the Khan is not on the best . of terms with Mirza Kamo, the Governor of Behbehan. The Bakhtiyari Chief has made several encroachments on the territory of the LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 5 latter, and has received under his protection some tribes who have deserted Mirza IKamo. It was suspected, on the other hand, that Mirza Kdmo had connived at the recent attacks which the Arabs had made on Ram-Hormuz, a place belonging of right to him, but at present in the possession of ‘the Bakhtiyari Chief. All these reasons combined made Muhammed Taghi-Khan apprehensive T had been requested by Mirza Ktimo to intercede in his favour with the Moétemid, and, in particular, to solicit the restitution of the town of Ram-IHormuz. These suppositions of Muhammed Taghi-Khan were merely the hallucinations of his own brain, for Mirza Kiéamo had never broached the subject to me, although he may, for what I know, have given instructions to that effect to the guide who accompanied me and who was one of his confidential servants. In going to join the Moétemid I had several objects in view. In the first place, I was not satisfied with the reception made PR R AR GBI 6 TRAVELS IN me by Muhammed Taghi-Khan, and did not wish to remain any longer his guest. Besides, the Governor of Isfahdn, and of the country in which I was then travelling, was advancing on the same road by which I intended to return to Isfahan, and, therefore, in going to meet him, I was not turning out of my way; and, lastly, as my time was precious, I had completely given wup the -cherished project of visiting Shtshter, Dizful, and the ruins of Stsa. I had been apprized, it is true, that the road I in order to reach meant to take, Isfahdn, was impracticable at this advanced season ; but I concluded, that if the Governor of that province had contrived to overcome the obstacles attending the passage of the mountains with an army, and even a train of artillery, surely a few individuals, lightly mounted like myself, could, with greater ease, surmount the natural obstructions of the ground. My first day’s journey took me across the plain of Mal-Amir, nearly in a direction east, LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. £ and then over several steep shoulders of the Bakhtiyari mountains by a stone pavement. This causeway, although much impaired by time, and in several places scarcely passable, from the huge stones which have been dis- joined by the rushing of torrents from the heights overhanging the road, produces still in its dilapidated state, a grand idea of the man who had conceived and executed the vast pltoject of carrying a stone road, worked in mosaic, across stupendous mountains, which otherwise would have remained as nature had formed them, insurmountable barriers to the traveller, whereas now it is, and has been for ages, the high road for caravans. No man, however little inquisitive he may be, can visit this stone causeway without asking himself the question, By whom was it con- structed ? Has the past left us no records con- History, which in general is so cerning it? prolix in commemorating events that carry in their train devastation and destruction, has it set apart no page whereon to inscribe the name T S S S S L e ———— 8 TRAVELS IN of the man who has deserved so well of poé- terity ? The causeway, it is true, goes by the name Jaddehi-Atabeg, or the high road of the Atabegs; but can it be possible that the petty chiefs of Luristan, who bore that appellation from the 12th to the 14th century, should have left behind them a monument which might do honour to Imperial Rome? They may have repaired what time and the elements, those two inveterate foes of the works of man, had conspired to destroy; but it is not likely that they should have been the original conceivers of that vast enterprise. In remounting the stream of time, and in following up the anmnals of Persia, we arrive at the glorious age of the Sasanian monarchs. The grand scale on which the causeway before us was planned and executed, might well harmonize with the grcat shadows that the Ardashirs and the Shapﬁrs cast before them, and serve as a counterpart to the massive granite dykes at Shashter, which made a Malcolm exclaim with joy, that he had LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 9 found at least one monument of ancient Persia which had for its object public utility. Had the noble-minded Thistorian of that empire visited the Jaddehi-Atabeg, he would have found another oasis on which to rest his mind, after traversing the mazes of war, rapine, with which the and destruction, pages of FEastern historical lore abound. But although a causeway of the nature of the Jaddehi-Atabeg was an enterprise commen- surate with the power of the Sasanian poten- tate, still we possess no historical evidence that it was the work of their hands; whilst we learn from the Greek and Latin writers, that the followers of Alexander, in their frequent marches and countermarches through the hilly country between Susa and Persepolis, had already met with stone pavements in the mountains, to which they applied the Greek name of Climax Megale, or, the Great Ladder- road. Had Alexander been the constructor of those causeways, his historians, who have enu- merated all the cities of which he laid the 10 TRAVELS IN foundation, would not have passed over 11 silence a work of such vast dimensions. The Jaddehi-Atabeg, therefore, I infer 18 older than the age of Alexander. Was it then erected by the sovereigns of the Kaianian dynasty, to serve as a line of communication between their western capitals and Persepolis, the cradle of their race? But is it probable that the monarchs who could elevate such lasting monuments, should at the as we learn from same time be obliged, history, to pay tribute to the mountaineers for a free passage through thgse very moun- tains, over which they had constructed a royal road for the greater convenience of travelling ? We are thus carried back from age to age, until the extended thread of Ariadne escapes our grasp, the feeble dawn of history is lost in the shadows of might, and we should be thrown into utter darkness, were not the leaves of the sacred book unfolded before us. There we read that in the youth- LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 11 ful ages of mankind, at the time when the merciful covenant was passed between God and his faithful servant Abraham, Elam possessed already her kings, (perhaps the Pishdadians of Persian romance, ) before whom other kings bowed their knee; whilst at a later period an inspired prophet again mentions Elam among the con- quering nations which spread terror in the world. An impatient and inquisitive reader, with the provoking ¢ Ah! passons au deluge” on his lips, might put the question to me, ¢ Do you, then, pretend to say, that the Jaddehi- Atabeg was originally constructed under the reign of Chaderlaomer, king of FElam, whom the holy Scriptures mention in the fourteenth chapter of Genesis?” My answer would be short—¢ I do not know.” But can any learned antiquary of your acquaintance prove the con- If he can, I shall feel particularly trary ? obliged to him for the information. In the meanwhile, I feel great pleasure in thinking that I am treading on the same pave- 12 TRAVELS IN ment, where, for thousands and thousands of years back, Chaderlaomer had marched his troops to join his Royal confederates, of Shinar, of Ellasar, and Tindal, King of Nations, to make war upon the kings of Sodom and Go- morrah, before the wrath of heaven had fallen on those wicked cities. Where history refuses to lend her torch, the imagination of a traveller in the wild and unfrequented haunts of the Bakhtiyari, may be allowed free scope to roam, without requiring any leading-strings. Yes, that is all very well ; but, in giving way to my fancy, I have likewise slackened the bridle of my pony, and, as the ground on which T am travelling is not very even, I must rein in both my chargers, in order to preserve myself from the flights of the one and the stumbling of the other, for both might bring me down, and, as I have yet a long journey in prospect, je dois ménager ma monture. On stopping at the ruined karavanserai of Chehar-Deh, or Kal’eh-Medresseh, in the midst LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 13 of the mountains, I found great preparations going on for the reception of the Moétemid, who, I learned, was expected the same day. Not giving implicit credit to these reports, I still pressed on, but the road became so intricate among the hills, covered with forest wood, and in parts blocked up by the approaching host from Isfahian; our horses were likewise so knocked up, the rain also coming down in torrents, that I was obliged to return to the encampment at the karavanserai, where a small tent was procured for me, and another for my attendants, by a younger brother of the Bakhtiyari Chief, named Ali Naghi-Khan, who came to make the necessary preparations for receiving the Governor. The Moétemid, however, did not arrive till the next day, and then halted a day longer to allow the artillery carriages to come up. He was greatly surprised to find me among these mountain fastnesses, and especially in company of the Bakhtiyari, and was no less curious to know how I had succeeded in pene- 14 TRAVELS —IN trating through the country of the Mamaseni, He recollected the rendezvous he had given me, when we parted at Isfahin, to meet again at Shtshter, an invitation I accepted at the time, but he had imagined, that on arriving at Shirdz, I should have been dissuaded from undertaking the journey on account of the uncertainty of the road. I told him when a Frengi gives his word he considers himself bound to keep it, at least as far as circums- stances (over which man has not always the control) will allow of it; that the impedinients were far from being such as could have war- ranted me in backing out of the fulfilment of my promisé ; On the contrary, I had been received everywhere with hospitality, and treated with kind attention, with one solitary exception. But now that we had met, I begged to decline his offer of accompanying him to Shishter, as I had little time left at my disposal, and wished to return by the shortest way to Teheran. The Moétemid assured me that I must give ~ LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 1 [24 up the idea of penetrating to Isfahén by the way he had just come, because since his cross- ing the main chain of mountains deep falls of snow had completely choked up the avenues leading in that direction, so that even foot- paths did not exist, and that at present his only means of communication with the seat of government at Isfahin was over Bar(jird, where the great chain of Zagros presented a considerable falling off. This was the only practicable route for me to follow, if I did not wish to retrace my steps by the road I had already travelled. In this dilemma I had no choice left but to decide between Shiraz and Barajird; and as the distance to Teheran was nearly the same, I preferred the latter, as being the more novel of the two, and as it would enable me to see Shtshter and Dizful, although I had to encounter in this direction the wild tracts of Luristin Kachtk. I there- fore accepted the Khan’s invitation to accom. pany him, at least as far as Mal-Amir, where he intended to make some stay. Thus a part 16 TRAVELS IN of the road between Stsa and Isfahén, which latter town the Rev. Mr. Williams identifies with Ecbatana, and supposes the mountainous tract leading to it to be replete with interesting monuments of antiquity, still remains a terra incognita. The forces of Manucher-Khan, the Moétemid Daulet, consisted of one regiment of serbazes, or regular infantry (the fauj-Khoi, from the province of Aderbeijan) of 1,000 mounted gulams, a well-armed cavalry, and of three field-pieces (I think six-pounders), with 150 artillerymen. His whole moving camp may have mustered about 2,500, with 3,000 horses and mules, the carriage cattle included. This display of military force in the wild and tur- bulent part of the country in which we now were, was the argument best suited to impress on the minds of the inhabitants the neces- sity of obeying the orders of the Shah, and the surest means of enabling the Governor to collect the taxes. The Bakhtiyar Chief was not backward in 17 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. making a parade of his forces, in order to show his means of resistance according to circum- stances. nerve to He had strained every collect around him all his adherents, or all such as feared to disoblige him. It was asserted that he had above 5,000 under his orders at Mal-Amir, but I doubt the fact. Independently of his own clan, the Janeki and the Bakhtiyari Cheharleng, some of the Khogilt tribes, the Bakhmei, and the inhabitants of Ram-Hormuz had flocked to his standard. The reception which Muhammed Taghi- Khan gave to the Moétemid was really very splendid. The Governor-in-Chief broke up his camp at Chehar-deh, or Kal’eh-Medresseh, on the 5th of February, as soon as he had received intelligence that the artillery train had cleared a difficult pass, and was in the van of the moving columns; we then mounted our horses and followed them. It was not long ere we overtook the guns, as they were advancing very slowly on account of the bad road. The topchi, or artillery-men, VOL. II. C 18 TRAVELS IN experienced great difficulty in getting them up the paved ascent of the hills, which formed part of the causeway of the Atabegs. The huge stones had been detached from each other in the course of time by the mountain torrents, which had quite swept away many; while others lay scattered along the high- road, impeding the progress of wheel car- I cannot proceed without paying a riages. just tribute of praise to the Persian artillery- men The Persian artillery is by far the most efficient corps of the whole army. 1 am aware that this is not saying much, as both the regular and irregular forces of the country are in a most deplorable state; still less do it with the superior I mean to compare organization of this branch in the different states of Europe, because the Persians are completely ignorant of the scientific part of artillery. The praise I wish to bestow relates only to the artillery-men, who form the most hardy, the most active, and the most intel- LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 19 ligent corps in the whole army. It is quite a subject of wonder to see over what moun- tains, and through what intricate passes they carry their guns, without any previous pre- paration for facilitating their march, as the Persians never employ engineers to ascertain previously the nature of the ground they are to traverse, when engaged in their military expeditions. To give the guns time to move on, the Moétemid reined in, fond of and being sporting ordered his men to beat about the bushes in quest of game: while he himself with his party rode up an eminence attended by his falconers. As soon as the red-legged partridges* were forced to quit their hiding- and were places among the craggy rocks, making a sweep down into some more secluded glen, a hawk was loosened from the string by which it is held on the hand, and pounced on its prey as swift as an arrow. Some of * Francolini, as Marco Polo calls them. 02 20 TRAVELS 1IN these poor fear-stricken partridges suffered themselves to be captured with the hand without offering to fly away, for as long as they see the hawk hovering above them in the air they will not stir. This kind of pastime reminded me of olden times, when our Russian Boyars, and the proud Barons of feudal Europe, thought it their noblest occupation, after that of war, to spend their leisure hours in the sports of the field. In this respect, as in many others, Christian civilization has taught men to turn their minds to more serious and more rational pursuits. In order to descend into the plain of M4l- Amir we had again to proceed along a stone causeway, which, at the summit of the hill, branches off in two directions, and unite again at its foot, leaving a deep ravine in the interval between them. In going to meet the Moé- temid, T had followed one of these roads, I now chose the other; but I found it in a much more dilapidated state than the former, 21 LU' RISTAN AND ARABISTAN. and in some parts so abrupt, so narrow, and with the stones so completely dislodged, that it was as much as I could do to drag the horse after me, at the risk of tumbling along with it down the precipices. I am inclined to think that this must have been the more ancient road of the two; per- haps the very one alluded to by Diodorus Siculus, as the ladder-road over the moun- tains.* It is probable that when the pave- ment had become out of repair, the Atabegs of Luri Bztrg in the middle ages caused a more convenient road to be made up the same hill close to the other, but with more circuitous turnings, in order to break the steepness of the ascent. Hence the name of Jaddehi-Atabeg, or high road of the Atabegs, which it retains to this day. The two little sons of Muhammed Taghi- Khan were sent on before by their father to make their bow to the Moétemid, while * See chapter xvii. for more ample information on the subject. 22 TRAVELS 1IN he himself met the Governor-in-Chief near to the place of encampment; just in the same manner as twenty centuries back Abulites, the Governor of Susa, sent out his son to welcome Alexander beyond the Choaspes (the Kerkheh river ), and afterwards came himself to greet that monarch.* The Moétemid embraced the boys, and said a few kind words to each, as they were lifted off their saddles by their lalas or tutors. The elder brother, a boy of eight or nine years old, was a quick, intelligent lad, and performed his part remarkably well. Children in Persia are generally taught at a very early age to affect in public all the reserve and stiffness of grown-up persons ; and although it may give pleasure for the moment to see them so well behaved in society, the thought is not less painful when we consider that all these studied manners, while they * See Quintus Curtius, lib. v., and note at the end of the chapter, LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 23 cramp the natural elasticity of youth, only produce deceit and falsehood. Muhammed Taghi-Khan came next, accom- panied by a numerous train of horsemen, well armed and well mounted. Kach man had three pistols, a matchlock, and a sabre. The horses were well broken in, and singly went through the different evolutions of the Persian manége admirably well, doing credit to them- selves and their riders. I mnever saw a more splendid show of beautiful Arab horses than on that occasion. The cavalry was filed in one line, and discharged a volley as the Moé- temid came up. On the ridge of a hill to the left, and close to the road, Muhammed Taghi-Khan had placed his Tufengchi, or musketeers, who saluted the Governor m the same manner. After the cavalry came all a motley crowd of people on foot, stationed in a row, in order to extend the line as much as possible. Most of them were armed with clubs, but a few had firearms. At the approach of the Moétemid they gave P e 24 TRAVELS IN a loud cheer, or it will, perhaps, be more true to nature, if I say they set up a hideous yell, and their wild accents were caught up and repeated by a grumbling echo in the mountains. They produced likewise a strange loud noise by clapping their lips with the palm of the hand. These were the rough mountaineers of Libristan Bazarg, the worthy offspring of those Uwians who exacted of Alexander the same tribute which their own kings were wont to pay them whenever they crossed through their country. | A frantic troop of wild Bakhmei now rushed on our sight, brandishing their naked swords and striking them in cadence against small shields, a performance very similar to the Affghan war-dance. While they were twist- ing and turning before us like the very whirl- wind of the desert, Kara-ghuzli (the Eastern Punch) with his associates the lutis (buffoons), was cutting capers to the infernal music of the Shiushteri performers. As the plain spread out before us, the young LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 25 Bakhtiyari showed off their skill in horseman- ship, and in throwing the jerid, a short stick, which in galloping they cast before them on the ground with great force, and catch it as it rebounds in the air. Sham fights and desultory firing lasted till we reached the camp at Mal-Amir, where the Moétemid was met by his farashes, or tent-pitchers, with long elastic rods to clear the way before their master as they preceded him, dealing blows right and left, unmindful whom and where they hit. The greater the noise they raise, the louder the lashes resound, the greater importance is attached to the character of the personage to whom they belong; and as the importance of the master is reflected on the servants, 1 leave it to the reader to decide whether the farashes in such cases are sparing of their manual exercise. Independently of this class of menials, the Shah, when he goes out, is preceded by a whole troop of executioners, or nasakchi, dressed in red, and the felekchi, or administrators of the bastinado, all of them armed with the weapons of their respective offices. 26 TRAVELS IN In this manner was the Governor conducted to his tents, followed on foot by all the chiefs and great men of the place who did not receive their murahas, or leave to depart, until the Moétemid was seated in his tent. The reception made to Manucher-Khan was, according to Asiatic ideas, not wanting in any essential point; for even sheep, cows, and buffaloes were slanghtered on his way, as a kurban, or sacrifice offered up to the great man As soon as all these ceremonies were over, I hastened to the caves of Shikafti-Salmdn, which I had visited for the purpose of drawing the bas-reliefs on my first arrival at Mal-Amir. I now wished also to copy the arrow-headed inscription in the cave, but T soon found that task utterly impracticable, the characters were so close to each other, and so much effaced by the effects of damp, the water oozing through the rock, that after a few attempts I gave it up. I then applied to the Moétemid for the means of visiting Shashan, which lies in the mountaing about four farsangs to the north of Mal-Amir, 21 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. in the country of the Dinaruni, and ‘to which Major Rawlinson has drawn the attention of the learned world by the ‘opinion he entertains that Shashan is the palace where the Prophet But here again I met Daniel had his vision.* with obstacles, all the horses of the Moétemid were too much fatigued, and the cattle Muham- med Taghi-Khan sent me and my party were so lean and miserable that they never could have carried us across the steep mountains. As 1 could not tarry any longer, I was obliged to relinquish my project, much disappointed. * Journal of the R. G. S., vol. ix. p. 85. L, NOTE TO CHAPTER XVI Page 22.—This ancient custom, which has been so faith- fully preserved unto the present day in Persia, might serve when in connexion with other proofs, to as an argument, show that the Choaspes is the present Kerkheh, and not the Kurén stream, and therefore thai t Susa occupied the site of the ruins of Shus, an d not the town of Shushter. For if it were the latter, Abulites would have met the conqueror at the river Karen running close the very gates of the town, to its walls; whereas the Ke rkheh, although not far, is 28 TRAVELS IN LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. still sufficiently distant from the high mound of Shis, to have allowed the act of Abulites to pass as a mark of Had he deference and respect to the Macedonian hero. done less, he would have laid himself open to censure, for having committed, according to Kastern notions, a breach of etiquette, in not advancing sufficiently far to greet his noble guest ; an affront which Alexander was not a man tamely to brook, nor Abulites, probably, in his critical position, over-anxious to offer. I believe the very circumstance of Quintus Curtius mentioning that the son of Abulites conducted Alexander to the river Choaspes, where he was met by the Governor of Stisa, proves that the river was at some distance, else the historian would rather have named the town to which his hero was led, than the river which happened to lave its walls. In the presence of the principal object all secondary ones fall into the shade; for it was more than probable that Alexander was indifferent to the waters of the Choaspes, notwithstanding that they formed “the drink ) of none but kings ;’ although it may have been otherwise with him in respect to the treasures of the Persian kings, which were hoarded at Stsa. CHAPTER XVII. Situation of the plain of Médl-Amir, in which remains of antiquity are found.—Cave of Shikafti-Salméin.—Sculp- tures in the interior of the cave.—Tablet with arrow- headed inscriptions.—External bas-reliefs on the face of the rock.—Ruins of houses from the caves down to the plain.—Cave of Salmin.— Conjecture about the locality of Eidej.—Cascades in the mountains of Persia.— Shishdn. — Other remains of antiquity said to exist in the Bakh- o, or tiyari mountains.—Description of the Jaddehi-Atabe t-1] causeway of the Atabegs.—Comparison with the stone pavement of Shah-Abbas, in the Persian provinces of the Caspian Sea.—Improbability of the Jaddehi-Atabeg being originally constructed by the Seljuk chiefs of Lristdn Bhzirg.—Line of communication with Isfahan. —Comparison between the route pursued by the Author and that of Mr. Stoqueler, across the mountains.— Possibility of Jaddehi-Atabeg representing the climax megale of Pliny, as well as the ladder-road deseribed by Diodorus Siculus. Tue plain of Mal-Amir (Commander’s wealth ) is above two farsangs in length from south to north, and in some parts nearly two farsangs in breadth. It is surrounded by hills, the 30 TRAVELS IN highest chain of V;hich lies to the north-east, and extends in a southern direction to the Mungasht mountains. Mal-Amir has fine green meadows, and is watered by mountain-streams. Tt has also two lakes, called Shatt-bend, one on the north-west, and the other on the east side of the plain; but I was told that they are sometimes dried up. Zakharya Kazvini speaks of a lake in these parts, which he calls Hom- al-Bawab.* On this plain are several artificial mounds, of different sizes, one of which may be com- pared in height with the grand mound at Shash, near Dizfal. It lies three-quarters of a farsang to the east of some natural caves in the hills; the intervening space, both in the plain and up the slope of the mountain, bearing traces of former habitations. In these caves I found some very curious remains of antiquity. The lesser cave to the right has some huge stones cemented together, which may have served for the base of an altar. I shall pre- * Uylenbroke’s “ Irace Persica Descriptio,” &ec., p. 31. = = S N W —— W i il B —— gt N eh INE il i ) § Ay r;‘ T L \ A ! i i i\ I ! .‘&k\“" f [ \{“ i ¥y ‘;mtﬂ N 2 Iy 1y i = 2 vl i \1\»; \ ] (i P B 15 Wt} Ll ) gl ) l,kaaz%ﬁ-ﬁ, : i f (e ot it [t e % A\ T \® N iz g G § " iid S ) 4 i i | (TN i T i i li BN \ll 0 ! Qi i ) | i\ i | b il Vs ||Il({“ i 3 & Agn= - I 44 -+ e, < 7 - 7 i _f,’ o= e iy i N {0 Ay < W 'u(" i i — Z AN | S0 {4 AP (PERSIA). BAS-RELIEF OF SHIKOFTI-SALMAN, AT MAL-AMIR 31 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. sently explain the reason which makes me think so. In the more spacious cavern on the left of this one, are two colossal figures, sculp- tured on the wall, but nearly obliterated by the water constantly oozing through the crevices of the rock, and the excessive dampness of the cave. An immense inscription, which takes up nearly the whole space between the figures, has suffered equally from the same causes. One of the figures is represented in profile, and looks towards the smaller cave, (where, I presume, the altar must have stood,) with his hands clasped, and in what seems to be an atti- tude of adoration. The outlines of the figure are in good proportion, and I could discern some arrow-headed characters on his short The figure to the left is less garment. graceful, and has its face turned full to the beholder. It has a long beard, ending in two curls, and a lock of hair falling down the right shoulder, somewhat in the Hebrew fashion. We read in the Pentateuch the following passage :— 32 TRAVELS IN “ All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled in which he separateth himself unto the ILord, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.” (Numb. vi. 5.) The inscription I have just alluded to con- sists of thirty-three lines, from eight to ten feet in length. The slab with the cuneiform inscription at Shash has the same number of lines. It is in arrow-headed characters, but so much injured by the water penetrating through the rock and dripping down the side of the wall, that, though I scrambled up to have a nearer view of it, I was obliged to relin- quish the idea of making a copy. On the opposite side, or to the right of the smaller cave, are two more bas-reliefs on the external face of the rock, and these are in a much better state of preservation than the former, owing to the harder texture of the The stone on which they are sculptured. foremost consists of the figures of a man and LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 33 woman, with a child between them. Their arms are folded, and their faces, but not their whole bodies, turnc.. in profile towards the altar. The man 1% broad-shouldered, and has a beard; he wears an angular cap, and is dressed in a tunic, which does not reach below the knee, with short sleeves, like the felt coats worn at this day by the Bakhtiyar Tliyats. The head of the female is carefully and taste- fully worked out : the features are delicate and regular, and the head-dress somewhat resembles the chaste style of the Grecian statues. The mnext bas-relief has in front the figures of two adult males and two children, and in the rear the figure of a female. They are all turned the same way, pointing, apparently, The with their fingers towards the altar. foremost is dressed nearly in a similar fashion to the male figure in the previous group: the second has a round cap, such as 1s worn at the present day by some of the Bakhtiyari, and made of felt. The head-dress of the female VOL. IT D 34 TRAVELS IN resembles the high turban of the Jewish women, projecting forwards. This spot bears the‘name of Shikafti-Salméan, among the Mussulmans, from a third cave, in which are interred the mortal remains of Salman, the tutor and friend of Hezreti-’Ali. According to the doctrine of the Ali-Illahi sect, both tutor and pupil are associated in a joint incarnation. Ram-IHormiz, fourteen or fifteen miles distant from the caves at Mal-Amir, is supposed to be the native place of Salman.* In the area before the caves, and on the slope, which extends down into the plain, there are numerous remains of habitations. The houses must have been crowded one above the other. I had observed a similar appear- ance at Kal'eh Gebr. I do not remember to * Tavernier, speaking about Ram-Hormuz, which he writes Rem-Hormous, adds,—* Les Persans disent que ¢’est dans cette ville que naquit Selmon, qui fut Pére nourrissier & Aly gendre de Mahomet, qu’il éleva tendrement, le portant entre ses bras en son enfance.” (See Tavernier, “ Voyage en Perse,” &e., liv. iii., page 404.) LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 35 have seen any bricks: all the buildings are of freestone, cemented with a very hard whitish plaster. On the plain fragments of this stone and mortar lie scattered about to a vast extent; and if the town of Eidej was mnot situated on the banks of the river Halegn it may have stood here. In spring, and during the rainy season, a beautiful cascade rushes down from the top of the hill between the two external bas-reliefs, Similar and must present a splendid spectacle. cascades are to be seen in the Albtrs Chain. There is one at Pas-Kaleh in the Shemiran mountains, not far from Teheran, which the late Fet'h-Ali-Shah used to visit in summer to enjoy the coolness, as well ‘as the beauty of Another waterfall occurs between the spot. the mountain villages of Kand and Soleygan, four farsangs north-west of Teheran. There is likewise a splendid cascade on the road to Mazanderan after descending the Gadilk pass, and one or two more on the w ay from Isfahan to the districts of Chehar-Magal and Fereidan, D 2 36 TRAVELS 1IN in the Dalan-Kuh chain of the Bakhtiyari mountains. Four farsangs to the mnorth of M&l-Amir, beyond a high range of mountains, is Shushén, on the river Kuren, in the district of Dinartin ; but as time did not allow me to visit that interesting spot, and as Mr. Layard has given a description of it, I shall not dwell on this subject.* I have only to observe, that on my return to Teheran I was informed by a Bakhtiyari Chief of the Heft-leng tribe of the existence of a cavern in a rock, one day’s march west from Shushan, and two from Shtshter. At the entrance of this cave, or labyrinth, are some sculptured figures to the right and left of a long inscription, which, according to the description of my informant, must be in the arrow-headed characters. Causeway of the Atabegs.—As the causeway generally known by the name of Jaddehi- Atabeg, or the highroad of the Atabegs, is in * See note at the end of the chapter. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 37 the vicinity of Mal-Amir, and has been in part visited by me, I may venture here to offer some remarks in addition to those I have pre- viously given. The great line of communication which formerly existed between Susiana and central Persia lay across a chain of mountains, which is a continuation of the Zagros and the Alvend; but as the road presented many difficulties on account of the ruggedness of the country, it is natural to suppose that this circumstance must have early attracted the attention of the ancient rulers of the land, and suggested the propriety of rendering it more practicable. We con- sequently find that the steepest ascents and descents of the mountains are paved with huge blocks of hewn stone. The pavement may be from eight to nine feet in breadth, and between every fifteen or twenty blocks broad slabs of stone are laid across the way to keep the intermediate masonry firm. These are, as it were, the ligatures of the causeway. Although this 38 TRAVELS IN pavement is now in some places much dilapi- dated, it is, on the whole, in better preservation than the much more modern causeway of ’Abbas the Great in Mazanderan; and it can be easily accounted for. The pavement of ’Abbas has given away more rapidly on account of the more yielding soil on which it was erected, and the greater moisture near the Caspian. The colossal character of the causeway named Jaddehi-Atabeg, induces me to refer its construc- tion to a remoter period than the Seljuk domi- nion in Persia. The Atabegs of Luri Buazarg, we learn from Ibn Batuta,* were only petty rulers in this district, under the Sultans of Irak, and therefore not likely to have been the authors of so vast an undertaking. Possibly they may have repaired the road, having to use it whenever they went to pay their court to their liege lord at Isfahan;+ hence it may have been called the road of the Atabegs. I have already observed in a pre- * See Chap. vii. translated by Professor Lee. t Ibn Batuta, Chap. vii. in Lee’s Translation, LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 39 ceding chapter that the ascent from the plain of Mal-Amir has two paved roads, of which the better pavement, and probably the more modern, may possibly have been constructed by the Atabegs. I obtained from the brother of the Bakhtiyari Chief, Ali Naghi-Khan, who had conducted the Moétemid across the mountains, the following list of stations at the Jaddehi-Atabeg, between Mél-Amir and Isfahan. The road, although very difficult in many places, was still found practicable by the Governor of Isfahan, who brought with him across the mountains two field-pieces, six-pounders. From Mal-Amir to Chehar-deh, or Kal’eh- Medresseh; to Dehi-diz; to Revaz; to HeltGsad; to Armen; to Lurdegtin; to Felad; to Semiran; to Kari, or to Kumishéh; and from thence, by the usual road, to Isfahan. In comparing this itinerary with the route which Mr. Stocqueler followed from Behbehan to Isfahan,* we find that both these roads meet * See the note at the end of Chapter XIL p. 325, 40 TRAVELS IN at a place called Felad (Pellaut, in Mr. Stocqueler’s journal), and from thence follow the same direction till Kumishéh, on the direct road from Shirdz to Isfahan. Mr. Stocqueler further adds, that from Pellaut (Felad), there is a beaten road which leads to Shiraz. This cir- cumstance is of great importance, as it shows that the Jaddehi-Atabeg not only served as a line of communication between Susiana and Media, but likewise connected directly Susiana with Persis Proper. May it not, therefore, answer Pliny’s description of the Climax-Megale, which, according to this author, was in one of the interior districts not far from Media, and leading by a narrow passage towards Persepolis.* * This passage in Pliny, lib. vi. cap. 31, runs thus in the French version, by Sivry, Histoire Naturelle, &c., Pline le Jeune :— “Dans un canton de lintérieur (du pays des Perses) vers les Médes il y a un lieu appelé d’un nom grec (Climazx- Megale) ou Pon monte avec peine, et au moyeu d’ échellons, sur une montagne escarpée au haut de laquelle était une issue étroite pour arriver i Pcrséplolis capitale du Royaume détruit par Alexandre.” 41 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. The Climax-Megale rof Pliny could not have been in the mountains between Shirdz and Kazertn at Kateli-Dokhter (asserted by some authors), as that would be much too far from Media. If the Ladder-road of Diodorus Siculus be identical with the one just mentioned in Pliny, then the probability of its being represented by the Jaddehi-Atabeg becomes still greater. The direction pursued by Eumenes from the Pasitigris (Kdren) to Persepolis, and the in- dication Diodorus gives of his route, both militate in favour of this conjecture, and agree with the features of the Atabeg road. The passage in question, which I translate from the French version of Diodorus by Miot, is as follows:— « Fumenes, after his victory over Antigonus, raised the camp which he had established on marched across Persia the Pasitigris, and towards the city of Persepolis, one of the royal residences, from which he was at the time distant 'about twenty-four days’ march. The 42 TRAVELS IN first part of the road to the place called the Ladder, lay along a hollow way exposed to the excessive heat of the season, and unpro- vided with any means of subsistence; but for the next, which ascended over the mountain, it enjoyed a perfectly salubrious climate, and abounded in provisions of all kinds. This portion of the route, intersected by frequent valleys of great beauty, and furnished with a pleasant shade, presented many richly cultivated gardens covered with trees, grouped by nature, and irrigated by numerous rivulets of water, affording to travellers spots as agrecable to the eye as they are favourable to repose. The country abounded in great herds and flocks of all Kkinds, which the people, at the request of Peucestes, brought into the camp.”* * “Kuménes (apres sa victoire remportée sur Antigone) leva le camp qu'il avait sur le Pasitigre, et se dirigea & travers la Perse vers la ville de Persépolis, une des résidences royales dont il se trouvait pour le moment éloigné de vingt-quatre jours de marche. La premiére partie de la route jusqu’ au liéu nommé, Les Echelles, suivait un LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 43 One cannot give a more correct or concise description of the Jaddehi-Atabeg, than by calling it * Les chemin des Echelles,” or the Ladder-road, because it is chiefly composed of This steps paved up and down the hills. latter part of the road, compared with the routes which lie south of the Great Chain, is reckoned much cooler, as it passes through a high mountainous country, and through the valleys which intersect it. The hills are like- wise covered with thick forests, and number- less streams flow from the snowy range of —d ke - chemin Creux, exposé & la chaleur excessive de la saison, et depourvu de moyens de subsistance, mais pour le reste sélevant sur les montagnes jouissait d’un air parfaitement salubre et abondait en vivres de tout genre. Cette portion de la route coupée fréquemment de vallées agréables et ombragées, offrait quantité de jardins riches en agriculture, couverts d’arbres groupés naturellement et arosés pas de nombreux cours d’eau, de maniére a4 présenter aux voyageurs des lieux aussi fiants i la vue que favorables au repos. La contrée nourrigsait de plus grands troupeaux de’ toute espice que les habitants sur la demande de Peuceste amenérent au camp,” &e., &c. (See vol. vi., liv. xix., chap. 21, p. 4, in Miot’s translation of Diodorus.) 44 TRAVELS IN mountains, of which the Zardeh-KGh and whilst the lower the Ardekan form part, southern hills have few trees and much less water. I offer these suggestions with diffidence, as they are at variance with some high autho- rities, who have treated of the subject; but as this part of the country has been for many ages a complete ferra incognita, and even at present is but partially known, it is not surprising there should have existed a diver- sity of opinions founded only on ancient authorities, which are mnot always clear and precise. S —— NOTE TO CHAPTER XVIL The reader may, perhaps, feel interested to have an account of Sushdn from an eye-witness, I therefore extract a passage of Mr. A. H. Layard’s communication to the Royal Geographical Society of London, on the subject :— “ The plain of Mel-Amir is separated from the valley of the Kuran by a ridge of hills of considerable height. There are two roads across these hills to Susan. The I had distance may be between fifteen and twenty miles. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 45 much difficulty in reaching Susan, the neighbourhood of which is inhabited by a tribe of the Dinaruni, notorious for their predatory habits. Unfortunately I was robbed on my way thither of my watch, compass, and many other things, which would have proved exceedingly useful to me. I have experienced the difficulty of obtaining correct information as to things and places from Persians ; and I am not surprised that Major Rawlinson should have been At Susan misled by their exaggerated accounts. there are scarcely any remains which would indicate the site of a large city ; and those ruins which do actually exist are all confined to the northern bank of the river. I do not doubt, however, that a large city did once exist here ; but there are no mounds of any size, or columns, or even hewn stones and bricks. On either side of the river, which enters and leaves the valley of Susan by narrow and almost impassable gorges, there are the remains of ancient roads, and the river was formerly spanned by a bridge, four buttresses of which remain and attest the The tomb of Daniel stupendous nature of the building. is neither of white marble, nor are there any sacred ﬁs}l: it is a comparatively modern building, of rough stones, It is regarded with great containing two apartments. veneration, and is always known by the name of Gebr Daniel Akbar, or the Greater Daniel, in contradistinction to the one at Shus. There is an inscription near the tomb, which, however, from the extreme jealousy and suspicions of the people, I was unable to see. The story of the black stone of Shus had reached them, and they conceived that T I trust, however, to be wished to carry off their talisman. 46 TRAVELS IN LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN, The able to visit the place under more favourable auspices. river Kuran is here a fine broad stream, the water of ex- quisite clearness, and remarkable throughout the country for I found it fordable in one place only. I its good qualities. hear of another place called Susan, in the mountains, to the north-east of the place I visited. There are also here, I am told, the ruins of a large city, and adjoining a very extraor- dinary work : a mountain known by the name of Koh Kai- kou, is said to have been cut through to afford a passage for a considerable stream, which formerly formed a lake. I am also informed that there are numerous cuneiform inscrip- tions in the neighbourhood. Making considerable allowance for exaggeration, it is probable that there are ruins and This Susan is known works at this place worthy of a visit. as Susan Sir Aub, to distinguish it from the other place of the same name, and is situated upon a considerable stream running into the Kuran.” (See ““Journal of the Royal Greographical Society,” vol. xii. p. 103—4.) CHAPTER XVIIL On the probable site of the Uxian city besieged by Alexan- der the Great on his way from Susa to Persepolis. On~ re-perusing Quintus Curtius’ description of the march of Alexander the Great from Susa to Persepolis, I am struck with the resemblance which the description of the situation of the town of the Uxians, besieged by the Macedonian Conqueror, bears to the vicinity of the caves of Shikéfti-Salmén, in the country of the Bakhtiyari. The country of the Uxii lay between Susiana and Persis, east of the Pasitigris (the Kiren) and west of the Oroatis (either the Kirdistan or Abi-Shirin river).* The southern part of this district is a flat plain ; the northern a mountainous region. The town of the Uxians was situated in a hilly country, consequently we must look for * See Arian, b. iii. c. xviii, and Pliny, lib. vi. ¢. xxvii. 48 TRAVELS IN it in a northern direction. We learn from Quintus Curtius the number of days Alexander took to reach the left bank of the Pasitigris from Susa, but he does not mention how many days more were required for him to reach the town of the Uxil. The distance, however, could not have been very considerable, else surely some of Alexander’s historians would have alluded to it, whereas they are silent on the subject. In the absence of positive infor- mation, perhaps the safest plan is to examine whether any part of the country answers the description ancient authors give of the situation of this town, and whether any ruins exist on that spot. Both these conditions are fulfilled on the plain of Mél-Amir. I shall, in the first place, quote the passage in Curtius, in which the situation of the town of the Uxii is indicated. “ Individuals,” says Curtius, ““of local know- ledge, apprized Alexander that there was a by-track through the defiles leading to the back of the city, where a small light-armed 49 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. detachment might climb an eminence command- This counsel approved, and ing the enemy. those who had imparted it selected as guides, the King directed Tauron, with 1,500 mer- cenaries and about 1,000 Agrians, to penetrate in that direction after sunset. Alexander on his part broke up the camp at the third watch, Having and at daybreak had passed the Straits. cut materials for hurdles and rolling frames, to cover those who should advance the engines, he began to besiege the town. All around crags, rocks, and precipices obstructed access. The soldiers, therefore, wounded in numbers, were repulsed, for they had to conflict, not only with Again they their enemy, but with the place. moved up, rallied by Alexander, who stood among the foremost. ¢Are you mnot ashamed, having conquered so many fortified cities, to waver in the siege of a s mall obscure castle?’ The King was now attacked with missiles, he could not be induce d to withdraw, and the a tortoise with their bucklers to soldiers formed protect him. At length Tauron appeared with - VOL. 1T I 50 TRAVELS IN the detachment above the fort. 'This display caused the enemy to droop, and the Macedo- nians to fight with augmented vigour. The inhabitants of the town were pressed by two divisions, of which the assault was irresistible; many were solicitous to fly; a great number escaped nto the fort, hence they sent out deputies to Alexander, to implore quarter.” Further on the author adds, that messengers were likewise sent to Sisygambis to solicit her intercession with Alexander in behalf of the inhabitants, and Alexander granted, not only amnesty to Madates, but liberty and immunity both to the captives and the inhabitants, surren- dering, the city he left untouched, and the inha- bitants permitted to cultivate their lands tax free.* Arrian’s account of the siege may also be referred to with advantage.t * See Pratt’s Q. Curtius, chap. iii. book v. t I use Chaussard’s translation :— “ Alexandre part de Suse avec son armée, passe le Pasitigre et entre dans de pays des Uxiens, ete. Il prend LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 51 “ Alexander leaves Susa with his army, crosses the Pasitigris and enters the country of the Uxians, &ec. He takes with him his guards, the Hypaspists, and eight thousand men from avec lui ses gardes les Hypaspistes, et huit mille hommes du reste de I'armée, et se dirigeant de nuit par un chemin détourné ayant pour guides des Susiens, il franchit en une marche des défilés inaccessibles, pénétra dans un bourg des Uxiens, les surprend, plusieurs sont tués dans leurs lits, les autres se dispersent dans les montagnes. Le vainqueur fait un butin considerable., I1 marche précipitamment vers les gorges, ou il avait donné rendezvous aux Uxiens pour recevoir le tribut. “ Craterus, qu'il a detaché en avant (Curtius mentions Tauron) & d occuper les hauteurs pour fermer la retraite i Vennemi ; lui-méme il double le pas, g'empare des défilés, range ses troupes et fond sur les barbares, avec tout I'avan- Consterné de la rapidité d’Alexandre, privés tage du lieu. du poste sur lequel ils comptaient, les barbares fuyent sans en venir aux mains. Une grande partie périt sous le fer des Macédoniens qui les poursuivaient 5 une autre dans les p/l'écipiccs 3 le plus grand nombre se sauvant sur les mon- ” % yancée yregoivent la mort. tagnes, out Craterus les a dé IREES SESIPSCEE PSS AE S seventeenth chapter of the * This passage occurs in the third book of Arrian’s ¢ Anabasis.” 52 " 2 2 TRAVELS IN the rest of the army, and choosing by night a circuitous road, guided by certain Susians, crosses in one march some almost inaccessible defiles, and penetrating into the town of the Uxians, takes them by surprise. Many are killed in their beds, the rest dispersed among the mountains. The conquerors acquire considerable booty. He then marches hastily towards the defile where he had given ren- dezvous to the Uxians in order to receive their tribute.” ¢« Craterus, whom he had sent on Dbefore, had received orders to occupy the heights in order to cut off the retreat of the enemy. Himself marches rapidly, seizes the defiles, puts the troops in order, and falls upon the barbarians with all the advantage of position. Alarmed at the rapidity of Alexander, deprived of the position on which they had reckoned, the barbarians fly without coming to blows. A great part perish by the sword of the Mace- donians who pursue them; others meet their death among the precipices; whilst the greater J 3 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. number, escaping into the mountains, fall in with Craterus, and by him are slaughtered.” On the map, which serves to illustrate the present narrative, it will be observed that there is a narrow passage connecting the plains of Halegtin and Mal-Amir, through which the river of Shah-Ruben takes its course. It is the only approach that T am aware of to the latter plain from the south-west, the direction from which Alexander marched. I think this pass represents the defiles mentioned in Arrian and Quintus Curtius, and which 1t was Alexander to secure before necessary for he could enter on the plain where the Uxian town stood. With the exception of this strait, Mal-Amir is encompassed by mountains; on the western face of which, in a recess, are the famous caves of Shikafti-Salman. These cavern s are not at the foot, but on the declivity of the hills, and the passage leading up mnarrows as it approaches them ; or. if we look from above the ravine, at the : | head of which the caves are situated, appears 54 TRAVELS IN to be spread out like a fan till it is lost in the plain. The whole ravine is strewed over in every direction with stones, mortar, and clusters of ruined houses, scattered among the rocks, crags, and projecting masses of stone. Stupendous rocks rise above the caves and this ruined town, and, during the rainy season, a cascade gushes down from the heights. The breadth of these hills from east to west, or from the caves of Shikafti-Salmén to the valley of Shah-Ruben, which forms their western boundary, may be about ten miles, and it is over this tract of hilly country that Tauron had to march before he appeared above the heads of the amazed inhabitants of the besieged town, who little expected to be attacked from that quarter, Curtius, in stating further that a great number of the inhabitants escaped into the fort, proves that the town besieged at the hills was not the only fortified place in the neigh- bourhood. The expression likewise, that Alea- LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 55 ander left the city untouched, 1 think, cannot be applied to that which he had just captured, putting the inhabitants to flight and to the sword. It was also from this fort that a deputation was sent to Alexander to implore quarter, and that messengers were despatched to Sisygambis, beseeching her to intercede in favour of the inhabitants. Now we learn from Diodorus, as well as from Curtius, that this Princess was left at Susa with other female members of Darius’ family.* So that the messengers had to travel there and back: and, allowing the utmost expedition, an answer could hardly have been received before the expiration of three or four days; the distance in a straight line being no less than 100 miles. ‘What was Alexander about in the meanwhile ? If the intercession of Sisygambis was deemed necessary, it appears that Alexander intended to pursue hostilities ; but, as his historians do not mention their renewal, he was most probably recruiting his * Diod. Sic., 1ib. xvii.,, c. Ixvii,, and Q. Curt,, lib. v, e. ii. 56 TRAVELS IN troops after the hot reception they had met from the Uxians, and preparing to lay siege to the fort, which must have been of some strength to require such preparation. Now, in the middle of the plain, about three miles to the east of the caves, rises an immense artificial mound, the dimensions of which are certainly not less imposing than those at Shish and Babylon. It is surrounded by broken and uneven ground; but a luxuriant carpet of green grass conceals its structure from the inquisitive eye. Its external form and appear- ance resembling the Susian and Babylonian mounds, and the circumstance of cuneatic inscriptions being found in its vicinity, be- speak the high antiquity of the place, and afford a strong argument in favour of the existence here, in former times, of a consider- able fort, corroborqting my impression that Mal-Amir is the site of the® Uxian town be- sieged by Alexander. With regard to what Arrian says of Alex- ander’s destroying the small villages and dis- LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 57 persing the inhabitants before he entered the strait, this may relate to the plain of Halegtn. I found some ruins not far distant from the pass which leads to Mal-Amir, which T at first was inclined to attribute to the Sasanian, or even to a later period. Little stress can, how- ever, be laid upon this circumstance, for the same stones may have been used by the Elamites, the Uxians, the Sasanians, the Arabs, or the At abegs of Lir, as they succeeded each other, It serves only to show that these straits were ~ formerly guarded, and explains the apparent neglect of Madates to secure them otherwise than by intrusting them to the in- habitants of the villages. If the position of the town of the Uxii can be considered as established, it will serve as a collateral proof that the Pasitigris is no other than the Abi-Kfren, for this river could never:be to: thok east: of this place ; and the historians of Alexander do not mention his having passed any other considerable stream in his advance, from the time he had crossed the 58 TRAVELS IN Pasitigris, on entering the territories of the Uxii. As there are remains of other ancient towns in the country of the Bakhtiyari, besides the ruins found at Mal-Amir, I have examined whether any of such known at present, could serve as a representative of the city of the Uxil. This examination has only tended to confirm me in my former impression, that it can be represented by no other ruins than those close to the caves of Shikafti-Salman. The places I allude to are Shushan, Manjanik, Kal'eh Gebr, and Tashiin. Shushan, although in the vicinity of the caves just adverted to, cannot have been the Uxian town in question, because, as it lies on the right bank of the Kuren, in the mountains, four farsangs to the north of Mal-Amir, Alexander would have had to cross that river, or in other words, to recross the upper course of the Pasitigris, before he could reach that town, a circum- stance of which his historians make no men- tion. Neither can Manjanik be regarded as LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN.‘ 59 the town of the Uxii, for it does not stand at the foot of any considerable hills; and accord- ing to Arrian and Quintus Curtius, the city was overhung by precipices, from the top of which Tauron attacked the inhabitants, while The ruins of Alexander pressed from below. Kal’eh Gebr, near the river Tezeng, are scattered partly on a plain, partly on a rising ground, backed by a chain of mountains; but these mountains are so high and steep, that although means may perhaps exist of attaining their summit from behind, the inhabitants of the besieged city could in no way have scaled them in front while trying to escape from Alexander. Moreover, the rising ground or bank, which runs along the foot of the moun- tains, and on which the ruins are scattered, would have presented no material obstacle to the advance of Alexander’s soldiers. I need scarcely allude to the town of Tashtin, for independently of its topographical situation, not answering Curtius’s descrip- tion of the Uxian city, it may be seen, by 60 TRAVELS IN LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. reference to the map, that it is not far distant from the river Tab, which formed the boundary line between Susiana and Persis, at the pro- longation of the Zagros chain; whereas we read in Curtius that Alexander, after leaving the Uxian town, required three marches to arrive My reasons for con- at the latter province. Tab or Kurdistan river the sidering the ancient limit between Susiana and Persia must be reserved for a subsequent chapter.* * See ¢ Kssay on the Marches of Timdr and Alexander,” &c., at the end of this volume. CHAPTER XIX. Account of the Bakhtiyari tribes of Luristdn-Buztrg.— Division of the country into Luristin-Buzirg and Luristdn-Kuchik.—Known to the ancients as the country of the Cosswans, Uwxians, and Elamites.—Traces of its ancient civilization.—Ibn Batuta’s account of Ei-Lir under the Atabegs.—Communication between India and Central Persia.—No caravans cross it at present.—A short historical account of the Bakhtiyari—A colony of this tribe in Afghanistan.—The Bakhtiyari divided into Chehar-lang and Heft-lang.—Muhammed Taghi-Khan,— Anecdote concerning him, &c.—Annual taxation of the Bakhtiyari Chehar-lang.—Bakhtiyari Heft-lang,—Sub- division of the tribe.—Geographical aspect of the country to the north of the Alvend range.—Sedentary and nomadic Bakhtiyari.— Taxation.—Feuds between the Bakhtiyari Chehar-lang and Heft-lang.—Their predatory habits— Tenets, — Character. — Occupations. — Produce of the country.—Their sheep brought to the market of Tsfahdn. —Arab horses.—Features and external appearance,— Dress.— Ghiveh. Tue mountainous region extending from the Turkish frontier on the west, to the depend- ences of Behbehdn on the east and south-east, 62 TRAVELS IN is known by the name of Luristan (the country of the Lur tribes), which is divided into the greater and the lesser, or Luristin-Buzirg and Luristan- Kuchtk. The largest rivers of Persia—the Kerkheh, with its tributary, the Kashgan ; the Kuren, with the Dizful river, and the numerous affluents forming the 7ub, or Kurdistin,—all flow through this part of the country, fertilizing the soil ; so that Laristan might be one of the most favoured spots in the world, were the mountaineers who inhabit it of a less tur- bulent or the of the disposition, power Persian Government more efficient to keep them within proper bounds, and more anxious to encourage agriculture and trade in the empire. According to ancient writers, it would appear, that since the remotest ages of the world, these mountains have constantly been the seat of an uncouth and warlike race of men, who set at defiance the authority of the Medes and the Persians, and in whose fastnesses, Alexander LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 63 of Macedon on the eastern extremity,* and, at a later period, Antigonus on the western boundary,t met with such unforeseen impedi- ments and strong opposition at the hands of the mountain clans. Still when we look upon the remains of ancient towns and other monuments of anti- quity in eastern Luristan, or Luristin-Buztrg, which have been described in the preceding chapters, such as at Petek, at Baghi-Malek, (Manjanik), at Mal-Amir, at Tenghi-Satlek, at Tashin, &c., with the massive causeways in the mountains, we must come to the conclu- sion, that there was a time when these portions of the globe had attained a much greater degree of civilization, than that which it now offers. History, however, is more or less silent or unsatisfactory on the subject, and does not furnish us with positive data, so as to enable us to judge by whom those cities were founded, nor in what age they flourished. But so far at least we know, that we must * See Q. Curtius, b. v., e. iii. t Pliny, b. vi., c. xxi. 64 TRAVELS IN look to this region for the site of ancient Llymais.* The first pages of the Holy Serip- tures teach us that the land of Elam was a powerful and warlike kingdom under Chedor- laomer, in the early period of the world, at the time when Abram tended his flocks 1mn the plain of Mamre,t whilst we learn of its final fate and destruction in the prophecies of Fazekiel, who held Ilam to be among the conquering nations, which spread terror in the world, but which were soon to be brought down to hell. ¢ There is Hlam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living; yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit.”} * See Pliny, book vi. cap. xxvii. t See Moses in Genesis xiv. 1, 5, 9, 13. 1 See Ezekiel xxxii. 24. Note. The holy Bible some- times makes allusion to Zlam, in connexion with Media and Persia. (See Isa. xxi. 2 ; Ezra iv. 9 ; Dan. viii. 2, &c.) LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 65 It is in the fastnesses of the Elymites that Diodorus Siculus, Justin, and Pliny place the rich temples dedicated to the Goddess Anaitis, which tempted the cupidity of the Seleucidee and of the Parthian monarchs;* but it must have been chiefly during the Sasanian period that the land of Elymais rose to wealth and prosperity. If the presence of bas-reliefs with arrow- headed inscriptions, are certain signs of anti- quity, the cave of M4l-Amir and the ruins of Shushan{ have a claim to that title, especially if we take into consideration that the dress of one of the figures in the cave of Shikafti- Salman bears traces of cuneiform inscriptions. The great German writer, Heeren, in speaking of the bas-reliefs at Bisitun (which he attributes to the times of Cyrus), adds: “ Fven the circumstance of an inscription occurring on a dress of one of the figures (of which no example is to be found elsewhere), * See Diod. Sie. fr. lib. xix. t See note in chapter xvii. YOL. 11, F 66 TRAVELS IN appears to argue a remote era in the history of the art,”* &ec. In chapter eighteen of the present work I have endeavoured to establish the identity of the mounds formed on the plain of Mal-Amir with the city besieged by Alexander the Great, while the greater part of the other ruins appear of a posterior date, and, to judge by the style of the architecture, seem to denote a Sasanian origin. On the bas-reliefs and inscriptions at Tenghi- Sadlek 1 abstain from giving any opinion; but as they are so different from all the other antiquities I have met with in Persia, I hope they may attract the attention of some learned antiquary who will favour the public with the result of his researches on the subject. and fourteenth In the twelfth, thirteenth, centuries the Bakhtiyari country was under the sway of chiefs known by the name of * See Heeren’s Historical Researches, &e., vol. i, chap. i., p. 227, I believe among the ruins of Hadramaut, in Arabia, some figures with cuneatic inscriptions on them have been lately discovered. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 67 Atabegs of Luristan Buzrg, the founder of which dynasty, according to De Guignes,* was a certain Abutaher, who was sent by Sancor, a Chief of the Salgurian Turkomans, to conquer that land. Ibn Batutd, the Arabian traveller who tra- versed this country in the fourteenth century, gives a very favourable account of it. « After leaving Toster (the present Shushter), says the author, I then travelled for three days over high mountains, and found in every stage in these countries, a cell, with food for the accommodation of travellers. I then came to the city of Idhaj (Fidij), which belongs to the Sultan Atabek Afrasiab. With these people the word atabek means any one governing a district. The country is called El-Lur. It abounds with high mountains, and has roads cut in the rocks.t The extent in length is seventeen * See De Guignes Hist. gle. des Huns, tom. i., liv. vii., art. x., p. 410, and, in a note at the end of this chapter, an extract concerning Luristdn {rom Sir John Malcolm’s History of Persia. T See for the description of the Jaddehi-Atabeé, Chapter xvii. I 2 68 TRAVELS 1IN days’ journey, in breadth ten. Its king sends presents to the King of Irak, and sometimes comes to see him. In every one of the stations in this country there are cells provided for the religious inquirers, and travellers ; and for every one who arrives there are bread, flesh, and sweetmeats. I travelled for ten days in this country, over high mountains, with ten other religious, &c.”* We may infer from this passage that Luristan Buzurg, during the government of the Atabegs, must have enjoyed a great degree of security, and even prosperity, since such facilities were afforded to caravans of pilgrims and travellers passing through their country. Ahvdz, which was formerly the capital of Khazistan,t kept up a brisk trade with India, The merchandise from HHindustan, instead of being carried to Aba-Shéhr (as is the case at * See Lee’s Translation of Ibn Batuta, chapter vii. t Ahvdz was for a time the winter residence of the Arsacid monarchs, who spent their summer months at Tsfahén. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 69 present), was brought to Ahvéz, up the river Kren; from thence transported to Toster (Shushter), partly by water and partly by land carriage. From the latter place A straight caravan road led to lsfahan over the moun- tains, and thus through Savéh to Kazvin and Abhar, and later to Sultanieh, that great commercial mart of Central Persia in the middle ages. This line of communication between Isfahan and the Persian Gulf, near the mouth of the Shat-al-Arab no longer exists; Ahvaz is fallen ; and, although the trade might still be kept up in some measure between Khuzistin and Irak-Ajem, no caravans dare at present cross through the country of the Bakhtiyari for fear of being plundered. Muleteers, who traverse Persia in all possible directions, are seldom seen in Luristan. Luristin Buzurg is occupied by the strong tribe of the Bakhtiyari. To judge by their language, which is a broken Persian, with many old words and expressions now obsolete, TRAVELS IN 70 or what the Persians call the Farsi-Kadim, one may infer that the Bakhtiyari are the ancient occupiers of the soil.* This dialect, with some modifications, is said to be common to all the tribes of the Zagros range. The principal tribes to which I refer are ‘the Lurs (of whom the Bakhtiyari form part),{ the Leks, and the Kurds. These three great stems represent probably * There is a passage in Pliny which may be applied to the Bakhtiyari; and, although it be difficult to point out the exact situation of the country of the Bactrians he alludes to, it could not have been very far from their present haunts. He says, that the nearest neighbours of Susiana to the east, were the Cossians; to the north of whom, at the foot of Mount Cambalide, a branch of the Caucasus, was situated the district of Mesabatene, which affords a less rough passage than elsewhere, leading into the country of the Bactrians. (Pliny, lib. vi., c. 27.) t Mr. Rich, in his « Narrative of a Residence in Kir- distin,” expresses his opinion that the Bakhtiyari are Kurds, owing to the similarity of their languages, which is a dialect of the Luristan Kurdish. (See vol. i., chap. iv., page 130.) Although the Lurs and the Kirds make now a distinction between their tribes, still, as the language they use is common to both, it is evident they proceed from the same stock. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. e the kernel of the original Zend race, settled 1m these mountains from time immemorial, before the country was overrun by the Arabs from one side and by the Tatar hordes from the other; although we learn from history that the land of Irin, since the remotest antiquity, was seldom exempt from the encroachments of the Semetic races from the south, and the Seythians, or the Tirani, from the northern and the central parts of Asia, from whence the Zend tribes themselves originally came.* In modern times we find the Bakhtiyari often appearing as actors on the political stage of Persia, and performing a conspicuous part in the history of that country. We read in Hanway,t that at the time of the Afghéan invasion of Persia, in the be- ginning of the last century, Kassim-Khan, a Bakhtiyari Chief, left his mountains with * See note at the end of the chapter, about the gypsies. t See Jonas Hanway’s « Account of the British Trade over the Caspian Sea,” &c., vol. ii,, part vii, chap. ii, p. 168, ed. 1764. 2 TRAVELS IN 12,000 horse to tender his services to Shah Sultin Husein, and moved towards Isfahén, but was met and defeated by the troops of Amanullah-Khan Afghan; 2,000 of his men were killed and the rest fled. The above-cited author is of opinion, that had there existed a better understanding at the time between the Bakhtiyari and the Vali of Luristan, the Afghans might have been repulsed and Isfahan saved.* During the Afghin occupation of Persia, the Turks made considerable inroads into the western provinces of this empire, and whilst Akhmed-Pasha, of Bagdad, was taking posses- sion of Luristan-ICuchtk, the Pasha of Mosal made an incursion into the country of the Bakhtiyari. Seffi (or more likely Shefi) Khan, one of their Chiefs, who offered some resistance, was defeated, and fled into the mountains. Notwithstanding this check, the Bakhtiyari * See Jonas Hanway’s “ Account of the British Trade over the Caspian Sea,” &c., vol. ii., part vii., chap. ii., p. 169, ed. 1764. 73 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. still continued. to annoy the enemy by frequent skirmishes, and succeeded at last in driving them out of their country.* During the reign of Nadir-Shah the Bakhti- yari rebelled; and it was not until their Chief Ali-Murad had been executed, and the king had removed several thousand ZLwrish families into Khorasan, that tranquillity was for a time restored.t It proved, however, not of long duration, for 2,000 Bakhtiyari families found means to escape from that province and returned to their native hills, where rallying a considerable number of their countrymen in their cause, they raised once more the standard of rebellion, and Nadir Shah had great diffi- culties to contend with in order to stifle a general rising of the whole tribe.$ Those Balkhtiyari who accompanied him in his expe- * See Jonas Hanway’s “Account of the British Trade over the Caspian Sea,” &c., vol. ii., p. 238. t Sir J. Malcolm’s “ History of Persia,” vol. ii., p. 67. 1 See M. Otter’s “Voyage en Turquie et en Perse,” ’ tom. ii., p. 187. 14 TRAVELS IN dition to India, distinguished themselves most particularly at the siege of Herat,* It is very likely that a part of this tribe settled at the time in Afghanistin, for we read in Mountstuart Elphinstone’s work on that country, that “the Miankhail are about 3,000 families, of which number one-fourth is composed of Bakhtiyaris of this tribe, which is said to have come originally from the banks of the Tigris, and which is very numerous in the south-west of Persia; there are about 700 or 800 families at Deranbend, and about 500 at Murgha.” + During the anarchy which ensued after the death of Nadir-Shah, Al-Merdan-Khan, a Bakhtiyar Chief, took possession of Isfahén, where he reigned for some time, jointly with Kerim- Khan-Zend, until the latter contrived to put him aside, and assumed the title of Vakil.} * See Sir J. Malcolm’s ¢ History of Persia,” vol. ii., p. 67. t See Elphinstone’s “Mission to the Court of Cabul,” p- 376. 1 See Sir J. Malcolm’s “ History of Persia.” LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 5 Notwithstanding the hostages whom the late a Fet’h-’Ali-Shah kept at 'Teheran, where separate mahdleh or quarter was allotted for them, the Bakhtiyari still continued to be very troublesome to their neighbours, and in consequence of their predatory habits, the roads in southern and central Persia became very insecure. At the time M. Morier passed through Isfahén,* the town was in a continual state of alarm lest Assad-Khan, a fierce Chief of the Heft-lang Bakhtiyari should take it by a coup de main. Fven those families who were settled near the capital, on the high road from Teheran to Hamadan, in order that Government should be enabled to have a better eye on them, plundered travellers in open day with im- punity.+t * Qee M. Morier'’s ¢ Second Journey through Persia,” &c., chap. ix., page 156. t On a journey to Hamadén in 1837, I passed over some broken hilly ground between the first and second station of Teheran, which was pointed out to me as the spot where the Bakhtiyari used to waylay travellers. 76 TRAVELS IN LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. If the effects of their marauding propensities have been less felt of late years, it is owing partly to their bloody feuds which have weakened them, and partly to the strong arm of the Governor to whose charge the Bakhtiyari tribe have been committed. The two principal tribes of the Bakhtiyari The are, the Chehar-lang and the Haft-lang. latter were formerly reckoned the stronger of the two, but in consequence of intestine wars they have been much reduced; whilst the former have acquired new possessions, and gained with them greater power. The Taifeh, or tribe of the Chehar-lang, is subdivided into #réh or shafts, which will be found enumerated in the accompanying table, together with the description of their summer and winter residences, the names of the different petty Chiefs, &c. There is likewise a small viliage inhabited by Bakh- tiyaris, close to Shah-Abdal Azim, in the neighbourhood of Teherin. . Division of the Tribes Subdivision of the Tribes. Names of the Chiefs, or Winter E 8, or or OBSERVATIONS. ! Rish-Sefid. | Germesir. Serhad. Kumursi creesceenasaae . Suhtni Shefi-Khan Muhammed Taghi-Khan Kaléh-Tdal ........ Although the different tribes Glghir Near the sources of the haveeach their petty chiefs, Muhammed Saleh Muhammed Mehdi-Khan ) Andekot the greater part of them I"‘ fa. Miighui ssseeseceesssa Hajji Abas-Khan Zoyénderud in Zar- are dependant of Mu- (¥ hehar-Lang { Buskhok .. sese Muhammed Kerim-Khan dah-Kih; Fereidan Adudilvend Hajj’ Nasir-Khan Sardasht, on the and partly in Che- hammed Taghi-Khan. Zalaghi cecseccncoasnn Ali Naghi-Khan-Sarder har-Mahal. Fuladvend cececcssanns Kasim-Khand and miz and Shishter plains of Ram-Hor- Ali Muhammed Khan ; Dareki § Direki | ¢ Babadi.. .. 1 | Mamivend Kelb-Ali- Khan, whose chief | Sardasht, and near Chegshir, Silahdr, BAKHTIYARI Zalaghi cecacecsaans | place is at Kaléh-Diz, or Dizful. LUR TRIBES Lek P S P G CPR L e Burburud, Jopelah, and Chehar-Mahal. The Bakhtiyari Haft-Lang Haft-Lang. . { Ashtiraki cesenecend are under the jurisdiction Burburudi cesenanans l Diz-Shéhi. | of Birgjird. cere e Jafar ll | Balthtiyarvend Kuli-Khan, whose | Lali and Diz-Malekan. | Zari,near the sources principal fort is Diz-Ma- of the Kuren river, lekan, in Zardah-Kih. | Bawai According Koribo Dinar. (Bazuft,| Major Rawlinson divides | Dindrdini .. | Urak and to Major Desfort-Shushan. them into Janneki-Gar- Saluh % Rawlinson. son. according to Rawlin- mestr and Janneki-Sar- | | Gugirdi or Gulgiri Khari-Shitir-Zar and | Hills of Mungasht. dasir, and adds, that in | Junaki ceesen Makavendi Gulgir. Gan,doman’ and Lurda- both these divisions half Jaurn, near Tatleh. gan. the number are Deh- Arab Gomish “eadweea Between Mal-Amir and Nishins, who do not emi- ¢ | Muhammed Taghi-Khan. Glgir. grate at all. Mimbéni Near the Snowy Hills and the Kuren. Bulveisi teeresseaane Near Kal’eh-Tul. Zenghinéh. . .. e ceacctsesrcasssaas Petek and Manjanik. TheZenghanéh areaKurdish DEPENDENCIES Gundazlu . tribe from Kermanshah. Gilgir and Baitavend. The Gundizlu are Afshars, | of Turkish extraction. 78 TRAVELS IN The same table gives the divisions and subdivisions of the Haft-lang, and the other tribes which form the dependencies of the Bakhtiyari. Muhammed Taghi-Khan is at present the most powerful chief among the Chehar-langs. Independently of this tribe, (of which a great part recognise his authority, as well as the Dinarini and all the Janéki,) Muhammed Taghi-Khan is in possession of the strong fort of Mingasht, which formerly belonged to the Chief of Behbehan. The Bakhmei tribe, who were likewise under the sway of the latter, have now sought the protection of the Bakh- tiyari Chief, who since a few years exercises also an authority over Ram Hormuz, the former dependency of Mirza Kamo, of Behbehdin. In the Mahal of Fereiddn, which forms part of the province of Isfahan, and where the Bakh- tiyari have their pasture-grounds in summer, Muhammed Taghi-Khan possesses several vil- lages, the inhabitants of which are agricul- tural. Muhammed Taghi-Khan (who is allied 79 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. to the Janék: through his mother, and descends in direct line from Ali Merdan-Khan, who reigned in Isfahdn after the death of Nadir- Shah,) owes his present - greatness chiefly to his own abilities.’ It is true he never was over and above scrupulous as to the means he em- ployed to attain his ambitious views, and in this respect—be it said to the shame of hu- manity—he does not stand alone. Thus he treacherously put to death his kinsman, Hasan- Khan, and Fet h-ullah-Khan, and took possession of their territories. The sons of the deceased, Ali- Kiza- Khan, Asdd-Khan, and their two younger brothers, have sought protection with his enemy, the Haft-lang Chief, Jafir- Kili- Khan, who resides at his fortified castle of Diz-Mdalekan. In his younger days, Muhammed Taghi- Khan was accustomed to lead his countrymen on plundering expeditions, where he reaped great renown for personal bravery and address. I was told an anecdote of him, which, if it does not redound to his honour, at least does 80 TRAVELS IN credit to his inventive genius. Being one day on a foray with his followers, at some distance from their mountain fastnesses, they fell in with a rich caravan of merchants, who were proceeding from Isfahan to Teherin. The Bakhtiyari soon succeeded in capturing them, and taking possession of their goods; but, apprehending lest a pursuit should be set on foot against them before they could gain their mountains, if they allowed their captives to depart, and fearing, also, that putting them to death would equally lead to detection, Mu- hammed Taghi-Khan had recourse to the fol- lowing stratagem : — Among the plundered articles there happened to be a great many chadders, a thick stuff for veils, with which the women of Persia cover themselves from head to foot when they go out. Muhammed Taghi- Khan had the merchants dressed in this novel apparel, and replaced, hand-cuffed, on their own horses; they were then given in charge to his men, with strict injunctions that should any of them dare to speak a word when any LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 81 stranger was in hearing, he should be shot through the head. Thus the party *journeyed on for several days, keeping, as much as the nature of the country would allow, off The the high road, and avoiding villages. country people who passed them never sus- pected that there was any foul play going on, but imagined it was a caravan of pilgrims going with their wives and families to Ker- belah or Mecca, and even kept aloof from a feeling of decorum, when they saw so many women in the party. When the Bakhtiyari had gained their mountains, and saw them- selves out of reach of pursuit, they released their prisoners and left them to shift for themselves, as well as they could, whilst they made off with their booty to their families, elated with their success, and exulting in their chieftain’s sagacity. Muhammed Taghi-Khan is probably a man of forty or forty-five, strongly built, and of a pleasant exterior. His younger brother, Al Naghi-Khan, is veckoned to be more subtle VOL. 1I. G 82 TRAVELS IN and cunning. He was kept some time as a hostage at Teheran, but found means to elude observation, and one fine morning took to his heels and sought for refuge with the Moé- The latter obtained for temid at Isfahan. him the forgiveness of the Shah, and after- wards took him with him into the Bakhtiyari mountains; where I met this Ali Naghi-Khan following obsequiously in the train of the Governor of Isfahén. On my return to Tehe- ran, after leaving Luristan, I learned that brothers had offered resistance to both the the Moétemid ; Muhammed Taghi-Khan was soon defeated and taken, but Ali Naghi-Khan fled towards the Arabs of the desert. The Chehar-langs are taxed at 15,000 tomans, but it is rare that this tax can be regularly levied, for it is only by main force that they can be compelled to pay it. We have seen that the Bakhtiyari Chehar-lang occupy the south-eastern valley of the Zagros range, from Dizfil and Shashter to the ter- ritory of Behbehén ; to the north and north- LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 83 west of them live the Bakhtiyari Haft-lang. Their territory to the west extends to the river of Dizf(l, and one of its tributaries the Cesar* river, which separates Luristin Buzurg from Pish-Kuh in Luristan-Kuchtk. the tribes of the Like their neighbours, Haft-lang, are divided into tireh or shafts, and possess at present two principal chiefs? who are not in harmony with each other. These are Kelb-Ali Khan, in his stronghold of Kal'eh, or Shahi Diz, on the DizfGl river, between the town of that name and Burujird; and Jafar Kili Khan, whose principal fort is Diz- Malegan at some distance from Shﬁshém, near the Kurén river. As many of the places mentioned in the subjoined table, forming the summer and winter residences of these Iliyats, are not marked on any map, it may not appear super- fluous to point out here their geographical * The Cesar river joins the Dizfal somewhat lower than the spot where the Piri Shah Zade Akhméd is situated, a place of pilgrimage among the Lurs. G2 84 TRAVELS IN position, the more so as the accompanying maps in illustration of my journey do not embrace the northern declivities of the Alvend chain. From Burujird, eastward, extend the plains of Silakier and Burburid, along the northern skirts of the great chain, to the cool yelakhs, or summer residence of Ushtwrdm-kih, the highest point between the Alvend and the Zerde-kith, with its copious springs and rich pastures of Fehtabad. Further on is the fertile valley of Jopeldg,* studded with numerous villages, which joins with the plains of Fereiddn, Chehar-mahal, and Chemén-i-IKeviz, in the pro- vince of Isfahan. It is in Fereidan that the famous grazing plains of Ghendumein are situated, where the * Ag the French traveller, M. Otter, does not mention his having passed through the town of Gulpeigan, in the narrative of his journey from Burujird to Hunsdr, on his way to Isfahdn, it is likely that he followed the northern skirts of the Alvénd chain, through the valleys of Silahr, Burburdd, and Jopelig. (See Otter, “Voyage en Turquie et en Perse.”) g R S e I LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 8 J late Fet’h-Ali-Shah was accustomed to spend part of the summer months. The above-named plains run between two mountain ranges ; those to the south being the continuation of the Alvend chain, whose heights appear always to be covered with snow; and those to the north forming a secondary range, like a series of outworks. This latter chain, though much lower than the former, 18 still and, m sufficiently lofty, some parts, very rugged; it goes by the name of Rosvend, a word which sounds very much like some of the old Zend names of mountains. To the north of this lower range are spacious and fertile jﬂle‘ys, bounded in their turn, to the north, by other mountains of lesser altitude, and separated from each other by spurs of hills, which shoot from the Rosvend across the valleys. These latter, taken in succession from north- west to south-east, form the districts of Kezos, Kemereh, Gulpeigan, and Hunsdr ; while to the north of them, beyond the third range of hills, are, Meloir, with its chief town Daulet-abad 86 TRAVELS IN (formerly Chemin); Charra, Shehr-nd, or Sul- tanabad, Feraghdan, and Mahalat. The succession of these Alpine chains, running parallel to ecach other, and lowering as they recede to the north from the principal chain of the Alvend, is pretty nearly repeated on the southern side of the same chain, where the secondary mountains diminish in height as they approach the Persian Gulf. The Bakhtiyari Haft-lang are under the government of Burujird. Those who lead a wandering life are not less wild than their rival clan of the Chehar-lang ; but many have adopted a sedentary life and occupy villages, especially in Burburid, where they till the ground and are assessed by Government like the other cultivators of the soil. Thus the 195 villages of BurburGd are taxed by the Divin in cash and 530 at 7,873 tomans harvars of grain; whilst the Iliyat Bakhtiyari, who are morxe numerous, only pay 3,600 tomans. Some of the IHaft-lang chiefs farm from Government whole districts ; for instance, that of K”mf”_'f_/," with all its villages, was leased a - LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. &7 few years ago to a Bakhtiyari chief for the annual sum of 12,000 tomans. There exists a great animosity between the two tribes of the Haft-lang and Chehar-lang, and their conflicts, which originate chiefly on account of their grazing grounds, often terminate in blood- shed. It has been seen that the Chehar-langs have their summer pastures at Iereiddn, while those of the Haft-langs are in Chehar-Mahdal. In order to reach them, both tribes must cross the chain of Zerdeh-Kih, the former coming from the south-west to north-east, and the latter from north-west to south-east. It is at the points where the paths cross each other in the mountain passes, that the rival clans come to blows, each trying to capture as many On the sheep as they can from the other. plains of Fereidin and Chehar-Mahal they both become the scourge of the Tovts, or peasants of these two bulks or districts. Formerly there were a great number of villages, especially of Armenian and Georgian settlers, from the time of Shah-Abbas the Great, as the ground is very fertile, the usual increase of grain being from 88 TRAVELS IN twenty to thirty fold. The plains, likewise, are well watered ; but since the Government has neglected or become unable to restrain the plundering habits of the Bakhtiyari, the villages have been in a great measure ruined, and the inhabitants reduced to poverty. Out of the thirty-six large Armenian villages in Chehar- Mahdl only five remain; all the rest having been destroyed by the Bakhtiyari. These wild tribes profess outwardly the Mu- hammedan creed, and are of the Shidh sect, like many other Persians. But, with the exception, perhaps, of a few of their chiefs, the greater part appear to be even more ignorant and indifferent to matters of religion than the gene- As rality of the Nomadic tribes of Persia. they live chiefly in tents, and lead a wandering life, they have few or no mosques, but go some- times in pilgrimage to the shrines of their Piri, or holy men, such as Shah-Zadéh Akhmed, Shah- Rubén, and others. The women pay more attention to religious observances than the male part of the population. Some curious and interesting superstitions LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 89 undoubtedly exist among the Balkhtiyari; but I must own that I have not been fortunate enough to become acquainted with them, owing to the very short time I was among them. The Bakhtiyari bear a very bad reputation among the Persians. Although the latter are themselves not over and above scrupulous as regards veracity, they are outdone by the Bakhtiyari in duplicity and bad faith. The feuds which exist between the different clans create inveterate hatred, and keep up an unquenchable thirst for revenge, which senti- ment is bequeathed as a sacred legacy from father to son, from tribe to tribe, and ex- tinguishes all feeling of humanity in their breasts. To this already sufficiently dark picture of their character, must be added, that they are such notorious thieves and robbers, that the name of Bakhtiyar is become synonymous with both these words. The chief occupation of- the Bakhtiyari, like those of all Nomadic tribes, consists in tend- ing large flocks of sheep, which forin their 90 TRAVELS IN chief support and greatest source of wealth. These flocks, during the winter season, retire to the warm plains of Arabistin, and on the approach of spring are driven, by slow marches, over the mountains into the plains of Fereidén and Chehar-Mahal. Independently of the ad- vantages the Bakhtiyari reap from the wool and the milk of their flocks, the sale of their sheep is an abundant source of revenue to them in summer, for it is they who, together with the Kashgai (a powerful Turkish tribe from Fars), furnish the markets of Isfahén with mutton during four months in the year. The cattle necessary for the consumption of Isfah4dn is brought from distant parts of the country. Thus Kermanshah, Meloir, and Kur- distan (Ardelin), supply this old capital (which even now reckons from 70,000 to 80,000 inha- bitants) with mutton during two-thirds of the year, and the Lurs and Turkish tribes of Iars the remaining one-third. Although the sheep from. IKermanshah and Kurdistin are excesssively lean when they LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 91 arrive at Isfahin, and require some time to be brought into condition, still they are pre- ferred in winter to those of the Bakhtiyari and the Kashgai, because, as coming from a more mnorthern climate, they stand the cold better than the sheep which spend their winters in the warm pastures of the southern districts of Fars and Khiizistan. Even the bazaars of Teheran are stocked with Kurdistin mutton, the sheep from this part of the country being of a larger size than the ordinary species, and fetching a higher price. The country of the Janeki Serhad and G'hermestr grows much tobacco, which supplies the bazaars of Shtshter and Dizfl. The woody parts of Liristan produce the wild cherry-tree called Beroline, which is used for chabaks, and forms a considerable article of commerce, although the trade in it might be still more extensive. The Bakhtiyari have a hardy race of horses, of a middle stature, about the usual size of 92 TRAVELS IN the Arab horse, and a good deal of the blood of the latter runs in their veins. They are exceedingly fleet, sure-footed, and soft-mouthed ; very manageable also, and capable of climbing up mountains with the agility and fearlessness of mountain-goats. Among the richer Bakh- tiyari I met with many Cha'b Arab horses, which are taller than the Nejd-Arab, and resemble more those of the island of Balrein. The Cha’b Arab horse is justly prized in Persia. In fact, I never witnessed a greater display of beautiful Arab-blood horses than on the plains of Mal-Amir at the camp of the Bakh- tiyari Chief, Muhammed Taghi-Khan; for at the Court of the Shah of Persia the Turkoman horses are preferred to the Arab; and among the former the Tekéh breed is the most esteemed for its size, power, and faculties of endurance. The horned cattle of the Bakhtiyari are much praised ; their mules are likewise held in great estimation, but I met with very few of either in the course of my excursion through the country, because the cattle were at that time 93 LURISTAN AND ARA IHST{U;I. of the year driven to their winter pastures in the south. In appearance the Bakhtiyari look rather fierce, owing, probably, to the mode of life they lead ; the features of their face are cast in a rough mould; but although coarse, they are in general regular. Their black eyes look wild and expressive. The complexion of their face, as well as the other parts of the body which happen to be exposed to the sun, is exceedingly dark, with some nearly of a ma- hogany colour, The two black tufts of hair behind their ears give them, if possible, a still darker appearance. The Bakhtiyari are mus- cularly built, and are chiefly of a middle stature. The usual upper dress of the common Bakh- tiyari is a felt coat with short sleeves; and as the stuff is very stiff, the lower part of the coat stands out. The round cap is of the same The material, and worn close to the head. lower garment consists of a short cotton shirt, and trowsers; the legs are sometimes laced in 94 TRAVELS IN leather gaiters. These Iliyats wear knitted cotton sandals, with broad leather soles to them, rising in front like the point of a skate, to pre- serve the toes from the ruggedness of the mountain paths. /| i ] /‘/ Tt Il i | ’n\\) il h (1l ) /)/)J)}* it ARNWA) Ghiveh or Sandals of the Mountaineers. These shoes, which are called ghivéh, are very useful in climbing up the mountains, In my frequent rambles over the hills of Persia in quest of herbs, or on visits to the ruined Gebr forts, I have always found the ghivéh not only more convenient than our Furopean- fashioned Dboots, but even safer in the slippery and dangerous parts of the rocks. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 95 NOTES TO CHAPTER XIX. Page 67.—Extracts from Sir John Malcolm’s ¢ History of Persia,” concerning the Atabegs of Laristdn :— ¢ The Attabegs of Laristan, though their power was more limited than those of Fars, nevertheless merit to be briefly mentioned. That wild and mountainous country had been inhabited from the most early ages by rude barbarians, whose submission has hardly ever been com- plete, even to the most powerful monarchs of Persia. Most of the tribes of Laristan are an aboriginal race, and the language at present spoken in that province is a dialect of the Pehlivi. The Turkish conquerors of Persia had little temptation to invade their mountains ; and if they had done 80, it is probable they would not have been successful ; for the hardy inhabitants cherished an independence, which Nature had made it easy for them to defend. Accident, however, rendered this proud and savage race subject, for a considerable time, to chiefs of foreign descent. “In the various migrations of the tribes of Tartary, several of them have, at different periods, either come or been brought from the plains of Syria into Persia: a hundred of one of these tribes had been welcomed to the mountains of Laristan. We are informed, that at a great feast given by a Chief of that country, some youths of the Syrian tribe were present ; and the steward of the enter- tainment carried, by mistake, the first dish to a Syrian, called Abul Hussein, upon whose mind this incident made a deep impression ; and he observed to his friends, that he felt assured what had occurred was an omen of that great- 96 TRAVELS IN - ness which his family was destined to attain. This inter- pretation of the mistake of the steward was rumoured abroad, and occasioned some jealousy between the tribes. It happened, a few days afterwards, that Aly, the son of Abul Hussein, had a quarrel with some men of the opposite tribe, when in the hills where they were feeding their flocks. The men of Laristan fell upon him, and beat him till they conceived he was dead, and then threw him into a cave. His dog, unable to defend his master, retired to a distance, but watched the murderers as they returned ; and, seeing the man stoop who had been the most active in the assault, flew at his throat, and tore it in so desperate a manner that he instantly expired. After taking this revenge, the animal ran howling to the tents of his master’s family, who, observing it without Aly, instantly anticipated some misfortune : and in this they were confirmed by the dog turning round, and, while it continued to howl, running off towards the mountains. They followed it to the cave into which the unfortunate Aly had been cast. e was found in a dreadful state, but not dead, and lived to relate all that had happened. A feud between the small tribe of Syrians and that of Laristan was the consequence of this ocecurrence. The first result of this feud was the departure of the family of Aly to the province of Fars, where his But his grand- eldest son acquired great fame as a soldier. son, Abou-Taher, became still more renowned; and the valour he displayed in an attack on Shuban Karrah (a small fortified village in the district of Deishestan, situated a few miles from Abusheher) pleased Attabeg Sunkur so much, that he desired him to demand what he chose, ¢ Give me AND ARABISTAN. 97 LURISTAN a horse,” said the youth, ¢ that will bear me proudly on the day of battle. ¢ Ask again,” said Sunkur. ¢If you do not deem it improper,” said Abou-Tahir, ¢ ereate me an Attabeg. ¢ Ask again,” was the reply. “Then grant me some troops, and I will reduce to your authority the tribes of Laristan.’ The Attabeg complied with all these requests, and the young soldier marched with a force of 5,000 men, into the country from which his grandfather had been compelled to depart. His fame and courage, aided by the support of his tribe, and by that impression which the most trifling circumstance often makes upon ignorant and superstitious minds, gave him complete success ; and that fortune which Abul Hussein had anticipated for his family, was realized in the person of his grand-grandson, Abou-Tahir, Gratitude, however, does not appear to have been among the virtues of the fortunate young chief, whose first act, after his power was confirmed, was to throw off his allegiance to the ruler of Fars; and we are told that he left his son Hasar-Asp, the independent rule of the whole of Laristan. And that prince, by his courage and wisdom, not only raised that rugged province to as great a state of prosperity as it has ever enjoyed, but added to the possessions of his family by the conquest of several neighbouring districts. He invited a large body of his own tribe, of Emiks, from Syria ; and their settlement in Laristan added greatly to the strength of his govern- ment. Hasar- Asp was succeeded in his authority by his son, Tokhlah, who was Attabeg when Hulakoo-Khan Tokhlah unfortu- overthrew the empire of the Caliphs. erful sovereign, nately fell under the displeasure of that pow and carried to Tabriz, by whom he was made prisoner, VOL. 11 H 98 TRAVELS IN leaving Laristan to his brother, Oulub Arghoun, who, with Lis descendants, became officers of the Moghul Prince of the house of Chenghiz. It is needless to recapitulate their names. The most renowned of them was Yusuph Shah Bahander. The title of Bahander, we are informed, was given to this chief by Sultan Abaka, on account of the great valour he displayed at the head of the troops in Laristan, in a campaign in Ghilan. He received a still more substantial reward for these services, by being ap- pointed governor of several rich provinces, adjoining to that which he had inherited,” &c. (Vol. i. page 390, and following of the 4to. edition, 1815.) Page 71.—Dr. Trithen, the eminent Sanscrit and Zend scholar, has kindly pointed out to me a passage in a recent German work of Dr. Pott’s, concerning the gipsies in Europe and Asia,* wherein the author seeks for an identity between that tribe and the Luri or Lurs of Persia. His supposition rests, I believe, on the authority of Pottinger, who estab- lishes a similarity between the Luris of Beluchistdn and the gipsies in Kurope.t In adverting to this subject, I beg leave to observe, that the Karachi, Kaali, and Susmani, under which appellations the gipsies are known in Persia, are perfectly distinct from the Luri or Lur tribes. The gipsies in the northern parts of Persia, where they S * See “Die Ziegeuner in Kuropa und Asien,” part i, page 62. t “Travels in Beloochistan and Sinde,” &c., chapter x, page 153. R RT 99 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. lead a wandering life, but always aloof from the other erratic tribes, go by the name of Karachi, from the Turkish word kara, meaning black. They exercise the trade of tinkers, and are consulted at times as horse doctors; but they are in general looked down upon by the inhabitants settled in towns and villages, and even by the other Nomadic tribes. In Kermanshah and Kurdistan, where their number is very considerable, they also lead a vagabond life, and are known by the denominations of Swusmani and Kdali. In Ardeldn, which is the Persian Kurdistan, there is a large village, near Senneh, inhabited solely by the Susmani. The morals of these people are anything but strict ; the women are like the Indian Bayadires, and dance at the Persian mejlis, or assemblies, to the music which their husbands perform on some stringed instruments. The latter are at the same time the collectors of the money their wives happen to earn. In Persia they are generally reckoned a degraded set; a belief is even current that they are the children of the devil, or at least that they are outcasts from heaven, since the Kauli consented to dance and make merry before the trunkless bodies of the first Imams, when they were beheaded by order of Yezid, at a time when the faithful Shia Mussulmans were plunged in bitter grief. In a note at page 26, of the same German work we have quoted, it is mentioned that many gipsies are established As near the Castle of Wittgenstein, in Sassmanhausen. we have seen that the gipsies in Persia are called Swusmani, or Susmaniha (in the plural), may not Sassman-hausen originally have derived from them its name, meaning the abode of the Swussmani ? H 2 100 TRAVELS IN There are several Iliyat tribes in Persia, the sound of whose names bears some resemblance with 7zigane, as the gipsies are called in Russia. These are the Zengheneh, once a very considerable, and until now reckonegl a very noble, Kurdish tribe of Kermanshah. A branch of them was also transplanted by Nadir Shah into Luristin, where another tribe of the same name of Zengheneh, though of Lurish origin, is established. In a woody part of Luristdn Kdchik, near Khorremabad, 1 met some miserable Chinganeh tribes settled in villages, and was told they had nothing in common with the other inhabitants of the country of Lur origin. The Chinganeh perhaps may have some affinity with the gipsy race, but I can say nothing positive on the subject, as I saw but little of them. In conclusion, I may add that a quotation in the German author before us, from Popowich, who speaks of the gipsy apple as a small black fruit unfit to be eaten, reminds me of fruit which was shown me in the forests of the Zagros mountaing, on the road from Kermanshah to Bagdad. The natives call it Anguri-Kaali, or the grapes of the Kdauli. It is a bunch which grows on the mdzu or gall-tree, of a yellowish transparent colour ; the fruit cannot be eaten, but, on account of its glutinous property, it is sometimes used as glue. This habit of connecting the idea of gipsies with things that are reckoned of small or no utility whatever, may proceed from the low estimate in which their race is held in Europe as well as in Asia, and explains the saying Dr. Seetzen found generally existing all over Syria, “that | 101 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. there are seventy-two religions and a-Aalf in the world, that half being the religion of the gipsies.” In a recent work on Bokhara, published in the Russian language, Mr. Khanikoff, the author, alludes to three tribes established there, which, he thinks, belong to the gipsy race, as well on account of the similarity in their outward appearance with that people, as in respect to their mode of life. They are called Jughi, Mezeng, and Luli, and though outwardly professing Muhammedanism, seem to have no religion at all. CHAPTER XX, Quit Mal-Amir.—Different roads leading to Shéshter.— Travel in company with the mountaineers of the Janeki tribe.—Come to an understanding with the brother of the Bakhtiyari Chief at parting.—Bridge of Harah- Zad.—Aspect of the country along the course of the Shah-Ruben. —River of DarGo.—Pass a comfortless night at an encampment of the Tembi tribe.— Interior of their tents.—Account of the Ch&’b Arabs.—Became partially known in the last century.—Capture two English vessels.— Approximative limits of the tribe at the commencement of the Sefevi dynasty.— Encamp near Haviza.—Encroach on Déﬁrék.—Repulsed by Shah-Abbas the Great.—The Vali of Haviza or Arabistdn, a vassal of the Persian Crown.— Treacherous conduct of the Arab Vali during the Afghéin invasion into Persia.—The Ch#’b Arabs again encroach on Ddarik and expel the Afshdrs during the wars of succession in Persia.—Sheikh Suley- man, — Kerim-Khan Zend grants Hindiyén to the Chd’b Arabs.—Connexion with Persia during the reign of the late and the present Shah.— Cause of the expedition of the Pasha of Bagdad against Muhammereh. —The Sheikh declines the offer of assistance of the Bakhtiyari Chief.— The Sheikh deluded by his kinsman.—Amount of the losses sustained by the Shushteri merchants.—Muham- merch might have been easily defended.—Notes. TRAVELS IN LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 103 February 1.—1I left the camp of the Governor of Isfahin and of the Bakhtiyari Chief at a-quarter past twelve, and proceeded by the plain of Mal-Amir, in a southern direction, for three-quarters of an hour; then turning to W.S.W. by west, I went in that direction three-quarters of an hour more, as far as the river Shah-Raben, which I had crossed before on my way from Kal’eh Tl Two roads lead to Shashter, one from Kal'- eh-Tal, over Twilah and Gulgir; the other by a straight cut over the mountains. I preferred the latter, partly because I could gain a day by it, and partly because Major Rawlinson had already described the former. The Moétemid had furnished me with a letter to Zorab-Khan, his deputy over Shishter and Dizfal, and with another to Hajji Mullah Akhmed, a Chief likewise acting under his control, at Khorremabad in Luristan-Kachak, with recommendations to facilitate my safe passage over the snowy ridge of Zagros to Hamadén or to Bhrtjird, whichever road might prove most advisable. 104 TRAVELS IN I was to have gone in company with a mustofi of Shshter, or Secretary in the financial department, named Aga-Kérim, who was proceeding to that city, but as he was encumbered with tents and loaded mules, T left him to follow the lower road, and set out myself with some of the mountaineers, who were re- turning after the parade at Mal-Amir to their encampments at Gugird or Glgir. They were the dependants of the younger brother of the Bakhtiyari chief, Ali Naghi-Khan, who came out to bid me farewell, and accompanied me part of the way. I availed myself of the oppor- tunity of telling him that I had reason not to be much satisfied with the conduct of his elder brother, Muhammed Taghi-Khan towards me; that I was perfectly aware of the unfounded sur- mises he entertained as to my intention of pre- judicing the Governor-in-Chief against him in the interest of Mirza Kumo, the Hakim of Behbehan. I requested 'Ali Naghi-Khan to tell his brother, that although I was in no way accountable to him for my actions, still, for my 10 J A LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. own satisfaction, I wished him to know that it never had been my custom to meddle in other persons’ affairs ; and that my journey to Shashter and Dizfal, undertaken to satisfy my own curiosity and thirst for travelling, would certainly not induce me to change for any one the principles "Ali Naghi- by which my conduct was actuated. Khan, who, during the time he was a hostage at Teheran, had learned the language of cour- tiers, made many excuses for his brother, b.ut spoke more of his own devoted loyalty to the Shah, and unbounded respect and gratitude to the Moétemid, with many similar protestations, which made me suspect his sincerity. He soon took his leave and returned to the camp. On the left bank of the river Shah-Rtben, I found some brick-masonry, probably the buttresses of a bridge. The insignificant ap- pearance of the stream made me doubt at first whether so stupendous a bridge as Zakhariyi- Kazvini describes that of Jirzad or Harah-Zad to be, could have been necessary; but this author's observation, that the river swells to 106 TRAVELS IN a great extent during the rainy season, and when the snow melts in the mountains (a fact which was confirmed to me by the natives), reconciled me to the idea that the bridge of Jirzad might have stood here.* This supposition acquires a still greater degree of probability, from the consideration that the great caravan road between Susiana and Media must have passed this way. Close to_ the remains are the ruins of Halegtn. Here the road turns, first to the W.N.W., and then to west; whilst the river flows in a north- west direction towards Piuri-Shah-ricben mal Seyidi, a place of pilgrimage for the Lirs, re- ported to contain some ancient ruins. I believe that by following the course of the river Shah- ritben to its confluence with the Kiren, the inquisitive traveller would find objects that would amply repay him for the pains; because the valley in which it flows appears green and fertile, as far as the eye can reach, and must have been at all times a favourite resort, from * Sce note at the end of the chapter. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 107 the contrast it affords to the barren rocks that surround it. To the left of Natergi is the village of Ablah. Close to the road we passed by a square building, called Kuruk, and a burying-place, full of white lions, which serve for tomb- stones. After traversing a hilly country, and crossing the river of Duruo, said to empty itself into the Kren, we struck to the south-west, and, following the direction in which a flock of sheep were driven by some highland shepherds, alighted for the night at a Bakhtiyari encamp- ment of the Tembi tribe, having travelled three or three and a-half farsangs (eleven miles). The tent into which we were ushered was crammed with the various articles appertaining to an Iliyat family, consisting usually of a great number of bags of all dimensions and descriptions, in which their whole property is stowed away. Sacks filled with wool occupied one part of the tent; lesser ones, with dried 108 TRAVELS IN curds, lay in another corner. Goat-skins, with the hair inside, were filled with sour milk; the mixture of others inflated with water ; both these fluids with a little addition of salt, being the favourite beverage of the Iliyats. Black cauldrons for boiling the milk, and leather bags suspended on long poles for churning butter in, obstructed the passage, and completed the picturesque disorder of the scene before us. In a word, the tent was as full and as dirty as possibly can be imagined ; nor was it any the warmer for it. The night was bleak, and the wind on this elevated spot blew mercilessly through the holes in the canvass, and especially from below. To place me as far as possible out of its reach, I was seated on a wool-sack, while the rest, less fortunate, remained on the ground-floor; and from the piercing cold to which they were exposed, looked very miserable. The fire, it is true, burnt on the hearth, but did not extend its influence in the same proportion as the dense smoke, which nearly smote our eyes ARABISTAN. 109 LURISTAN AND with blindness, and choked our respiration, before it found its way into the open air. There was not the remotest chance of comfort, and instead of throwing off my travelling apparel to ease the limbs, T was obliged to put on as many cloaks as I could muster, and thus equipped, I tried to console myself with the reflection that the miseries of life are only for a time. Speaking of time, people often complain that it hangs heavily on their hands;—they know not what to do with it. Oh! had I been then within reach of such persons, how thankful I should have been to them for the loan of all their hours of ennui, which 1 should have known how to turn to account ! For, in laying them out into days, I should have been enabled to visit the neighbouring Ch&’b country; a trip which, but for want of time, I was forced to relinquish. But what attraction, some may say, can a country have of which little or nothing is ever heard ? As that would be casting a reflection 110 TRAVELS IN on the volumes before you, and as travellers are not less sensitive than other mortals, T hasten, in self-vindication, to observe, that the very circumstance of a country being little known is already a strong inducement to become better acquainted with it. But inde- pendently of this reason, which is founded on the innate inquisitiveness of man, there is another, in favour of the Cha’b Arabs, to which I shall presently allude. After this prelude, I suppose I may introduce to you those wandering gentlemen of the desert without further ceremony. The name of the Ch&’hb Arabs became, I believe, first known in this country about the latter part of the last century, in consequence of their piratical exploits on the Persian Gulf, and their having captured some English vessels sailing in those latitudes.* Their name, how- ever, soon sunk again into oblivion, and would probably have remained so in Europe, had not * See Dr. Vincent, on “ The Commerce and Navigation of the Ancients,” &ec., vol. i., page 427, fourth edit. 1807. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 1% attention been awakened by the late expedi- tion of the Pasha of Bagdad against the Cha’h Arabs and the destruction of Muhammerch, the capital of their sheikh; an event which has given rise to the discussion between the Courts of Teheran and Constantinople, as to whether Muhammereh lies on the Persian or on the Turkish territory. Without pretending to decide the question either way, T shall mere ly give a few detached remarks on the Cha'b Arabs, being the result of the information I obtained from various persons, apparently well-informed on the sub- Ject, and aided by what can be gleaned from history. The country which the Cha'b Arabs now occupy, appears to extend, on the north, as far as the territories of Shishter and Ram Hormtiz ; to the east it is limited by Behbehn ; and, including Hindiyan in their possessions, the Cha’b Arabs spread on the south along the head of the Persian gulf; touching at their south-western extremity on the territory of 112 TRAVELS IN Basra. Their frontier, on the west, is very insufficiently defined, for they meet with other wandering Arab tribes, but I doubt their ex- tending at present beyond Haviza, if, indeed, they reach so far. This part of my information ~concerning their limits, is partly corroborated by what Niebuhr says, namely, that at the time he visited Arabia and the adjacent countries, the Cha@’b or the Kiab Arabs extended on the north to Haviza, on the east to Hindiyan inclusively, while, in the opposite direction, they even penetrated far into Arabia.* The greater portion of the country just described, watered by the 7a@b with its nume- rous tributaries from the east and north-east, and the Karen on the west, was known to the Arab geographers by the name of Dadarak. At the commencement of the Sefevi reign, and before the Cha’b Arabs had begun their * See Niebuhr’s “ Voyage en Arabie et en d’autres Pays de I'Orient,” tom. ii. chap. v. page 160, Swiss edition, 1780, in 8vo. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 113 encroachments on Datrak, they were known to encamp in the neighbourhood of Haviza, on the Kerkheh stream, south of Dizfal. But during the unsettled state into which Persia was thrown after the death of Shah Tamasp I., son the founder of the Sefevi of Shah Ismail, dynasty, the Cha’b Arabs began to encroach on their neighbours the Afshérs, who were estab- lished to the east of Haviza, and succeeded in dislodging them and taking possession of their places of encampment. They did not, however, long remain peaceful occupiers of the land they had seized; for at the accession of Shah Abbas the Great to the throne of Persia, Imam Kali-Khan, Governor of Fars, headed an expedition against the Cha’b Arabs, and forced them to return their former possessions to the Afshars, compelling them, moreover, to pay a certain tribute to the Crown of Persia. Persia was at that period at the zenith of its power; and among the numerous vassals who recognised its Shah as suzerain were four Valis, Wwho, although exercising an independent sway in VOL. 11, I 114 TRAVELS IN their own states, still owed allegiance to the Hence the title of the sovereigns of Persia. latter of Shah in Shah, or king of kings. One of these four great feudatory lords was the Vali of Haviza or Arabistan, who, with the other three, namely, the Valis of Gurgistan, or Georgia, of Luristdan, and of Ardelan, or Fastern Kurdistan, had a right to a seat on state occasions in the presence of the Shah. From that period until the invasion of Persia by the Affghans, the monarchs of Iran had always Arabian cavalry in their service. The Vali of Arabistan performed even a con- spicuous, although not a very honourable, part during the siege of Isfahan; for it was chiefly owing to his treacherous conduct that the city fell into the hands of the Afghans.* Taking advantage of the disorders which attended that invasion of Persia, and profiting by the state of anarchy which succeeded the Cha’b Arabs the death of Nadir-Shah, * Hanway, Otter, Picault, and several Catholic mis- sionaries give detailed accounts of this affair. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 15 repossessed themselves once more of the country of Datrak, forcing the Afshars and other Turkish tribes, such as the Bayat and Kakavend to decamp. A part of the Afshars retired to Kengovar and Assadabad, between Xerman- shah and Hamadan ; another portion settled a few established at Urumia in Aderbeijan; themselves in the neighbourhood of Shishter and Dizfal, where they still continue to live, and bear the name of Gandazlu. Niebuhr, who visited Arabia and Persia in the latter part of the last century, speaks of the power which the Cha’b Arabs had attained under their enterprising chief, Sheikh Suleyman, and the wars in which they were incessantly engaged with the Persian and Turkish authorities.! About the same period Kerim Khan-Vakil, in acknowledgment for the signal services these Arabs had rendered to his troops during the siege of Basra, bestowed on them the town of Hindiyan with its dependencies, some- what in the nature of a feudal tenure, on con- dition of their paying 1,000 tomans to the T2 TRAVELS IN 116 Governor of Fars for the enjoyment of Hindiyan. Whenever the Sovereigns of Persia felt them- selves strong, and could enforce their authority, the Cha’b Arabs were regular in paying their tribute ; but as soon as the latter thought they could withhold their allegiance, they never failed to do so. At the commencement of Fet'h-Ali-Shah’s reign, the Arabs of Cha’b kept aloof, but, towards the end, they are said to have paid tribute to the Ferméan-Ferma of Fars, partly in cash, and partly in a stipulated number of their noble breed of horses, as a peshkesh, or present, which an inferior offers to a superior. At the accession of the reigning Shah to the throne, and while the Governor of Fars, Manu- cher-Khan, was besieging the forts of Gdli- G@l4b, then in the hands of the Mamaseni tribes, the Sheikh Ché&’b, whose possessions of Hindiydn happen to be in the vicinity, was summoned by the Governor of Fars to provide The the troops of the Shah with provisions. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 117 sheikh gave answer, that as there existed no pre- cedent of the Cha’b Arabs ever having procured sursdt, or provisions for a Persian army, he could not comply with the demand; but after the fort had surrendered he changed his mind, and in addition to the required supplies, paid several thousand tomans to the Governor of Fars. The expedition of the Pasha of Bagdad against the sheikh of Cha’b originated in consequence of the latter having declared his town of Mu- hammereh a free port, and thrown it open to all the vessels sailing in the Persian Gulf. The advantageous position of Muhammereh, situated, as I was told, near the junction of the Jerahi (Tab) with the Kuren, affords the vessels sailing up the gulf the possibility of car- rying their goods thither without going to Basra, which lies higher up the stream of the Shatt-el.’ Arab. The high duties which merchants had to pay before they could clear their goods at Basra, induced them to resort to Muhammerch. This caused a great diminution in the custom- 118 TRAVELS IN house revenues, not only of Basra, which were very considerable, but likewise of Bagdad; the income of the Pasha was affected by it, and it is but natural to suppose that Ali Riza Pasha could not remain long blind or indifferent to the increasing diminution in his receipts. Hence the expedition. The calamity which befel Muhammereh might perhaps have been averted, had the Cha’b Sheikh been less actuated by a spirit of parsimony, or had evinced greater caution and foresight. ‘When the news spread that Ali Riza Pasha had left Bagdad, and his hostile intentions against Muhammereh became apparent, Muham- med Taghi-Khan Bakhtiyar was directed by the Moétemid, the then Chief of Kermanshah,* Luristan, and Arabistan, to offer the sheikh the assistance of his cavalry, 2,000 strong, provided the sheikh furnished the troops with * And not of Fars, as mentioned in M. Fontanier’s recent work, “ Voyage dans I'Inde et le Golfe Persique,” &e LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 119 the necessary supplies ort their march, and as long as he might require their aid. The sheikh replied, that he had no appre- hension that the expedition of the Pasha was directed against him, and, therefore, declined the offer. The fact is, he had been lulled into this false security by a kinsman of his, whom the Pasha had gained by holding out the prospect of procuring for him the government of the Chéa’b country in case of success. This treacherous kinsman succeeded in per- suading the sheikh that the military expedition of the Pasha of Bagdad was directed against Basra, and not against him. The consequence was, that the sheikh was taken so completely unawares, that he had only time to save his own life by escaping to Felahi, (the former capital of Cha'’b after that of Daurik,) and from thence to Ram-Hormuz. The loss which the Persian merchants of Shashter alone sus- tained at the destruction of Muhammereh is said to have exceeded 60,000 tomans, or about 120 TRAVELS IN 30,0007. I have heard it affirmed by persons who have visited the place, that had the sheikh been apprized of the Pasha’s hostile intentions, even a short time before the attack took place, he might have rendered the approaches to Muhammereh impassable to the enemy, by breaking down the dams and flooding the country around it. This mode of defence reminds us of what the ancient writers mention concerning the nu- merous canals which spread like a network over the country, along the lower courses of the Tigris and Euphrates, and served the purpose of irrigating the fields, but were also used by the natives as means of defence for inundating the country at the approach of an enemy. NOTES TO CHAPTER XX. Page 106.—Pons quoque ibi invenitur inter mundi miracula relatus, qui a matre regis Ardeschiri pons Harah-Zad vocatur, et super fluvium siccum exstructus est Huic enim fluvio aqua deist, nisi quando multa ceciderit pluvia, quo tempore maris instar fluctibus agitatur, 121 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. et, qua per terra superficiem patet, ultra mille cubitos qua in profundum abit, centum et quinquaginta com- plectitur., Hunc vero pontem sic extruxit (Hazah-Zad), ut lapides plumbo ferroque inter se conjungantur, et inter- vallum inter locum unde humo exsurgit, alterumque, ubi iterum in terram descendit. Profunditas autem est ulnarum centum et quinquaginta. Quo altius adscendit substructio eo fit angustior. Spatium vero inter latus torrentis pon- temque, in altum sergentem ad quadraginta circiter cubitos a terr superficie, ferri scoriis fuso plumbo in massam com- pactis implevit, quibus, molibus pons innititur ita ut summus Sic igitur omne illius vertex supra terram suspendatur. intervallum inter duo latera torrentis, et pontis structuram plumbo, aeris (¥) ramentis intermixto, oppletum est. Pons hic constat una arcu, est que mirabili structura firmeter que inter se compacta insignis. Eundem postea rupit Mas- maeus (?) neminique per longum tempus integrum fuit, sub- structionem restituere. Quee res haud parum molestiz viatoribus creavit. Interim accol® eo pergentes in plumbo, quod ad structuram sustinendam in fusum erat magna cum vi extrahendo omnem modum excesserunt; donec opus ibn Ahmed al reparavit Abou-Abdallah Mohammed Ammi (?) Vesirus Al Hasani ibn Bouyz. Hic enim operas geometras que conduxit, omnesque nervos facultates que suas in illud negotium intendit, opifices que ex summo ponte canistres impositos ope trochlearum funium- que suspendit (7); nec tamen arcum nisi multis post amnis absolverunt. Jam vero prater mercedem operarum, quarum major pars ex ipsa ditione Idadji et Isfahane ad hod opus peregendum vi adacta fuit in illud erogata sunt trecenta et | | 122 TRAVELS IN Structuree ad nostrum quinquaginta millia aureorum. usque tempus servatac contemplatio et inspectio con- siderantes in admirationem rapit. (See Uylenbreek’s “Irace Persice Descriptio,” &c., p. 31.) Page 110.—La tribu Arabe de Kiab, ou suivant la pro- noneiation des Persans 7siab, habite lextrémité des cites du Golfe Persique. Elle était peu considérée avant le régne de son Scheick actuel Soliman, dont la renommé parvint jusqu’ & 'Europe, & l'occasion de ses. querrelles avec les Anglais, auxquels il prit quelques vaisseaux. Ce Scheick sut profiter des troubles de Perse, et des vices du Gouvernement de Basra. I commenga par soumettre ses petits voising indépendans ; fempara ensuite de plu- sieurs grands districts en Perse, et promit un tribu aux Khans, qui se disputaient le trone de ce malheureux royaume. Aucun ne lexigea que Kérim, qui se contenta d’une petite somme. Soliman étendit alors ses conquétes du c6té de Basra. Il rechercha Ilamiti¢ des Ajals qui sont les chefs du peuple dans ces contrées, et comme les prin- cipaux ne perdaient pas avec lui, il parvint & se rendre maitre de toutes les iles entre les embouchures de I'Euphrate, ou du pays appelé communément Schat-el- Arab. Ayant poussé ses conquétes jusqu’ aux fleuves En 1758 il btit navigables, il pensa former une marine. son premier vaisscau, et en 1765 il en avait déa dix grands et soixante et dix plus petits. Cette méme année en 1765, Kerim-Khan envoya contre lui une si forte armée, qu’il ne put resister. 11 transporta ses trésors et ses troupes d’ ile en ile, jusqua Pouert de Schat-el- Arab. Les Persans ne pouvant le poursuivre LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 123 faute de vaisseaux, furent obligés de se retirer, alors le Pacha de Bagdad donna des ordres d’attaquer Soliman, qui évita les Turcs, en se sauvant par les iles comme il avait évité les Persans. Le territoire de la tribu de Kiab s'étend depuis le désert de I Arabie jusqu’ au pays de Hindian, et vers le nord jusqu’a la principanté de Hawvisa. Il est arrosé de plusieurs petites et grandes rivieres ; il abonde en dattes, en ris, en graines et en paturages. Ses villeg prin- cipales sont Daurek, située déja en Perse; Hafar, et Ghoban, résidence du scheick, prés d’une embouchure de PEuphrate. (Niebuhr’s “ Voyage en Arabie et en d’Autres Pays de I'Orient,” tom ii., chap. v., p. 160, edit. in 8vo., 1780, in Suisse.) CHAPTER XXI. Continue the journey over a hilly country.—Valley of Murde-fil inhabited by the Arab-Gomish tribe.—Sul- phurous spring at the foot of the Asmari hills.—Ruins on the plain of Gulgir.—Disappointed in my antiquarian researches.—Our appearance frightens away some Iliyat women.—Leave the place to escape an attack.— Cultiva- tion of the fields at Gulgir.— Arrive at the encampment of the Janeki.— Khori Shatur-Zar.— Scenes of Tliyat life.— Comparison between the agriculturist and the shepherd.— Opinion of Lord Bacon on the subject.—An Iliyat woman enjoys more freedom and is more respected than the women who lead a sedentary life in Persia.— Ancedote of a Kurdish amazon.—Division of the Jéaneki tribe.— Resume my journey.—Arrival at Beitavend.—Deserted village.—Contrast between the highways of Europe and those of Persia.—Description of Beitavend.— Give battle to an army of mice.— Repent of my victory. Proceed to Shashter. February 8.—Next morning we started at a quarter past six, a.m. The road led west over very steep hills, partly barren, partly covered with oaks and the kih-nar. An hour brought TRAVELS IN LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 125 us to a precipitous descent into the valley of Murde-fil (the dead elephant), in which some patches of ground are cultivated by the Janeki of the Arab-Gomish tribe ; the rest is all slaty rock, the country wild and mountainous. At nine we reached another valley, with some springs of fresh water, as also a mineral spring. Several fragments of stone and mortar were scattered here and there, and some gravestones denoted that this place had once been inhabited. A few natural caverns were likewise pointed out to me in the rocks, at some elevation. After partaking of a scanty breakfast, which consisted of cold eggs hard boiled, and some dry bread, we crossed the Duruo (likewise called Murde-fil,) several times. Its water is brackish, in consequence of its flowing through the limestone hills. Near at hand on the left were the lofty and precipitous heights of the Asmani hills, formed principally of black slate. Two hours more brought us to the mnorth- western extremity of this chain, at the foot of Having no which is a sulphurous spring. 126 TRAVELS IN thermometer with me, I could not ascertain its degree of heat; but I found the water pleasantly warm for bathing, and the immersion afforded great relief to my weary limbs. The opposite, south-eastern, extremity of Kihi-Asmari T had seen from Manjanik, so that the whole extent of it, from south-east to north-west, may be estimated at from five to six farsangs (twenty-two and a-half miles). It is distinguishable from the surrounding mountains by its height and black colour, being almost entirely of slate, while the other hills are calcareous. A plain, bounded at its northern extremity by a snowy range of mountains, lay on our right. On turning the angle of Kahi-Asmari, we entered on the plain of Gugird (Gulgir in Major Rawlinson’s notes), and, advancing in a soon arrived at some south-west direction, ruined buildings of freestone, with vaulted rooms, probably of the Sasanian era. To the south of this spot, at the distance of a farsang, 1 descried another building in the LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 127 plain, and was told by my companions that I would find there the ruins of an ancient temple, with white marble columns, together with inscriptions and carvings on stone. With the cheering prospect of such a rich anti- quarian harvest before me, I did not mind making a great detour, though my new ac- quaintances would not consent to accompany me. Only one of their party, on seeing me depart alone with my servant, joined us , in order to serve as ciceroni., My illusory anticipations were soon dissipated on a nearer inspection. T found only a deserted Imam-Zadeh, some gravestones with Arabic inscriptions, and a considerable space of ground strewed over with stone and mortar ; the relies of some small town or extensive village, which was now crumbling into the dust, to which its former inhabitants were already reduced. Our approach frightened away some Iliyat women who had come with their jugs to draw water from a neighbouring spring. The en- campment of their tribe was seen at some 128 TRAVELS IN distance at the foot of the Asmari hills; but no assurances on our part could induce them to slacken their pace as they fled in the direction of their tents. It is a melancholy spectacle in these barren wastes, and a sad thought to dwell upon, that the sight of a stranger always creates a feeling of mistrust, and the object a man dreads most to meet in the wilderness is the form of his own fellow-creature, as if the curse of Cain was still upon the land. We, on our part, did not tarry long among the tombstones, on perceiving some bustle at the encampment, and the men saddling their horses, but went off at a quick trot, and, crossing the plain in a diagonal line, soon rejoined our party. The soil of the plain of Gugird is clayey, and produces wheat, which is sown in Decem- ber and reaped in Marc¢h, before the vernal equinox. When the rains are abundant the harvest yields from ten to twelve grains for one The road leading from Tauleh joins that LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 129 along which we were travelling at the foot of some gypsum hills at the extremity of the plain, which is about two farsangs (seven miles) in breadth. These hills are not steep, and are the continuation of the Kiuahi-Gech, which I had crossed before arriving at Manjanik. Their direction is from south-east to mnorth-west, parallel to the Asmari ridge. We cleared these hills in three-quarters of an hour, and forded a mountain stream full of reeds, and flowing from north to south. My travelling companions now looked about them for the tents of their families, which during their absence had been removed to another place of encampment. The roving Iliyat, when absent from his family, has no fixed hearth to which his imagination 13 sweet home.” may turn when thinking of His abode is the vast expanse of the desert plain, or some valley of the mountain, as he alternately folds or spreads his tent, now here now there, for the better accommodation of his flocks. VOL. IT, 130 TRAVELS IN ‘We éoon found what we looked for; and 1 took up my quarters for the night at the hospitable tent of an old Janeki, who, with his tribe, was encamped in the plain of Khéri- Shitur-Zar. He was one of the party in whose company I had travelled from Mal-Amir, and one whose silver beard and noble figure I had often admired, together with -the beautiful chesnut Arab mare he rode. The return of the Jancki created great glee and animation in the camp, and many were the endearing scenes I witnessed on the occa- sion. Mothers came out to greet their lords and masters, holding up their little offsprings in their arms to be caressed; the children, it is true, were dirty and half naked, but they were not the less hugged and kissed by their fond parents. The women and the boys took charge of the horses, while the travellers threw off their boots and war apparel and took their places on the threadbare carpets of their tents. But during the hurry and bustle of arrival, the kids and lambkins had found means to AND ARABISTAN. 151 LURISTAN upset their enclosures, and, in the joyful sen- sation of freedom, spread over the plain, skip- ping and prancing in wanton sport, while pur- sued by the younger branches of the com- munity with the faithful shaggy guardians of the Iliyat camps. All were curious to learn the news of the movements at Mal-Amir ; and, when I alighted, I found my old Janeki host surrounded by his children and grandchildren, and seemingly very happy, whilst his own presence created gladness around him. What pure and blissful joys has the Almighty infused into the heart of man! and why should we seek abroad for comforts and delights when we can possess both in the bosom of our own families ! Although the agriculturist stands a step higher in the scale of civilization, I am inclined, from what has fallen under my notice in the Fast, to join in the opinion of Lord Bacon, that the state of the shepherd is, in some respects, preferable.* * I shall take the liberty to quote the whole passage X2 132 TRAVELS IN Among the Iliyats I have found more sim- plicity and frankness than among the inha- of the author in his own words, as there is in them much curious matter :— “ After the creation was finished,” says Lord Francis Bacon, “it is set down unto us, that man was placed in the garden to work therein ; which work so appointed to him could be no other than work of contemplation ; that is, when the end of work is but for exercise and experiment, not for necessity, for there being then no reluctation of the creature, nor sweat of the brow, man’s employment must of consequence have been matter of delight in the experi- ment, and not matter of labour for the use. Again, the first acts which man performed in Paradise consisted of the two summary parts of knowledge ; the view of creatures, and the imposition of names, As for the knowledge which induced the fall, it was (as was touched before) not the natural knowledge of good and evil, wherein the suppo- gition was, that God’s commandments or prohibitions were not the originals of good and evil, but that they had other beginnings, which man aspired to know, to the end to make a total defection from God, and to depend wholly upon himself. To pass on: in the first event or occurrence after the fall of man, we see (as the Scriptures have infinite mysteries, not violating at all the truths of the story or letter) an image of the two estates, the contemplative state and the active state, figured in the two persons of Abel and Cain, and in the two simplest and most primitive trades AND ARABISTAN. 133 LURISTAN bitants of villages. Being less bound to the soil than the tiller of the ground, the Iliyats, in their roving habits, are not so cramped in their movements, and evince a greater spirit But what establishes, more of independence. than anything else, their decided superiority over the settled inhabitants of villages, and even towns, is the degree of freedom their women enjoy when compared with those of the latter. They are not doomed to that seclusion which spreads such a gloom over Muhammedan society, but mingle freely in the company of the other sex. The confidence which is placed in the virtue of the Iliyat woman raises her in her own estimation, while her own dignity gains her the respect of those S SR S S e e of life ; that of the shepherd (who, by reason of his leisure, rests in a place, and living in view of heaven, is a lively image of a contemplative life) and that of the husbandman, where we see again the favour and election of God went to the shepherd and not to the tiller of the ground.” (See Lord Francis Bacon, “Of the Proficience and Advancement of Learning,” pp. 63, 64.) 134 TRAVELS IN around her, and makes her a more fit com- panion for man. We must not expect, how- ever, to find among them those gentle and refined qualities of the heart which so emi- nently characterize the true Christian woman. No; the female inmates of the tent are rude, ignorant, and often as wild as their lords; but still they are not deficient in self-abnega- tion and devotedness to their families. Inured to hardships from their infancy, and, moreover, bold riders, it is not seldom that they show great courage and martial spirit. When I was once on a visit to Kermanshah 1 found a branch of the Kalhtr tribe, which, during the minority of their chief, was governed by his mother. I was told that this lady used to place herself at the head of the regiment which the clan was required to furnish for the state, and even offered to conduct the troops in person to the capital for the inspection of the Shah. An anecdote was related to me about this Amazon, which, if it does not tally with our LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 135 notions of right and wrong, shews at least that she was a woman of no common spirit. When yet a spinster, she used to dress in mens’ clothes, saddle her horse, and, armed with a lance, would sally forth into the desert, there to waylay travellers. An elderly Kurd, who was for some time my companion in that part of the country, related to me, that crossing one day an unfrequented tract, he was suddenly attacked with great impetuosity by an armed horseman, and it was not until he had inflicted some severe wounds on his assailant in self-defence, that he induced the robber to retreat, He had likewise been wounded, and towards the close of day sought refuge at an Iliyat encampment. The chief of the tribe, in whose tent he was lodged, washed and dressed the wounds for his guest, lamenting at the same time that he could not command the help of his daughter, who had been herself that morning roughly handled by a stranger Kurd. This intelligence awakened the curiosity of my narrator, and on inquiring into the nature of her wounds, he was strengthened 136 TRAVELS IN in his suspicion that the daughter of his host was the very person who had attacked him in the desert. In order, however, to ascertain more fully the fact, he expressed a wish next morning to see the invalid, to which the father made no objection. They met and recognised each other; but as both were wounded and had fought valiantly, they were quits and parted friends ; nor did the old man evince any resent- ment against the Kurd; the latter having, moreover, acquired a claim to his protection, having tasted of his salt, and rested under the shadow of his tent. As this anecdote was told me without any wish to produce an effect, but simply as an occurrence which had taken place, I have no hesitation in believing it to be genuine, the more so as it is in perfect keeping with the couleur locale. I learned from my host that the Janeki are divided into the following tribes :—The Gugirdi, at Khari-Shatar-Zar, and Gugird; the Maka- vendi, at Jart, near Tauleh; the Arab-Gomish, LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 137 between Mal-Amir and Gugird ; the Mumbeni, near the snowy range to the north; and the Bulveis, near Kal’eh-Tl. Tauleh lies six farsangs (twenty-two miles) south-east from Khari-Shatar-Zar ; and the river Kiren a day’s journey to the north. 9th. We proceeded to Beitavend, seven far- sangs (twenty-six miles), at first due west, and then north-west. An howr’s journey brought us to the boundary of the Janeki country and Shishter. To the right of the line of road was a chain of the Kahi-Gech, and to the left K{hi- Siyah. Behind the latter range dwell the Arabs of the Mesi-Beni. The Génduzli, an Afshir tribe, also cross to that side in winter, and approach the valley of the Karen in summer. After three hours’ march from Khari-Shatar- Zar, we left on our right a road which leads also east across Khi-Gech to Gugird; and passing the cultivated ground of Sheker-ab (sugar- water), we forded the river Shirish-ib several times. The country is undulating. We next went along an elevated ground, covered with 138 TRAVELS IN kah-nar, and passed a tepeh or mound, sur- rounded with some old tombstones. This district, as well as Sheker-ab, belongs to the Gndazla tribe. At Beitavend, which we reached after a march of seven hours, we found the village deserted, the inhabitants had fled into the mountains, as soon as they learned that the Governor of Isfahan was to pass with his troops in that direction on his way to Shishter and Dizful. In like manner, and from similar motives, a great number of villages situated on the high-road between Teheran and Tabriz have been completely abandoned, and the peasantry have sought for more secluded places to settle in, whilst their former habitations fall to the ground. In civilized countries, wherever a thoroughfare exists, we usually meet with a greater mass of wealth and affluence, than in less frequented localities; it is not so in Persia. The richest villages are generally situated in some retired valley of the mountains, or far 139 LURISTAN AND. ARABISTAN. from the high-roads;* hence the desolate ap- pearance and absence of social life, with which a TFuropean is struck on travelling through the country along the caravan route, and hence likewise the incorrect notions some are apt to form of the country in general. Beitavend is situated at the foot of gypsum hills, and surrounded by green fields and meadows, through which runs a rivulet coming from the mountains to the right, which I had crossed in approaching the place; the water is brackish. The village consists of about one hundred neat and clean houses, with an Imam- Zadeh on the top of a hillock. Thither I proceeded to admire the western sun, as it was lowering its course in the heavens, and at last sunk behind the distant plains of Arabistan. * In the book of Judges, we read that a similar state of things prevailed in the East, in the old days before us. “In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through by -ways.” (Judges v. 6.) 140 TRAVELS IN I learned from an old dervish that Meschedi Solyman- Kulchuk,* mentioned by Major Raw- linson, is four farsangs (fifteen miles) distant from Beitavend, on the right of the road leading to Shuashter, and that it has some white columns and slabs of stones; but I could not command sufficient time to verify the fact. Major Rawlinson is of opinion that it represents one of the ancient temples of Elymais. | On returning from my evening walk, I found that although the village was deserted, my lodging was not void of inhabitants; for no sooner was my supper served for me on the ground, than a whole army of mice made * The lesser mosque of Solomon. t “The fire temple,” says this author, “dedicated to Anahéd, which was supposed by Strabo (p. 744) and Dio- dorus (Diod. Sic., Fragm. 34, book xxvi.) to be sacred to Jupiter, and which, in the Maccabees (2 Mac. i. 13—16), is named, more properly, the temple of Nanae, may be repre- sented by the ruin in the plain of Beitdvend : it was here that Antiochus the Great lost his life,” (See “Journal of the Royal Geographical Society,” part i., vol, 9, p. 85.) LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 141 their appearance—famished ¢ comme des rats d’ Eglise.” It was hunger which made them forget fear, and lose all sense of decorum; for without any invitation on my part they made free with several dainty bits from off the board ; while others from behind jumped over my shoulders into the dishes, as I lay reclining on my elbow on the couch, in the old Roman fashion at meals. Their freaks amused me at first, but afterwards they took too many liberties, and so at length my choler rose, and in my impatience I threw boots, slippers, books, and other missiles, at them. Some retreated limping, others remained on the spot to rise no more, and I was But now relieved from further annoyance. my conscience smote me; I was sorry for what T had done, and felt ashamed at my victory. Poor little things! they were starving, and came to implore for a few crumbs to keep body and soul together, and T had not only grudged them that trifle, but had deprived them of life which, in their simplicity, they 142 TRAVELS IN thought I came to restore. I felt my con- duct had been cruel, unmanly, and unchris- tian! I almost wished they would return, but I had forfeited their how could I expect it? confidence, and a little dumb animal, guided only by its instinct and warned by experience, preferred to die of hunger in its little hole, rather than trust itself again in the dangerous presence of man—that sullen, imperious lord of the creation! And we boast of humanity! February 10.—From Baitivend to Shashter is called a distance of four farsangs (fifteen miles). We started at half-past four, a.m. For the first hour we travelled south-west by west, through cultivated fields. After crossing the river Sharish-ab, we turned, at half-past five, a.m., to the We§t, and went over broken hills of sandstone. At half-past six, a.m., the bearing of the road was W.N.W., it retained that direction, with trifling variations, till we reached Shshter. We passed on the way many ruined villages and old bends, or dykes, which formerly h‘ad LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 143 served to form reservoirs, as fresh water is scarce here, The country, as we approached Shashter, becomes more level and better culti- vated. We are now in the district of Pir- chistén, or Pishistan. At half-past eight, a.m., the plain of Arabi- stan opened to our view, and the river K{ren was seen issuing from the hills to the right and taking a S.S.W. course towards Shiishter. The river Shirish, flowing in a N.N.W. direc- tion, joins it at the village of A#kili, near the mountains. On approaching the town, the road passed close to the ruined mosque of Piri-Shemsu-d- din, perched on the summit of a steep hill, from the top of which I obtained a command- ing view over the whole country, which to the south and south-west is a flat plain, with From the exception of a few undulations. this elevated spot I attempted likewise to take a bird’s-eye sketch of the town of Shishter, which appears to become more ruinous the further it ‘extends into the plain to the south. 144 TRAVELS IN LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. On nearing the Imam-Zadeh S&hib-Zeman, a very pretty place, we were greeted by an old Kaliyanchi, who, in his guttural Arab dialect, offered us a kaliyan to smoke, and some ice- cold water to slake our thirst. At length we entered Shushter at eleven, a.m., from the east, over a low stone bridge, which serves as a bend to distribute the waters that flow from the Kiren in this direction, into various channels for the wuse of water- mills. The water which escapes falls down in beautiful cascades into the artificial channel of the Kuaren. CHAPTER XXIL Reach Shiishter.—Entertained by Mirza Sultan ’Ali Khan.— Syrup of dates and syrup of grapes.—Arrival of an Arab Sheikh.— Remove to the citadel.—Dyke of Shashter constructed by Shaptr Dhulektaf.—Description of the town.—Artificial irrigation of the Meand’ab.—Taxation.— Productions.— Water communication with the Persian Gulf.—TFormer sugar plantations at Ahvéz —Alleged reasons for their destruction.—Ophthalmic complaints.— Quickness of the Shishteri.—Improvisatori.—A Shish- teri blind diviner.—Loose morals of the inhabitants. I was at first brought to the house of Mirza Sultan *Ali-Khan, the head of one of the prin- cipal native families of Shashter, and a de- scendant of one of the holy Muhammedan Imams. Although he had not received any intimation of my comin 5 o. and was a perfect stranger to me, still he received me with great cordiality. Large trays were soon brought in with various sorts of fruits, fresh cakes of wheat flour, L YOL. II. 146 TRAVELS IN honey, an omelet, and some bunches of fresh aromatic herbs, such as mint, astragon, and many others, for which I am at a loss to find an equivalent name in English ; although that does mnot prevent the Persians from relishing them. Among other dainties, I must not omit to mention a bowl with a thick syrup of dates. It is prepared from the juice of the ripe fruit, pressed out, and is excellent, resembling in taste the juice of the unripe grape, after it is boiled to syrup, and is formed into a solid mass like congealed honey out of the comb. * While I was busily employed in emptying the dishes and listening to my host, the arrival of an Arab sheikh was announced, and we soon saw him enter the yard with his followers, mounted on small Arab mares. They were presently * To the honey of raisins the Persians give the name of shiré; and it was known to the ancients, as we learn from the following passage of Ezekiel xxvii. 17 :(— « Judah, and the land of Israel, traded with thee (Tyre); corn of Minnith, koney of raisins, (in some editions koney alone,) oil, and balm gave they to thee for thy wares.” LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 147 ushered into the apartment where we sat, and The Arab sheikh took their respective places. was an eclderly man, dressed in an abbah, a white flowing cloak, with broad black stripes, flung carelessly over his shoulders, and a black shawl twisted gracefully round his head, with the extremities hanging down in fringes. After a few words exchanged with my host in Arabic, of the most guttural 'intonation, the sheikh rested his arms on the hilt of his hanjar stuck in his belt, and preserved a dignified silence until I took my leave, although he inpC&l‘Od to have come on business to Mirza Sultan ’Ali-Khan, who exercises a great influence over the wandering Arab tribes of He is not Chief, however, of the plain. Shishter, the civil administration of which town, with the adjacent country, is intrusted to Aga Muhammed Ali Bashi, the deputy of Zorab-Khan, who himself resides at Dizfal. Intelligence was sent to the former of my arrival, and a lodging immediately prepared for or, I should rather me at his house, i 148 TRAVELS IN say, at the mansion-house of Shushter, m which Aga Muhammed Ali Bashi resides. This fine building, which is a strong fort surrounded by massive walls, stands on an eminence overlooking the broad and rapid Kiren. We soon found that we were old acquaint- ances, having met three years previously and spent a few days in the black tents of the Kermanshah Iliyats, visiting together the holy shrines of the Ali-Illahi sectarians. My new host took me to sce the great dyke called the Bendi-Kaiser, at the eastern arm of the Kiren. It is above 600 paces from bank to bank, and is formed of large granite stones, joined by iron clamps. The general breadth of the dyke is fourteen paces, but it is not same. The depth of the everywhere the river, close to this dyke, is said to be from twenty-five to thirty Persian zdr (a zar being equivalent to three and a-half feet). Narrow openings are left in the bend to allow a free passage for a part of the water, which at the LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 149 time I visited Shushter, was nearly level with the dyke itself; at the scason of the swelling of the river, the water covers the dyke com- pletely. * Shishter was formerly a very populous city, but the plague and the cholera morbus of the years 1831 and 1832 made great ravages among its inhabitants, the number of which is said not to exceed at present 4,000 or 5,000 souls. A considerable number of families have removed likewise to the town of Dizfal, since it has become the chief place of the province, instead of Shushter, which was the former capital of Khtzistan. In consequence of these various causes, many houses, still in tolerably good condition, stand empty without owners. The The aspect of the town is original. dwellings are generally two stories high, with spacious terraces surrounded by parapets. In the interior of the courts, lofty covered passages The run along the walls of the buildings. vaulted cells of the houses are deep and capa- * For further details, see note at the end of the chapter. TRAVELS IN 150 cious ; thither, in summer, the inhabitants retire during the heat of the ddy, resortiqg to their high terraces at the approach of night. The ark, or fortress, stands apart on a rising ground facing the Kiaren, which, lower down, passes under a stone bridge of forty-four arches, built by the Sasanian monarch, Shapr D’hu Laktaf, which serves likewise the purpose of a dyke. In modern times this:bridge has been repaired by the late Muhammed Ali Mirza, son of Fet’h-Ali-Shah, and, still more recently, by Mantcher-Khan, the present Governor-General of the province. The right bank of the Kuaren, opposite the castle, is covered with brushwood, which, when compared with the surrounding barren plains and mountains, looks very picturesque. In order to procure water for the irrigation of the fields to the south of the town, a tunnel has been carried from the Kiren, somewhat above the stone bridge, over the main branch of the river and below the Bendi-Kaiser, on the east side of the town. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 1 J ~ 1 This subterranean canal passes under the fortress, and reappears near the gate leading to Dizfil. The water procured by this means serves to irrigate a spacious tract of land of nine farsangs, called the Miand 'ab (Mesopo- tamia), namely the space comprised between the two branches of the Kfren, and which, had it not been for this artificial means, would have remained a barren waste, as the two arms of the river which embrace it are very deeply imbedded in their banks. Shéshter, with its several districts, is taxed by Government to the amount of 20,000 tomans, or about 10,0007, which is distributed in the following manner :— Tomans. The farming of the waters of the Miand ’ab produce 3, 30 Fourteen villages belonging to Mirza 3,250 Sultan ’Ali Khan, and that of Ahili The Gundiazla-Afshars 1,500 The village of Jalakin 250 The village of Gutvénd . 750 152 TRAVELS IN Tomans. The village of Deimché 250 The village of Kavnek 400 9,930 Or, in round numbers . 10,000 The town taxes amount to . 10,000 Total . 20,000 Absminnis We may here add that— The land tax on winter corn, which the Persians call shatvi, consisting of barley and wheat, amounts to 3,350 The tax on the summer products, or seifi, under which head cotton, sesam, rice, &c., are comprised, amounts to 6,550 9,900 Or, in round numbers 10,000 market The Indian products which find a at Shtshter, are sugar, spices, and cotton. They are brought by sea to Muhammerch, a LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 153 free port on the Kiren, near its confluence with the Shat-al-Arab and the Kurdistin river, and in the possession of the sheikh of Cha'b. From thence they are carried up the Kiren in small Arab craft to within two farsangs of the town of Ahvéiz, at which latter place they are taken out and transported by land carriage, on account of some ledges of rock which traverse the bed of the river. Further on, the goods are again replaced in boats, and approach within three farsangs of Shushter : here they are once more laden on mules and thus brought to the city. Shashter had in former years large cotton plantations, and furnished the raw materials for its own looms; but since the introduction of foreign cotton stuffs, this branch of rural industry has been nearly suspended, and the cotton looms are at a stand-still. Formerly the sugar-cane likewise flourished here, and more especially at Ahvdz,* but the culture of it is now completely abandoned. Oninquiring * See Yakuti, in Notices et Extraits des Manuscrits de la Bibliothéque du Roi, tom. ii., p. 425. 154 TRAVELS IN into the reason of it, T was told that many years back an Inglis (an Englishman), settling for a time at Ahvax, had bought up at a very high price all the sugar-cane that could be collected, root and all, which he gathered into a large storehouse. When he had entirely drained the country of this article, he set fire to the magazine, and the whole stock of the sugar-cane was thus con- sumed. Since that period the inhabitants of Ahvaz have never resumed their sugar plan- tations. I cannot at present recall to memory the name of an old European traveller in the East, who mentions this circumstance, but attributes the act to the Dutch. The lovers of the marvellous give another version of this tale. It appears, according to their statement, that Imam-Riza, one of the twelve holy successors of Muhammed, and whose shrine is visited by the devotee Mussul- mans at Meshhed in Khorassan, had a sweet tooth ; for while residing at the town of Tis, in the neighbourhood of Meshhed, he conceived a great longing for some of the Ahvaz sugar; ~ LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 1 J 5 but the parsimonious inhabitants of that ecity thought fit to reject his request; upon which, faithful to the Mussulman creed of retaliation, the holy man breathed a prayer that the sugar-cane should no more grow at Ahviz. His prayer was granted; and in order that his vengeance might appear the more striking and appalling, all the sugar-canes were turned into scorpions. The best possible evidence that this story is true is, that Ahvaz is said to abound in scorpions. The inhabitants of Shuster complain greatly of the heat during the summer months; and this reminds us of what Strabo mentions on the faith of Aristobulus about Susa, where the heat was so great in summer, that lizards and serpents could not crawl across the streets at mid-day without being burnt.* As the Persians during the summer months usually have their suppers served on the flat roofs of their houses, the town becomes illu- minated. Candles are placed on high candela- * Strabo, lib. xv., c. iiir 156 TRAVELS IN bras, and covered either with glass caps open at the top, or sheltered by wooden frames, the sides of which are of fine muslin. Servants are then seen moving about with immense lanterns, and casting their black shadows before them. These lanterns are made to spread and fold, and consist of white starched linen; the lid as well as the bottom being made up of white copper. They are often from two and a-half to three feet in diameter, and from three to four feet when spread out. The present inhabitants seek shelter m the daytime, as already mentioned, in the deep vaulted cells of their dwellings, which become suffocating towards evening; and in order to catch a breath of air, the whole popu- lation rush to the terraced roofs of their houses, where they spend the night. Although .ophthalmic complaints are preva- lent all over Persia, still nowhere have T met with more numerous cases of persons suffering from sore eyes than at Shashter and Dizfal. Many lose their eye-sight completely; others 1 2] -4 | LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. have only the use of one eye. This peculiarity I have likewise repeatedly observed in persons coming from the borders of the Persian Gulf, and especially from Mascat, on the Arabian coast. The natives think this proceeds from the fact that when occupied they are in the habit of straining one eye more than the other, in consequence of which, it becomes weaker and more exposed to inflammation, which is usually brought on during the heats by the perspiration running down the fore- I do not head, and entering into the eyes. know how far this interpretation may satisfy the exigences of medical science, but the frequent loss of eye-sight is thus accounted for by the sufferers. The inhabitants of Shuashter have the reputa- tion in Persia of being very quick and witty in their repartees, and resemble in this respect the Isfahani. I was witness one day at Ker- manshah of a contest between a Lati (buffoon) of that city, and a lad not more than fourteen years old from Shishter, which of them could " 1 J 8 TRAVELS IN best advocate the cause of his native.town, and depreciate that of his rival. The contest, which lasted a considerable time, was carried on with great spirit, each attacking and parry- The victory was ing in swift succession. unanimously awarded to the Shishteri boy, although the other was no mean performer. As the inhabitants are of a gay, lively cha- racter, the town abounds in buffoons, dancers, musicians, and jugglers of all descriptions. Among the latter, I met with an old blind conjurer in the Shah’s camp at ITamadan in 1840, who certainly acquitted himself with great ingenuity, and succeeded in imposing on many credulous persons. But if the Shishteri are remarkable for their wit, they are no less so for their profligacy, and although the Persians in general cannot boast of paying great attention to strict morality, the inhabitants of Shushter are reckoned to be more than the rest deficient in that respect. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. J NOTE TO CHAPTER XXII. Page 149.—On the dyke at Shashter, by Major Raw- linson :— It would appear that Ardashir-Babéyan, or his son, Shéphr, after having founded Shdhster, upon the left bank of the Kuran, in a bend of the river, excavated a deep and wide canal to the east of the city, and thus divided the waters of the river. The artificial stream was derived from the Kuran, immediately above the town ; and defending it upon the eastern face, as the original bed did upon the western, it rendered the position one of extreme strength ; but the city, situated on a rising ground, between the two arms, could have been but indifferently supplied with water, and a further under- taking, therefore, was necessary to remedy the defect. A massive band, or dyke, accordingly was thrown across the original bed of the river, at the distance of about half a mile from the mouth of the canal, narrow outlets, or sluices, being left for the passage of a certain portion of the water. The consequence of this was, that the great body of the river was forced back into the artificial derivation. Another band was then thrown across the mouth of the canal, forming, as it were, a continuation of the line of the original bank, and raised precisely to the same height as the lower dyke. Here, too, the passage of the water was regulated by sluices ; and the entire bed of the stream being now formed, as it were, into a vast reservoir, the mouth of a tunnel was opened into it, which had been excavated directly through the hill of sand-rock forming the left bank of the river between the two bands, TRAVELS IN 160 and below the level of the water thus artificially elevated ; a copious stream, of course, immediately flowed into the tunnel, and sufficient water was thus obtained for the supply of the town, and the cultivation of a vast tract of country extending to the south of it. Before either of the bands, however, were undertaken, and when the whole body of the river must have flowed in the artificial canal, the mouth of which had probably been deepened for the pur- pose, that part of the original bed between the two dykes, which was intended to form the great reservoir, was paved throughout with massive hewn stones, fastened with metal clamps, to prevent the further deepening of the river, and to give additional strength and security to the whole work. Such, as far as I can gather from Oriental authors, and a minute personal examination, has been the general design of the stupendous hydraulic works of Shuster. The course of the river has constantly changed, as either of the dykes o has given way and yielded a free passa ? e to the waters, and in that case, the level of the water in the great re- servoir having fallen below the orifice of the tunnel, it has become, of course, altogether useless. When I was at Shuster a part of the lower band had given way with the breaking of the bridge above it; and the level of the river having thus sunk several feet, the supply of water in the tunnel became reduced proportionably, and the lands south of Shiister were thrown entirely out of cultivation. The band, however, has been since repaired ; and T now under- stand that the tunnel or Nahri-Dariydn, as it is properly called, is quite full.” When the author visited Shister he found both the bands LURISTAN ANXD ARABISTAN~ 161 in perfect repair, and the tunnel of Nahri-Dériyén filled with water, which could be seen through the aperture of a deep well sunk into it, in one of the courts of the fortress. On leaving the tunnel the water flowed through the town, and from thence into the country, for the irrigation of the fields to the south of it called the Miandab. VOII- 11, M CHAPTER XXIII. Departure from Shashter to Dizfal.—My young Persian fellow-traveller.— Some account of the bridge of Dizfil, — Aspect of the road.—Seized by a fit of drowsiness.— Village of Kahnek. —Ruins of Shahabid supposed to be Jondi-Shapir.—Inconveniences of Eastern travelling.— Reception by Zohrab-Khan, Chief of DizfGl.—My host Mustafa Kuli-Khan. — Suspicions attached to him, — [nformation concerning the sect of the Sabeans, generally known by the name of the Christians of St. John.—Their aversion to blue colour mentioned in Tavernier.—Similar antipathy observed among the Yezidi sect, who worship the devil.— Ceremony of the fowl among the Sabeans, Jews, and the Ali-Ilahi Gurani of Kermanshah. I verr Shashter at midnight in company with a very intelligent young Persian nobleman, who tried to keep me awake by his vivacity, his jokes, and the ready wit of his lively repartees. I am sorry that his name has escaped my memory, especially as he seemed anxious that I should commit it to paper, as soon as he learned that I kept a journal. He TRAVELS IN LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 163 was in the Shah’s military service, had been an ¢léve of Colonel Stoddart, and had come the whole way from Teherdn to receive his pay in barats, a species of Exchequer-bills, which the Government draw on the Chiefs of provinces, which these, however, do not always honour, or, at least, drag on the bearers of them for months and years before they pay them. On leaving the town we crossed the bridge of Dizfal, which spans the river Kiren, and The construction consists of forty-four arches. of it is attributed to ShapGr Dhulactaf; but in the lapse of time, some arches having given way, the passage over the bridge became impracticable, till the late Muhammed Ali- son of Fet’h-Ali-Shah, and Governor Mirza, of Kermanshah, Luristan, and Arabistan, had repaired it, together with the other bend or dyke, which had likewise yielded to the im- petuosity of the current. It was ten years before the Prince could accomplish this difficult and expensive undertaking, which cost 120,000 M 2 164 TRAVELS IN tomans (about 60,0001.), exclusive of the day labourers’ work employed in the construction of it. The success of the enterprise is entirely owing to the persevering character of that Prince, for the old King had more than once declared it an useless and extravagant enter- prise, and had often refused to grant further supplies for the work to be carried on. But as nothing human is lasting, a few years ago (in the spring of 1832) the bridge of Dizfal again gave way to the impetuous rush of the waters of the Kiren. The present Governor, Manucher-KKhan, has had it re- paired. The distance from Shishter to Dizfal 18 reckoned between nine and ten farsangs. The road took us over a plain in a direction due west. Sandy hillocks were visible to the right, and behind them the elevated plain of Serdasht, with the high mountains in the distant horizon. To the left extends a level and barren plain ; at least so it appeared to me, as [ strained my eyes to pierce through the uncertain twilight. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 165 I have generally found, when obliged to travel through the night, that one feels the greatest inclination to sleep a short time before the first dawn of morning. As T had been the whole of the previous day either on horse- back, or moving about Shashter, T was so completely knocked up, and to such a degree drowsy, that for a wink of sleep T would wil- lingly have given up my birthright, as Fsau of old had sold his for a mess of pottage. My young companion perceiving that his jokes had lost their effect on me, proposed that we should stop in the midst of the road and rest awhile, which we accordingly did. A little carpet was spread on the ground, and, stretching myself on it, I was soon wrapped in profound sleep. When I awoke, the three bright stars which usually appear in the east before the approach of morning, were already losing their effulgency at the appearance of dawn, and soon melted in the skies as the sun rose majestically above the horizon. On arriving at the village of Kihnek, five 166 TRAVELS IN farsangs' from Shtshter, we stopped to ungird our horses, and as the place has some patches of cultivated ground, with a stream of water, we found grass for them, whilst the villagers supplied our party with sheep’s milk. On resuming our march, the road branched to north-west, and N.N.W. in the direction of the Keilun mountains, which lie beyond Dizftl. Two farsangs further brought us to the ruins of Shah-abad, with the Imam-Zadeh Abdul- Kazim. The Persians attribute the erection of this city to a certain King, whom they name Dakianus,* and attribute to him the * T have never been able to ascertain whom the Persians mean by Dakianus, but his name seems always to be con- nected with very remote antiquity. T recollect some Kurds mentioning to me, at the time of my trip into their country, that the lake of Zeri-bar, between Sullymanieh and Sennenduj (Senneh), occupies the site of the ancient capital of Dakianus, who, as a punishment for his wickedness, was swallowed up with his city by an earthquake ; and that in very calm weather, the remains of the latter are still discernible at the bottom of the lake, Mr. Rich gives a somewhat similar account of this lake. (See “Narrative of a Residence in Kurdistan,” &ec., chap. vii.,, p. 186.) The LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN, 167 legend of the seven sleepers, which seems to be spread all over the Fast. According to more credible anthorities, Shah- abdd is supposed to represent Jondi-Shapir, built by Shaptr, son of Ardashir Babegan, and enlarged by ShapGr Dhu-l-Aktaf. But however interesting the spot may be for archwmological researches, I found that I could not make my jaded horse sensible that we were moving over such classic ground, as the poor animal had already walked eight farsangs, and was obliged to carry me two farsangs further before it could rest for the day. Such are the inconveniences a traveller fre- quently meets with in the East, without having i — — e —— = word Zeri-bar, reminds us of what the learned Burnouf observes concerning the lake Zéreh, in Seistan, into which the Helmund flows. ¢« Zarayo,” says he, “signifies a lake in the ancient Zend language ; and Zaré is its equivalent in the Pehlevi dialect.” (See note Q, p. 97, to his Commentaire sur le Yagna.) May not the Russian word ozero (03epo), meaning lake, be of Zend origin, so many other words of the same language being thence derived. 168 TRAVELS IN the means in his power of applying a remedy, and he may, therefore, claim some indulgence from the inquisitive reader, when his researches remain incomplete. However, a short ride over some part of the ground to the left of the road, and a cursory view of the plain, convinced me that the town must have been extensive; broken walls in masonry scattered here and there, red bricks and tiles strewed about the fields; a line of mounds, and traces of aqueducts, with others still extant, is all that meets the eye at Jondi-Shapur, together with the Imam-Zadeh Abdul-Kazim, just mentioned. I also strained, to no purpose, my eyes and my imagination, to find out traces of the gate on which the skin of the impostor Mani, the propagator of the Manichean sect, is said to have been hung for an example and a lesson to all who saw it.* Like the ruins of Rhey, close to Teheran, * See Mirkhond’s ¢ History of the Sasanian Kings,” translated by the Baron S. de Sacy, p. 296. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 169 Jondi-Shapar lies among ploughed fields, be- longing to the village of Siyah-Manstr, as if the tiller of the ground passed his plough in derision over the spot where a city once reared her proud head, in retaliation for all the haughtiness with which her citizens were wont to look down on his more simple, and humbler walks of life. The road leading to Dizfl passes through a plain strewed with stones and pebbles. The Chief of the town, acting under the command of the Governor-General of all these provinces, is Zohrab-Khan, of Georgian ex- traction. As he was an old acquaintance of mine, [ was received in a very friendly manner by him. After spending a few hours together, and imparting such news as most interested each of as, I was shown to my lodging, a house of very spacious dimensions, and built in the same style as the dwellings at Shiishter ; the peculiarity of which consists in the lofty apartments under-ground, and the broad ter- races in the upper stories. 170 TRAVELS IN This house had belonged to one of the hereditary Chiefs at the head of the Arab nobles of Dizfal, whose life had been lately secretly made away with, while the poor man was in his bath. Neither the reasons for this murder, nor the perpetrators of the act, had been discovered, although suspicion fell on a near kinsman of the deceased,—Mustafa Kali- Khan, who had never lived on friendly terms with him, and who had now stepped into the possession of his landed property, which was very considerable, and become master of the house in which I was quartered. As I had become his guest, Mustifa Kali-IChan soon made his appearance, with the usual compli- mentary phrases, that the house was mine ( Khaneh male shuma’st), and that my place had been empty (joi shuma hali bud), &c. But before his arrival, the carpets of the rooms were covered with large trays, on which were placed pyramids of various sorts of fruits, heaps of sweetmeats, and dishes with pre- serves ; all sent from Zohrab-Khan and my new LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 7 host. There were oranges of the sweet and sour kind (naringhi and marinj), citrons and sweet lemons (/imi tursh and limé shirin), pome- granates, and fresh dates in profusion. I found my host a very agreeable and well-informed man; and I hope that the suspicions which rest on him are unfounded. HHe proffered the services of his younger brother to accompany me the next day to the ruins of Shitsh, and promised, in the meanwhile, to apprize the Sabeans of Dizfal that T wished to see them. I may here give the information I gathered at Shushter and at this place, concerning this sect, who go by the name of the Christians of St. John, or by that of the Mendai Yaghia. The Persians call them Sabi.* * Tt is generally supposed (although T know not why) that the present Sabeans, ov Christians of St. John, ought not to be confounded with the ancient Sabeans who worshipped the host of heaven in the times of Abraham, and to whom, among other passages in Scripture, that of the Prophet Joel probably refers :—¢ And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hands of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off) for the Lord hath spoken it.”—dJoel iii. 8. 1 or I 2 TRAVELS 1IN On my arrival ::Lt Shashter I had made inquiries concerning the Sabeans, and in the evening, while sitting with the Governor of the town, some individuals of this sect were intro- duced. Mullah-Hater, who appeared better informed than the rest, volunteered to satisfy my curiosity concerning the doctrines of their faith. I learned from him that the Sabeans recognise the divinity of our Saviour, and believe in the Holy Trinity. According to their creed, God, whom they call Khei-reb, or the Great God, although one in his essence, is formed of three persons, Khei-reb Kadmoi, or High and Almighty God ; Khei-tenioni, (which Mullah Hatir trans- lated by the word Naib, or Acting-Assistant), and Khei-Telithoi, God the Creator. The last bears sometimes the name of Khivel-Zivos. The learned Mullah then went on to relate the history of the first man and the first woman, Adam and Hevve, likewise of their son Shithel (Seth), who appears to be the most conspicuous person in their book on the creation. The Sabeans make, likewise, the sign of the o LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. ( 3 cross, beginning from the right to the left shoulder, then touching the forehead, and lastly, the pit of the stomach. I repeat only what I heard from Mullah-Hatir, without vouching for the truth of his statements, as I am aware they do not coincide with the opinion which the late Baron Silvestre de Sacy entertained of the religious tenets of this sect, founded on their sacred books. Among the number of the highly instructive and interesting articles inserted by this learned and much lamented Orientalist in the Jowrnal des Savans, we find some curious researches relating to the Sabeans, in which the author expresses himself in the following manner :— « The name of Christians of St. John is quite as little founded in reason, since their doctrine (that of the Sabeans) has nothing in common with Christianity, to which they are greatly averse. This name has been bestowed on them erroneously by certain missionaries and travel- lers, who fancied they had discovered, in certain of their religious ceremonies, resem- 174 TRAVELS IN blances with some of the rites of the Christian religion.” * The Sabeans recognise St. John the Baptist as their greatest prophet, whom they call Peiyhamber Yaghia, and hence their name of the followers of St. John. As the Mussulmans believe in the existence of Mehdi, the twelfth Imam, so the Sabeans are of opinion that St. John (Yaghai) is still alive, although invisible, and that he inhabits Syria (Sham). He 18 expected to return among them with Shethel (Seth, son of Adam), who, for his virtues, is supposed to have been taken up to heaven, and at their appearance the reign of the Sabeans is to commence. They offer as a reason for the profound * Le nom de Chrétiens de St. Jean est tout aussi peu fondé en raison, puisque leur doctrine (des Sabéens) n’a rien de commun avec le Christianisme qu’ils ont en horreur ; il ne leur a été donné que par la méprise des missionnaires et des voyageurs qui ont cru <voir dans certaines pratiques de leur culte, des rapports avec quelques rites de la religion Chrétienne. (See Journal des Savans, 1819, second article, page 646.) LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 175 veneration they bear him, that not only the Virgin Mary paid her devotion to her cousin Elizabeth, on account of her being at the time with child of Yaghia, but that even Christ in later years was baptized by St. John in the waters of Jordan. They usually perform their prayers at the water side ; and if I rightly recollect, this custom prevails in commemoration of the cir- cumstance, that St. John baptized with the waters of the river Jordan. For this reason they prefer having their habitations along the banks of some river. The chief places the Sabeans are to be found at where present are at Basra, on the Shat-el-Arab; near Basra ; at Shuashter and at Sukuchuk, on the Kren; at Dizfil, on the Ahvaz, viver Diz; and at IHavizeh, on the Kerkheh stream. Sabeans of Shushter and Although the Dizfal have their own priests, they are still obliged to go to Havizeh whenever a young couple is to be married, as it is only their 176 TRAVELS IN chief priest or sheikh, residing in that town, who can perform that ceremony.* Independently of their book of Adam, the Sabeans have two other works: the one con- tains the life of Yaghia, and the other is their ritual. The first, which they call the thousand Sidra, 18 said to contain twelve questions, with appropriate answers, on all abstract matters, and more especially on the study of the heavens. This fact may lead us to suppose that there exists some connexion between the disciples of St. John and the ancient Sabeans, who worshipped the host of heaven, and are reckoned among the oldest nations of the world. I was fortunate enough to procure from the Sabeans of Dizfil a copy of the Tarikhi- Yaghia, or Iistory of St. John, written in their own language; the characters of which * See M. Raymond’s letter to M. de Sacy, wherein he mentions that there are some sheikhs who can only per- form the marriage service on virgins, others on widows. (“Journal des Savans,” 1819, page 351, first article.) LURISTAN AND ARABiSTAN. 177 resemble the Syriac or Chaldean. I thought the work was complete, but have learned from my friend M. Fugéne Boré, to whom I offered this manuscript, that the Sabeans had only furnished me with a fragment. We find a curious passage in Tavernier concerning the aversion of the Sabeans to blue; and as there exists a similar antipathy among the Kurdish sect of the Yezidi (who appear to have been once Christians) for that colour, grounded on a different, although not less absurd reason, it will mnot be found, perhaps, uninteresting if I here mention the circumstances. The French traveller says:—* * ¢« Avant que de finir le discours de la religion de ces Chrétiéns de St. Jean, il faut remarquer encore la grande aversion qu'ils ont pour la couleur blewe appellée indigo puisqu’ils ne la veulent pas méme toucher, La raison quils en donnent est que certains Juifs eurent en dormant une vision, qui leur fit entendre que leur loi devait étre abolie par le baptéme de St. Jean. Ce que les autres Juifs ayant appris, et voyant que St. Jean se préparait i baptiser Jésus Christ, poussés de rage ils apportérent quantitée d'indigo qulils appellent #il en langue du pays, et qu'ils jettérent dans les eaux du Jourdain. Ils ajoutent que ces eaux VOL. II. N 178 TRAVELS IN ¢« Before concluding the account of the re- ligioh of these Christians of St. John, I must point out the great aversion they entertain for the blue colour called indigo, which they will not even touch. The reason they adduce is, that certain Jews whilst asleep saw a vision, in which they were informed that their law would be abolished by the baptism of St. John. The other Jews having learned this, and seeing that St. John was about to baptize Jesus Christ, were filled with rage, and gathering together a quantity of indigo, which they call #il in the lan- guage of their country, threw it into the waters of Jordan. They add that the water remained impure for some time, and that the baptism restérent immondes pour quelque temps, et qu’elles eussent empéché le baptéme de Jésus Christ, n'eut été que Dieu miraculeusement fit apporter par les anges un grand vase quil fit remplir des eaux prises du Jourdain avant que les Juifs y eussent jetté cet indigo, et qu'ils enleverent le vase au ciel et que lorsque St. Jean baptisa Jesus Christ les mémes anges apportérent le vase ol était 1'eau de la- quelle St. Jean se servit pour le baptéme ; en suite de quoi Dieu donna sa malédiction & cette couleur, % LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 1%9 of Jesus Christ would have been prevented, had not God wmiraculously caused the angels to go with a large vessel, and fill it with water taken from the Jordan, before the Jews threw the indigo therein, which they took up to heaven, and that when St. John baptized Jesus Christ, the same angels brought the vase in which was the water which St. John used in this baptism; after which God cursed that colour.” The Yezidi, who worship the Devil (Sheitan), have so great a respect for him that they dare not, under the penalty of death, pronounce his name. In the same manner they avoid the use of all such words as by their sound bear any allusion to the name of Sheitan; and as the blue colour in their dialect is Shin, they not only never pronounce it, but care- fully abstain from wearing any apparel dyed blue. Satan with them goes by the name of Melik Tuds, the peacock angel, or the proud angel. I learned these particulars during my ex- N 2 180 TRAVELS IN cursion into Kurdistan in 1837, from a young Kurdish Chief, who had lived some time among the Yezidi. Tavernier makes mention of another pecu- liarity of the Sabeans, and calls it the Cere- mony of the fowl, which their priests alone have the right to kill;* but it is to be regretted that he does not explain in what this ceremony consists, in order that one might judge whether it has any connexion with a custom prevalent among the Gurani tribe which I met with in the Zagros chain, between Kermanshah and Zohab. The Gurani, who are all Ali-Tlahi,+ or believers in the divinity of Ali (the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammed), have a yearly festival, which they call the Feast of the Fowl. It consists in the following :—In every village, * See “ Voyages de Tavernier en Perse,” page 299, 1 11 t Mr. Rich is, I believe, mistaken when he classes the Ali-Ullahees (Tlahi) among the abominable sect of the See Cheraghi-Sonderans (extinguishers of the light). “ Narrative of a Residence in Kurdistan,” &c., p. 46. 181 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. each head of a family brings a fowl to their sheikh or priest. When the contribution is thus collected, and the fowls killed and cleaned, they are thrown into a large kettle and boiled. As soon as they are ready, the people assemble ; a cloth is thrown over the kettle, which is placed before the priest, 'who dips his hand into it, and taking it out piecemeal, presents a morsel to each person present in rotation. The individuals to whose share falls the head of the fowl, is supposed to be more favoured than the rest by Ali, during the course of the year. As it is supposed, and perhaps with some foundation, that the Ali-Ilahi are of Jewish extraction,* this ceremony of the fowl may proceed from the Rabbinical custom of sacri- ficing a cock once a-year on the eve of the Day of Atonement, although nowhere counte- * See “ Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London,” vol. ix., p. 36. And Benjamin of Tudela’s “TItinerary,” by A. Asher, vol. i, p. 1213 and vol. ii, p- 158. 182 TRAVELS IN nanced by the law of Moses. The following is the accou}xt of this custom :— “ Order of the Atonement. “On the eve of the Day of Atonement the custom is to make atonements. A cock is taken for a man, and a hen for a woman; and for a pregnant woman a hen and also a cock, on account of the child. The father of the family makes the atonement for him- self; for the high priest first atoned for himself, then for his family, and afterwards for all Israel.” The order is as follows :— “ He takes the cock in his hand, and says these verses: “ The children of men that sit in darkness and the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron, he brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their bonds in sunder. Fools, because of their transgression and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death. Then they cry unto the LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 183 Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sendeth his word, them and healeth them, and delivereth from their destruction. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.’ (Psalm cvii.) « «If there be for him an angel, an inter- cessor, one among a thousand, to show unto man his uprightness; then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom.’ (Job Xxxii. 23.) “ Whilst moving the atonement round his head, he says, ¢ This is my substitute, this is my commutation, this is my atonement. This cock goeth to death; but may I be gathered and enter into a long and happy life, and into peace.”” at the He then begins again words, «The children of men,” and so he does three times. Then follow the various alterations that are to be made when the atonement is 184 TRAVELS IN for a woman, or another person, &ec. Then 1is added— “ As soon as one has performed the Order of the Atonement he should lay his hands on it, as the hands used to be laid on the sacri- fices, and immediately after gives it to be slaughtered.” * This similarity of custom between the Jews and the Ali-Tlahi explains why the latter offer the figure of a cock on the shrine of their holy men. I found several of these cocks, some carved in wood, others made of porcelain, placed on the top of the tombs of their Piri in the mountainous districts of Holivan and Zohab, among the Gurani tribes, and have even brought away from thence a curious specimen of one of the cocks in porcelain, which a young Ali- Tlahi (it appears wm esprit fort among them) * See the ¢ Old Paths; or, a Comparison of the Prin- ciples and Doctrines of modern Judaism with the Religion of Moses and the Prophets,” by the Rev. A. M<Caul, No. 36, p. 143. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN., 185 made me a present of from the shrine of Baba- Yadgar; but I perceived that he got chided for it afterwards by the more bigoted part of the sect. CHAPTER XXIV. Visit to the ruins of Shush, or Shus (ancient Susa).— Account of the Arab Iliyats.—The tomb of the Prophet Daniel.—Wonderful property attributed to a black stone in the interior of the chapel.—The den of lions.— Jealousy of the Arabs of strangers touching any of the marble fragments at Shush.—Rivers Shaver, Dizfil, and Kerkheh.—The great mound.—The ruins of Ivani, Kherkh, and Shaptr.—Anecdote of an Arab boy meeting two lions.—The Beni-Lam, Mutefij, Alakesir, and Ala- Chetir Arabs.—Indigo of Dizfil. I rose early the next morning, feeling great impatience to visit the site of ancient Susa. Zohrab-Khan kindly supplied me with his own horse, and I set off on this expedition with a few attendants, and the promised guide, the brother of my host, who, although only with one eye, proved a capital ciceroni. The ruins of Shusk lie four hours’ hard riding from DizfGl, in a direction S.S.W., on the right bank of the river Dizfal, which . 187 TRAVELS IN LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. we crossed by a bridge on leaving the town. The most conspicuous object is a lofty mound, which is discernible at a great distance before we arrive at the spot where the ruins com- mence. About a farsang from the town we passed the village of Shaban, and a farsang more brought us to the Balaridd stream, which we forded not far from the spot where it dis- charges itself into the Dizfal river. The left banks of the latter are under extensive fruit gardens. Although we went at a pretty brisk trot, we were still outstripped by a turbaned old Arab, riding on a donkey at a swift amble, with a thick iron nail in his hand, with which he urged the animal onward by pricking it under the mane. He greeted our party in a very friendly manner as he passed on, and Ilearned that it was the Mutaveli, or guardian of the tomb of the Prophet Daniel, anxiously hurrying on before us to do the honours of the place, and reap the benefit. 188 TRAVELS IN On approaching the ruins, we overtook several groups of Arab families, who were hastening in the same direction (it being their jumma, or day of rest—Friday) to the shrine of the Prophet Daniel, whose supposed tomb, sur- mounted by a white conical roof, similar to the section of a honey-comb, was discernible through some very graceful palm-trees. On arriving at the gate, we found the platform swarming with men, women, and children, from the neighbouring black tents—all pressing forward to enter the inner court, which was likewise full of people. The scene was highly picturesque, and would have proved an interesting subject for an artist. The white turbans negligently twisted round the heads of the men, contrasted boldly with their dark complexions and jet black hair; while their broad striped abbas, or clpaks, hung loosely on their shoulders in graceful plaits. The women and girls, who appeared with their faces uncovered, wore black turbans, and were dressed in very gaudy coloyrs ; red, yellow, and R A . 4 " b S o \. B &1 A’ N o, e e £ 2 T, X S AN |2 7 e v Ax 4 1 ? g: : N g s @ - - /] \ 4 y SESUE . P Y g % & 5 § R, | <4 ; SRR &= W | “. S aat e ,g" i | a9 e ?b *n 231 ':N s RN, i S 1 N J ™ K S i p——— B A i o % o i ¥ 3 3 R =R 4 16 Duttanr lith. from aSketch by the Audtwr Day & FHaghe Tk to the Gusen U MB OF THE PROPHET DANIEL AT SUSA. London, Published by J. Madden &C? LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 189 dark blue, however, predominating. The broad trousers of the more opulent were invariably of the latter dye, with passe-poz'ls below of another colour. The children ran about in red shifts, without any other apparel. These Arabs ap- peared to be more opulent, or at least more attentive to their dress, than the generality of the Tliyat tribes of Persia. My appearance excited some curiosity among them; and as they stopped to gaze on the strange Frengi, and even flocked around to have a nearer sight, I had an opportunity of I examining them with greater attention. The found them a very fine set of people. countenances of the men bespoke a spirit of independence perfectly in harmony with the state of their tribes, whose submission political to the authorities of Dizfal rests on a very Some of their women, espe- slender tenure. cially the youthful portions, notwithstanding their dark-brown complexions, might be reck- oned very beautiful, on account of their regular and delicate features, and the superior lustre of 190 TRAVELS IN their sparkling black eyes, which far surpass those of the gazelle, to which the Eastern poets are wont to compare them. Their features as they grow older become more marked and pointed ; and as nature is fond of contrasts, it is among these Iliyats that we meet with the most hideous-looking old women. The Arabs made no opposition to my entering the chapel in which the coffin of Daniel is said to be deposited, on learning that Christians, as well as themselves, who are Mussulmans, ac- knowledge him to have been a prophet. The building is of modern architecture, and has nothing to carry us back to remote ages, except some fragments of marble pillars, with the leaves of the lotus carved on them, probably of the Susian date. In the interior of a four- cornered cell stands the coffin; a high box of a dark sort of wood, surrounded by a railing somewhat similar to the tombs of Esther and Mardochi, T had seen at Hamadan. Hanging up against the grating are several boards with Arabic quotations from the Koran, which the 191 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. devout Mussulmans press to their lips as they pass round the coffin. The guardian of the temple showed me a flat black stone in the recess of the window, which appeared to be an aerolite, weighing several pounds, and let me into the secret of its wonderful properties, namely, that of being propitious to mothers who wish to be blessed with a numerous family, and who, on pressing it to the heart, must recite some prayers. This peculiarity bears some resemblance to what is told of the temple of Halgah-Baal, at Emessa, on the Orontes, in Pheenicia.* The aerolites have in general played a con- spicuous part in the early religions of the Semetic nations. Under a broad vaulted portico near the entry of the tomb, I took my luncheon with my Dizfal ciceroni, while the guardian of the temple—the same who had been racing with * Gibbon’s ¢ History of the Decline of the Roman Empire,” vol. i., ¢. vi,, p. 148 ; and I believe in Dr. Russel’s work on the ¢ Connexion of Sacred and Profane History.” 192 TRAVELS IN us that morning—was descanting on the wonders and the sanctity of the place, as well for my information as for the edification of the multitude who had assembled around us. Concerning the black stone bearing inserip- tions, I heard the same story of which Major Rawlinson makes mention, namely, that it was blown up with gunpowder by a certain Frengi, who could not contrive to take it away in any other manner, and that, in con- sequence of this event, the country was visited with the plague I have found, however, this belief prevalent, not only here, but in many other localities, where remains of antiquity are to be found. It would appear that the natives, although themselves ignorant of, and otherwise indif- ferent to, the ancient monuments of their still hold country, it as sacrilegious that strangers should come and deprive them of the only memorials left them of the pristine glory of their father-land ; and a Lord Elgin would not have had the same chance of 193 LU RISTAN AND ARABISTAN. carrying off the marble fragments of Susa, as he had of bringing away those of Grecce. Since this event, the Arabs of Shis, it is said, have become very suspicious towards strangers, and I certainly did observe that they narrowly watched my movements whenever I approached or touched any of the marble fragments which lay about on the ground. Beneath the apartment which contains the tomb of the Prophet is another vault, the entrance into which is from the outside of the court, and is said to represent the den of lions into which Danicl was cast by the order of Darius, King of the Medes and Persians. * The western wall of the edifice is close to the left shore of the Shapwr, or Shéver river, probably the KEuleus of the profane writers, and the Ulai of Scripture.t It is not a broad, * ¢« Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast Zim into the den of lions. Now the king spake, and said unto Daniel, Thy God, whom thou servest con- tinually, he will deliver thee,” &c. (Dan. vi. 16.) Tt “And I saw in a vision ; (and it came to pass, when VOL. I1I. O TRAVELS 1IN 194 but a deep stream, with high banks, and is navigable to its junction with the Ktren river, near the town of Ahvéz. Close to the water’s edge are three white marble fragments; the one is the capital of a column, with chiselled ornaments, in the form of the lotus leaf. The other is a slate, with arrow-headed inscriptions; and the bas-reliefs of the third consist of a human figure, together with two lions, very roughly sculptured, and evidently intended to commemorate, at some subsequent period, the events mentioned in the book of the Prophet. The ground about Shésh is very uneven, and numerous mounds, or fepehs, are scattered in different directions to a considerable dis- tance ; some of them being partly covered with brushwood.* The highest tepeh among them, of which I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam ;) and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai,” &e. (Dan. viii. 2.) * See “Journal of the Royal Geographical Society,” for 1839, vol. ix., part i,, p. 68. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 195 Major Rawlinson gives rough measurements, in’ his notes on Khzistan, lies to the ecast of the Shéver stream, but very near it, and to the west of the river Dizftl, which is dis- cernible at some distance, plying its course to the south-east. This mound, which may be the palace where the Prophet Daniel had his vision, (for I see no objection to the contrary, although'much has been written to that effect,) commands the whole country. From the top of it are seen the ruins of Ivani- Kherk, beyond the river of Kherkheh, about a farsang and ‘A minar, a-half (perhaps less) to the west. or column, with the ruins of Shapir, are likewise discernible, in a north-westerly di- rection, on the right side of the above-named river. An oblong white slab, with inscriptions in arrow-headed characters of thirty-three lines stamped on it, lies on the slope of the great mound, and a few more marble fragments are found at the foot of it, nearly covered with grass. 0.2 TRAVELS IN 196 I learned from the Arabs who accompanied me, that old coins, tombs, and blocks of marble, are often found in the adjacent country; but they could give me no particulars concerning them. TLions are likewise said to frequent the thickets and the high reeds which grow along the banks of the Shover, the Kherkheh, and the Dizfal rivers. An old man of our party recounted to us how he once fell into in glowing terms, company with several lions in the very neigh- bourhood of Shush. It would be difficult to give an idea of the vehemence of gesture and expression which accompanied his narrative, but the story ran thus:— “When a mere lad, of eight or nine years old, I was sent,” he said, ¢ one day by my parents to scare birds from a plantation belonging to us, which lay close to the river. As T was sitting in a frail hut of rushes, I suddenly espied a lioness making her way towards my place of concealment. My liver melted into water at the sight (jighe ab shid), and I became like one LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 197 transfixed. The animal stopped short, then couched, and rolling on the sand appeared quite unconscious of the presence of an intruder. Although I trembled like a leaf, this afforded me some respite ; but presently I became aware of the approach of another lion through the rushes, by the tremendous roaring which pre- ceded him. They met, and apparently on very friendly terms, and for some t'ime they gam- bolled like dogs together. But I felt my situation was not the better for it, as their stay might be prolonged. I was more dead than alive, expecting at every instant that they would discover me in my hiding-place, and one stroke of the paw was more than sufficient to bring down the hut. I was afraid to breathe, lest the sound should reach their ears, yet I could not prevent my teeth from chattering quite audibly. But whether it was that they were too much occupied with their own concerns, or that they are deficient in scent, I do not know ; suffice it to say, that after a short time, which to me appeared an age, they separated, each taking a 198 TRAVELS IN different direction, and were soon lost in the high grass. “ It is many years since that event took place,” added the old man in conclusion, “ and still T never can think of it without a shudder.” And if T understood him right, the mental anxiety he underwent at the time, had the effect of changing the colour of his hair into grey ever since. To me this narrative had a peculiar interest, as I was standing on the very spot which the traditions of the Fast point out as the scene where, twenty-five centuries ago, Daniel had his miraculous eseape, and could not but contrast the calm confidence of the P}'opllet, with the agitated state of the Arab youth, who had not yet learned to place complete and implicit reliance on his Heavenly Father. The Arabs of the Beni-Lam,* and the Muntefij, or Muntefik tribes, live beyond the Kherkheh, and are said to be under the Turkish sway, although it is very doubtful whether * The Beni-Lam are subdivided into Naméh and Maskar. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 199 they recognise the authority of the Sultan. These tribes are numerous and strong; they might prove very troublesome neighbours to the inhabitants of Dizfdl, were they not con- stantly embroiled in bloody feuds amongst themselves. The Arabs, on the left side of the Kherkheh, who nominally recognise the Persian authorities of Dizfal, are the Ala-IK¢sir and Ala-Chétir. The days being short, I could delay no longer to examine the remnants of this once celebrated capital of the Babylonian, Median, and Persian monarchs. On our return to Dizfil we passed by several villages and well-cultivated fields, with channels for irrigation. My guide took me over a considerable indigo plantation, and a manufactory for preparing this drug, which has only of late years been established by the Moétemid, I learned that this plant has from time immemorial been cultivated in Khuzistan, especially in the neighbourhood of Shishter, 200 TRAVELS IN LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. and that the indigo of this town is well known in commerce. It is, or at least has been of late years, inferior in quality to the indigo of the province of Kerman ; whilst the same drug im- ported from India has always been, and is still preferred to any produced in Persia. However, since a new mode has been intro- duced in the preparation of it by an Armenian, now engaged in the service of the Moétemid, of the. Dizfal the price indigo has risen considerably in the market, and it is expected by those embarked in the trade, that it will soon compete with that brought over from India. As the wnil-rengh, the name given to this dye by the Persians, is in such general requisition all over the country, this new establishment at Dizfal will be of considerable importance to Persia. Of the native estab- lishments of indigo at Dizfal, there are seventy in number, but the dye is of a very inferior quality. - CHAPTER XXYV. Departure from DizfGl.— Aspect of the town.—River and bridge of Dizfil.—Deserted palace of Muhammed Ali- Mirza.—Encampment of the Segvend Iliyats.—Night passed in their tents.—-Arrival at Kilab.—Scene with Mirza Riza Nuri.—Anecdote of Safar Ali-Khan Jelile- vend.—Various roads to Khorremabdd.—A. hint to tra- vellers in the East. O~ the 13th of February, before quitting my hospitable host, Zohrab-Khan, I repaired once more to his balcony, which commands an exten- sive and most beautiful view of the town, the river, and the adjacent country in the direction of the ruins of Susa, the high mound of which is discernible through a telescope. Dizfal is situated on the left bank of the river. A few straggling houses only are seen on the opposite shore. The style of the buildings is similar to those of Shashter, the houses generally being very lofty and spacious. The river, which runs close under 202 TRAVELS IN the Governor’s palace, is not so broad nor so deep as the Kiren at Shashter, but is no less rapid. A number of water-mills project far into the stream, and are built on rocks which run across the river and produce rapids. These little islets are united by narrow bridges, and at the approach of night, when the millers trim their lamps, there is a perfect illumination on the river. The bridge I traversed on leaving Dizfil, at eleven, a.m., consists of twenty-two arches; the Persians attribute the construction of it to Husheng, one of the ancient kings of the Pish-Dadian race, and their first legislator before Zoroaster; but Major Rawlinson is, I believe, nearer the mark in supposing that it was built at the time when Shashter and Jondi-Shaptir rose into note during the Sasanian period.* At a short distance from it stands * See ¢ Notes on a March from Zohdb to Khzist4n,” by Major Rawlinson, in the ninth volume of the ¢ Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London,” for 1839, p- 73. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 203 the isolated palace of the late Muhammed Al Mirza of Kermanshah. This edifice is one of modern architecture, consisting of two stories, with a belvidere and terraces, from which the town is seen to great advantage on the opposite shore with the high Imam-Zadeh of Shah- Riben, on the northern extremity of Dizful. The direction of the road was to N.N.W., with the mountains of Dumbenon before us, bearing somewhat to the right. At half-past twelve we passed Kal'eh-Muhammed Saleh- Khan, surrounded by a high wall and ditches. At half-past three we crossed the river Balarid, which is a confluent of the Dizfdl river, and the same we had forded lower down the pre- ceding day on our way to the ruins of Shish. Our course then turned to N.W. by N.N.W., until we arrived at the encampment of the The Chief, Segvends of the Bajelan tribe. Muhammed Husein-Khan, (who has the not very creditable reputation, even among these mountain clans, all more or less that way inclined, of being a great robber,) came out 204 TRAVELS IN to meet me. IHe was at this time courting the favour of Zohrdb-Khan, and, having pro- bably learned that I had been well received by the Chief (in fact, Zohrab-Khan had apprized him of my coming the day before), he was very assiduous in paying me all possible attentions in the Iliyat style. It appears that his tribe had committed some depredations in Iari-Kachik; and in order to escape pursuit, had taken refuge on the Dizfdl territory, and sought the protection of Zohrab-Khan. The day had been rainy and raw, and I was glad to find a blazing fire in the middle of the black tent into which I was ushered on my arrival at the encampment. Fresh fagots of wet wood were heaped on the hearth ; but, unluckily, the top of the tent could not be uncovered on account of the rain, and the smoke nearly suffocated us before it could find its way out through the mnarrow aperture intended for a doorway. It poured during the whole night, and I learned to my cost that 20 J r LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. the black goat-hair tents of the Tliyats do not preserve their inmates from the inclemency of the weather, as is generally supposed; for I had continually to shift quarters in order to avoid the rain dripping down on my couch from the roof of the tent. February 14.— Notwithstanding that the heavy rain still continued, I was obliged to proceed on my journey. My host accompanied me part of the road, which took us first to the north-west, to a place called Dashti- Lir, then turned into the plain of Husein, to the north-east. Having descended into the valley of Balartd, formed Dby the river which bears that name, and which we shortly afterwards crossed, proceeding in a northern direction, we soon reached the high road, from which we had deviated the preceding day, in order to visit the camp of the Segvend Chief. ~After descending towards some black tents of the same tribe, we came to a cultivated plain, from which we soon gradually ascended a long ridge of gypsum hills, extending from north-west to 206 TRAVELS IN south-east, the usual bearing of the secondary range, which runs parallel to the great chain of the Zagros mountains. We next descended into the plain of Kilab, watered by a rivulet of the same name, which joins the Balardd lower down, at the foot of Mount Dumb-kah (tail, spur, or extreme point of a mountain), on the left bank of the Balarad. For fixing the distances with greater accu- racy, I shall note down that I left my night’s halting-place at nine in the morning, forded the BalarGd at eleven, crossed the Kiéh-i-Gech or lime-hills at one, and reached Kiléb at half-past two; in all five and a-half hours’ march. Kilab has some stone ruins near the river side, and two burying-grounds; Major Raw- linson places here the colony of the Greek Erethryans of Ardericca. Here are also some wells of bitume malt, and the climate is reckoned very unwholesome in summer. Kilab, otherwise called Balah- Geriveh, is the place of encampment of the i LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 207 Diri-kavend tribe. At the time of my visiting the spot, it was occupied by the tents of of Mirza- Riza-Nuri, the Naib, or deputy, Hajji Millah Ahmed, who, in his turn, rules over Luri-Kach(k as delegate of Manucher- Khan, the Governor-in-Chief of Isfahan, Ara- bistan, and Luristan. Notwithstanding my balapush, or great coat, and the bashlik, or head covering, which serves likewise to preserve the shoulders, the rain had penetrated, and I entered the tent of the Mirza with my clothes wet through. This ought to have awakened in him the feeling of hospitality (a feature so universal amongst the Nomads), but on the Mirza it seemed to produce a contrary effect I knew that Mussulmans reckon Christians doubly unclean when they have wet clothes on, but on the present occasion I refused to attend to this absurd prejudice; so that when I heard my host giving directions to the servants in the Lurish dialect to shew me and my party the way to the tents of the Iliyats, 208 TRAVELS IN some distance off, I stopped him short, by announcing that he appeared rather uncivil, and that T should therefore waive all ceremony, adding, in plain language, that as it was raining, and I was wet and fatigued, I pre- ferred remaining his guest for the night, and expected that he would have some tents arranged for myself and party. I was induced to treat this man rather cavalierly from the very outset, knowing that he had the reputa- tion of being very rough and imperious in his manner. I have invariably found among Per- sians of his stamp, that the more condescension we show to them, the more we expose ourselves to their impertinence, whilst, if we assume a firm and imposing demeanour, we very soon bring them to their right senses. Mirza-Riza looked rather astonished, but when he saw that I was determined to remain, he gave way, and a small tent was fitted up for me, into which I retired. My host having probably learned in the meanwhile, from my guides of Dizfal and my 209 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. Persian servant, that I was on friendly terms with the Moétemid (who is more feared and respected in these parts than the Shah himself), became very anxious to pay me a visit and make amends for his past conduct. Having, therefore, waited my pleasure, he came to me accompanied by a Persian Khan, with whose brother, Safar-Ali-Khan (a Chief of one of the Cazvin tribes, the Jelilevend), 1 was well acquainted. I cannot refrain from giving here an anecdote of the latter, which may serve to throw some light on the true character of the Persians, and show how deeply rooted the spirit of revenge is in the breasts of these Iliyat tribes, who are still lamentably ignorant of the sublime precept of the Gospel—to forgive and to forget. At the time Persia was in a state of ferment after the death of the late Fet’h-Ali-Shah, and whilst the throne was disputed by his son Zeli- Sultan and Muhammed-Shah, the now reigning VOL. 1I 13 210 TRAVELS IN sovereign; Imam-Verdi-Mirza,* a half-brother of Zeli-Sultan, espoused the cause of the former, and having marched against Muhammed-Shah, his troops committed great ravages in the neighbourhood = of Cazvin. Safar-Ali-Khan Jelilevend was among those who had suffered with their families and kinsmen, from the lawless acts of Imam-Verdi-Mirza, because of their fidelity to the young Shah. When the star of Zeli-Sultan grew dim, and Imam-Verdi- Mirza could no longer hold the field, at the approach of Muhammed-Shah towards Teheran, the Persian capital, he felt anxious to make it up with his nephew, and requested the Ministers of Russia and England, who accom- panied the young King from Tabriz, to be the mediators of their reconciliation. The meeting between the Prince and the repre- sentatives of the two FEuropean Courts, took * The same who afterwards fled to Constantinople with Zeli-Sultan and Ali-Nagi-Mirza, and from thence went to Mecca, and lastly to Bagdad. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN, 211 place in an open field, and it was agreed that Imam-Verdi-Mirza should await the Shah at the station where his Majesty was to encamp for the night. In the meanwhile, Safir-Ali-Khan, who had already come over to the Shah with his Iliyat cavalry, insinuated, and perhaps with truth, that it was pride alone which made Imam- Verdi-Mirza loth to acknowledge his allegiance to the King in public, and extorted from the Shah an order for the Prince to appear before him on the high road. He begged as a favour to be intrusted with this order, and enjoyed the mortification it gave to the Shah-Zadeh when he delivered to him the King’s message. When the interview took place he could not hide his exultation on seeing Imam-Verdi- Mirza get off his horse, and make a low and prolonged bow at the approach of the Shah, The accompanied by his numerous retinue. vindictive heart of Safir-Ali-Khan felt satisfied at this public humiliation of his foe. I had reason to be satisfied that matters had P 2 212 TRAVELS 1IN turned out so favourably, for I had to consult with Mirza-Riza as to my further progress, and to learn something about the state of the wild country in which I then was; because it would have been rash in me to venture onward before I had acquired a better insight into the diffcrent tribes through whose territories I was going to pass. I have experienced more than once, in the course of my rambles among the Nomad tribes, that I owed a kind reception at their hands to my knowledge (although very scanty) of the different clans with whom they were in peace or had feuds, of the various divisions and sub- divisions of the tribes, their kishlaks and yelaks,* &e Their vanity (the great lever of the human heart) was flattered at the idea they since even acquired of their importance, the Frengi (Europeans) had heard of them. By appearing to take interest in their con- cerns, (which, in respect to myself, I did in reality,) an Furopean traveller gains much * A Turkish expression for winter and summer encamp- ments ; the same as serhdd and germesir, in Persian. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 213 more information, and, what is of greater importance at the time, better accommodation from these rude children of nature, than if he were to bewilder them with an account of our wonderful inventions, or descant on the supe- riority of European civilization. Two roads lead from Kil-ob to Khorremabad, the chief place of Liri-Kachak; the first, or Rahi-Anart, the shortest of the two over the mountains in a northern direction, is the same which Major Rawlinson followed on his return from Dizftl to Kermanshah. The second, or Rahi Chieshkin, the more circuitous route, passes by Joider to the north- west, where Hajji Mullah-Ahmed, the Chief of Turistdn, was supposed to be then encamped. As my time was precious, T was inclined to take the former, but Mirza-Riza strongly dissuaded me from it; as well on account of the steep and difficult mountain passes, especially at that advanced’ season of the year when they are all covered with snow, as of the turbulent spirit and predatory habits of the wandering tribes 214 TRAVELS IN LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. who occupy the valleys, and can with difficulty be brought to any sense of subordination. Such being the case, prudence suggested to adopt the more practicable and safe course; and I consoled myself with the prospect that I should have, at least, to pass over some ground unexplored by European travellers, as the tract of country between Joider and Khorremabad is still, T believe, a terra incognita to geographers. CHAPTER XXVIL Quit Kil-ob.—Ruined fort of Kal'eh-Riza.—Graves of Dirikavend robbers.—Affecting custom among the Lur women.—Arrival at the encampment of the Boérekevend tribe.—Use of the ob-i-digh.—Inside of an Iliyat tent during a wet night,—Difference between travelling in the Kast and in the West.—Leave the encampment.— Cross the Ob-i-Zil.—Pass the night at Ob-i-Gherm.— Family scene.—Resume my journey.—Bid adieu to the Kerkhéh river and to the mountain of Kabir-kGh.— Beautiful sight of the mountainous region beyond Joider. —Passage over the Kashgin river.—Scruples of my guide on the occasion.—Iliyat naiveté.—Remains of Pul-i Kuréh-Dokhter, or Shaptr-bridge.—Expostulation with my host, a Yussufvend Iliyat.—The two English tra- vellers, Captains Grant and Fotheringham, murdered in Luristdn.— Carpet-weaving.—Resume the journey, and arrive at the encampment of Iajji-Mullah Ahmed, Governor of Luristan. Tue next day, the 15th of February, the weather clearing up, I resumed my journey. My Dizftl guides, who were Gulams of Zohrab- Khan, took leave of me to return to their 216 TRAVELS IN master, and I was given in charge to another Gulam, a messenger, who was on his way back to Hajji-Mullah Ahmed at Madian-ra. Leaving my tent at half-past ten, a.m., I proceeded in a W.N.W. direction, having the chain of Chenaré to the right, and the Gypsum hills to the left, beyond the river Kil-ob, which is soon lost sight of, pursuing its course through them towards the DBalardd stream. We passed by several encampments of the Dirikavend tribe. At half-past twelve the road inclined to the north-west, leaving the moun- tains of Tengovan to the south-east, and we saw before us to the left, the Kabir-kih (or great mountain) at a considerable distance. The ground was strewed with stones and flint. At three-quarters past one we came to a copious spring of water, and, close to it the ruined fort of Kal'eh Riza, erected by Husein- Khan, a predecessor of Hassan-Khan, the late Feili Chief of Pusht-Kih. This Husein-Khan was the first Vali of Turistan in the reign of Shah Abbas, as the 219 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. f(zrmer Chiefs of ILiari-Kachtk bore the title of Atabeg, in like manner as the Atabeks of Luri-Buzirg, in the Bakhtiyar country, the Atabegs of Tars, of Aderbeijan, &c., during the Seljuk sway. Not far from the fort I went to examine the tombs of eleven Dirikavend robbers, who had been executed the preceding year by order of the former Governor of the province, Mirza Buztrg, for having been guilty of plunder, and were buried near the high road to serve as a warning to their own and other wandering tribes who frequent these parts. But although the punishment may have been merited, still the sight of these sad memorials of humanity was not the less affecting. Whitewashed grave-stones were laid hori- zontally over some raised earth which covered their remains, and at the head of each grave another flat stone was placed in a vertical posi- tion, from which hung down tressesof women’s hair. On inquiry I learned that it was a custom among the Lur mothers, wives, sisters, 218 TRAVELS IN daughters, and other near female relatives, to part with their locks of hair, and hang them round the tombs of their deceased male rela- tions, as a token of their grief. By the colour of the hair, I thought I could judge of the age, and almost of the degree of parentage, of those who were thus bereft of a friend. The desert breeze had entwined the silver locks of age with the jet black tresses of the girl or the matron, and the auburn ringlets of the orphan child, in the same manner as grief was probably mingling at that time, in some secluded nook of the hills, the tears of the forlorn and disconsolate survivors. I do not remember ever to have read any epitaphs' half so eloquent as this simple expression of genuine feeling, which the devoted affection of woman could alone have devised. A somewhat similar practice prevailed on the Island of Delos, as we read in Herodotus, that “In honour of the virgins from the Hyperboreans, who died at Delos, both the LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 219 young women and men of the island cut their hair; the former, previously to their marriage, cut off a ringlet, which they twist around a distaff, and place on their tomb (for the tomb is within Diana’s precinct, on the right as you enter, on it an olive-tree has sprung forth); the young men among the Delians, on the other hand, twist a lock of their hair round some herb, and likewise place it on the tomb.” * At half-past two I arrived at the encamp- ment or Kiuren, as it is called here, of the Boérekevend tribe, situated in a narrow valley, between high mountains. I was received very hospitably, at which I was not astonished, as I had been previously apprized that the Lur Iliyats on this part of the road, are a more hearty people than their neighbours who inhabit the valleys between Kil-ob and Khor- remabad. The women immediately set about cooking * See Herodotus, translated by Laurent, volume i., P. 284, 220 TRAVELS IN some rice-pillau, while the master of the tent killed a lambkin and dressed it on an iron spit. I found the supper delicious and the beverage very refreshing. The usual drink of the Iliyats consists of buttermilk weakened with water; a little salt is added to it, and it is then called ob-i-dhug.* It is generally sour. There is nothing so efficacious for the purpose of slaking thirst on a hot summer’s day, as this ob-i-dhdg. Before supper was over, the rain re-com- menced, and in order to preserve my riding- horse from getting wet, I was obliged to take him inside my tent and close to my couch, there being no other place for his accommo- dation, as the remaining part of the tent, separated only from my bed-room by a low * In the French work, entitled “L‘Inde Frangaise,” &e., edited by Burnouf and Jacquet, I find the following passage :— Les Indiens prennent rarement du lait frais mais recherchent extrémement le caillé, appelé Dhwui, alteré du Sanscrit Dahdé.” 'The ab-Dhig of the Persian Tiyats may probably be of the same origin, or, perhaps, a Zend word, the latter being a sister language of the Sanscrit, ) LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. &~ 1 partition of plaited reed, was filled with the numerous members of the family and my servants, and a whole lot of young lambkins and kids, in separate cages or pens of plaited reed. The latter kept sneezing and bleating the greater part of the night. It may be more easily conceived than expressed what a poisonous atmosphere there must have been in a tent of this descrip- tion, the inclemency of the weather making it necessary to keep it closed; and yet this is one of the least inconveniences to which a traveller is exposed in travelling among this primitive' people. If we were to establish a comparison between the comforts, nay, the luxuries, to which FKuropeans are accustomed when travelling in their own land, and the inconveniences and privations of Eastern loco- motion, it would be a constant figure of anti- thesis. But the approciation of these relative wants of mankind, ought at the same time to teach us two great truths, which we are ever too prone to pass unheeded, namely, that our 222 TRAVELS IN real wants in life might be brought within a very small compass, and that we ought to feel there- fore doubly grateful to our God when we enjoy case and comfort, at a time when thousands of our fellow-creatures are deprived of both. Independently of the rain, I had another reason for securing my horse inside the tent, as these wild sons of nature, however tenacious they may be about their own property, are not very scrupulous in appropriating to them- selves that of their neighbours. February 16.—1 left the encampment at seven, a.m., and proceeded on my journey, the rain pouring in torrents nearly the whole of the way; but as it was the scason of the periodical rains in this part of the country, I could not expect that nature would change her laws for my accommodation. At a quarter-past seven I returned to the road from which I had deviated the preceding day from Kal’eh Riza, and went in a direction north-west. At a quarter-past eight we came to the Ob-i-Zal, which, in consequence of the LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 223 copious rains, had swelled to such a volume, and was so rapid, that my guide despaired of our being able to cross it; but as I would hear of no stoppage, the passage of the torrent was risked by us, and we happily forded, although, I think, not without some danger to those who were mounted on smaller and less vigorous horses than the one I rode. We then had to ascend a steep hill on the opposite bank. The river Zal, which has been erroncously confounded with Ob-i-Dizfil, takes its rise in the mountains of Ghird, to the right of the line of road near Pul-i-I#l, and not far from the direct road leading from Dizfil to Khor- remabad. It 1is reckoned one of the most rapid streams of this hilly country. We con- tinued our way along a high table land, having to our left the eastern extremity of Kuh-i- Kabir, called Dumb-Shah, on the summit of which stands an isolated Imam-Zadeh of Piri- Shah-Akhmed, to whose shrine the devout Lurs go on pilgrimage, especially women who desire Further 0 be blessed with many children. 224 TRAVELS IN on the road becomes more rugged; lime and chalk hills press upon either hand. At a quarter-past nine I took the bearings of the compass: our road lay W.N.W. by N.W_; the pass of Keilun N.W. to our right, while the Kerkheh river flowed to our left, at the foot of the Kabir-Kh. At a quarter to ten we descended to the Kerkheh stream, and went along its left bank, after having stopped for three-quarters of an hour to rest and partake of the remains of yesterday’s pillau and roasted lamb. At twelve we came to Pul-i-Teng, mentioned by Major Rawlinson, with some scattered ruins. At half-past one we crossed the boundary-line between the possessions of the Boiragvend and the Hasanavend tribes. At two we came to Cheshme-Gherdon, a pleasant meadow. At a quarter-past three we turned to the W.S.W., and reached, at 11a1f-past three, the river of Téal-ob at its junction with the Kerkheh, and which we were to have crossed ; 2 2 7] LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. but we found it swelled to such a degree, and, besides, so impetuous, that after several fruit- less efforts we were forced to relinquish the attempt, and to turn to the north in the direc- tion of the Keilin hills, in order to secure quarters for the night among the Hasanavends. Their tents were pitched at Ob-i-Gherm, close to the pass of Tengi-Leilan, from whence the Tal-0b issues. We arrived at their encamp- ment at four in the afternoon, having travelled In this from seven to eight farsangs this day. dreary and desert region I could make no other observations than just mark down the direction of my route, a subject not very gratifying to the reader, although it may arrest for a moment the attention of the geographer in his anxiety to reap some information on the physical features of these unfrequented tracts. The rain, our faithful companion for many days past, having ceased, our wardrobe and travelling apparatus were spread on the ground to dry. My last lump of sugar had melted in the Khijins, (or travelling bags, thrown across VOL. II. Q ~ 9 26 TRAVELS IN the pack-saddles in a journey,) and the syrup made great havoc among my linen, books, and papers, presenting altogether a most pitiable sight. After laying down to dry myself and clothes in the sun, I was warned to take refuge in a tent, as the rain had again commenced. The family of my host consisted of himself, a young man, his wife, and his aged mother. I seldom met in the Kast with more genuine affection than was exhibited by the old woman towards her son, and by the young woman towards her husband. In all they did they seemed anxious to please him, while the young man appeared to take their attentions as a matter of course. The next morning, when I signified my desire to take my host part of the way, that he might show me the most practicable ford, his wife immediately ran to saddle the horse for him, which she soon brought up to the tent, and, holding the bridle with one hand and the stirrup with the other, helped him to mount. At parting the old mother entreated me most parti- LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. ~ 9 27 cularly to take care of her son, as though he had a long and hazardous journey to perform. But such is in general a mother’s love ;—she ever apprehends danger for the child of her heart. Of all the affections of this world, a mother’s love is, I believe, the most constant, and certainly the most disinterested. I must own that this endearing scéne de famille was very gratifying to my feclings, after the tales of strife, plunder, revenge, and murder, which had been continually ringing in my ears since I had left Shiraz. It came like the sacred music of Pollock’s harp* to calm the mind, troubled and excited by the scenes in “ Man- fred,” or the ¢ Corsair.” The morning was promising, and with light spirits we. commenced our journey at half- past six, first to N.N.W., and then crossed the bed of the 7Tdl-ob in its upper course, not far distant from ZTengi-Leildn, in which * The work alluded to is Pollock’s poem on the ¢ Course of Time ;” one of the sublimest productions of the British muse, in my humble opinion. Q 2 228 TRAVELS IN pass the tribe of Baba-Yusufi dwell. The guide stripped of the greater part of his clothes, entered the stream in search of a convenient ford to take us across. The water had fallen during the night, and I found the Tal-ob less deep than the Obi-Zal, although the rapidity of its current was quite as great. On parting with my guide, I put an extra picce of money into his hand, not so much for his own sake, because the services he had to render were not so great; but 1 thought of his aged mother at the time, and was sure she would feel pleased that the merits of her son had been duly appreciated. To our left, the hill of Kabir presents like- wise a pass called 7Tengi-Mojin, which leads to Seimerreh.* Having traversed the ground of Mulk- Kuresan, and the valley of Tale-Kels, we crossed another river at a quarter-past eight, * See Major Rawlinson’s description of the ruins of this Sasanian town, in the “ Journal of the Geeographical Society,” for 1839, No. ix. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 229 which issues from the pass of Féani, and runs in a direction W.N. W. The mountains between the passes of Leildn To the and Fgni are called Kith-i-Pesidari. left of this line of road stands the chapel of Piri-Saleh, at the foot of Kith-i- K abir. At a quarter-past nine we passed Guri- Jaouder, and a small lake between hills in a most romantic spot, with a IHasanavend en- campment retlected in its waters, and flocks of sheep and goats scattered about the slopes of the mountains, and along the margin of the lake. We continued our march along a hilly country to N. N. W, At half-past ten we ascended a steep hill in a direction due north, taking leave of the valley of the Kherkheh stream, and bidding likewise farewell to Kidh-i-Kabir, the summit of which capped in snow remained behind us. At eleven we commenced the descent into the plain of Joider. The sight from the heights on which we moved was truly mag- nificent, The meadow of Joider, watered by 230 TRAVELS IN the Kdashgdn river, which issues from a rocky cleft in the mountains, spread its green carpet under our feet, whilst a terraced wall of three successive ranges of hills with their number- less ramifications receded before us to the north. The foremost of the group are the Dalijé, after them the Peru-Periz, and, lastly, the Sefid-Kiah (white hills), with their snowy summits, towering high and far off, closed our visual horizon. These latter are the Alvend range of mountains. A road strikes off from hence straight to Khorremabad, in direction N.N.E. by N.E., over a wild and mountainous region, called Clidcle-Hil, and passes by Kal'eh-ob-serd, (cold water fort,) where a few wandering Judaki families of Nasr-Khan reside. At three-quarters past eleven we passed by some ruins, said to represent the site of the former town of Joider. At twelve we descended a sloping declivity along a marshy country towards Gri-hoshkz. Half an hour more brought us to the spacious meadow of Joider, LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 231 with ruins here and there, and some tents of the Hasanavends. So far I had gone nearly over the same ground which Major Rawlinson had trodden from Joider to Kal’eh-Riza, on his way from Zohab to DizfGl; but henceforth begins the terra incognita, or, at least, a country of which, to my knowledge, with the exception of Khorremabad, no particular account has yet appeared. After stopping for half an hour, we resumed our march at one o’clock, and in another half Here we had hour reached the Kashgan river. the same difficulties to encounter as those we had met with the preceding day. Ten athletic men from the neighbouring hamlet came to tender their services, and show us a passable ford over the river. The Kashgan, at the spot we had to cross, presented two charmels, having nearly in the middle of the stream a long strip of land, or marrow island. Our new guides, stripped off their clothes, and uttering loud yells ( Yellah! or Ya-Allah! God help us!) soon cleared the first channel, we 232 TRAVELS IN following on horseback ; but when they came to the second, which was the broader and deeper channel of the two, they declared it impossible to cross. The guides who ventured, soon got into the deep beyond their reach, and losing their footing were swiftly carried down the stream; while others with great difficulty gained the opposite shore. At length, however, by dint of perseverance, they found out a ford, There was no although still a very deep one. time to lose, the water was visibly rising, as is generally the case after noon with rivers that are fed by the melting snow in the mountains. My gulam, seeing the hazardous nature of the enter- prise, began strongly to remonstrate, observing that 1 had been committed to his care, and that he was answerable for my safety. I plainly saw, however, that it was more from anxiety for his own than my safety, and proposed that we should change parts for the occasion, as in case of emergency, I could swim, and perhaps help him, which he probably could not, owing to his manifest aversion to the watery element. 233 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. After disengaging ourselves, therefore, of part of our apparel, which we tied on our heads or kept loosely on the saddle, so as to be less to the encumbered in swimming if put test, we plunged into the rapid stream, and in safety gained the opposite shore; not so dry as the Israelites of old, but still, better off than Pharaoh’s host, since, happily, none of us were drowned. Although no visible miracle was performed on this occasion, I felt that the hand of Providence was outstretched, and that it was owing to Divine mercy that we were preserved. When the time came to remunerate my Iliyat guides, for their trouble and exertion, with gold coin, I found they were ignorant of the value of that metal, and preferred a few silver sahib- corans,* which 1 had about me, though greatly inferior in amount. This trait reminds us of what Pliny says about the town of Babytace (on the northern arm of the Tigris, 135 miles distant from Susa, * A sahib-coran is rather less than a shilling. 234 TRAVELS IN and, therefore, not very far from the neigh- bourhood where we now were), the inhabitants of which were the only people in the world who had an aversion for gold, and that to such a degree that they buried it under-ground, in order that no one should profit by it.* At three-quarters past two we resumed our journey in a northern direction, and at three crossed another branch of the same river, from whence we soon arrived, by a narrow and stony path (having rocks on one side and the bank of the river on the other), at the magnificent remains of a bridge over the Kashgan, which is considerably narrower at this spot than on the plain, but excessively rapid and deep, being hemmed in by two projecting rocks. The bridge bears the name of Pul-i- Kuréh-Dokhter, or, the bridge of the youth and damsel, to which an amorous legend is attached. It is, however, the bridge supposed to have been built by Shapar, son of Ardashir-Babegan, * See Pliny’s “ Natural History,” translated into French by Sivry, tom. ii., liv. vii.,, chap. 27, page 803. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 235 or Artaxerxes, the founder of the Sasanian dynasty. The rapid current of the river -has under- mined and swept away the greatest part of it, notwithstanding the solidity of its construction ; but still enough remains to testify what a splendid construction it must have been when entire, for even the ruins of the two bridges over the Kurdistan river, near Arrejan, men- tioned by me in a former part of these notes, and which Ibn BatGtd describes as the wonder of the world, can hardly compete with the massive buttresses still extant of the bridge of Shapﬁ}'. I am sorry that time would not allow of my taking a sketch of it, and of the pic- turesque country around ; but so it is when travelling in the Kast, and I cannot repeat it too often. Something or other always happens cither to impede our progress or to compel us to proceed, against our will and inclination. In the present instance, I was mnot sure of reaching any of the Iliyat encampments before dark; and T was warned not to tarry long on 236 TRAVELS IN the road, and be overtaken by the night in this lawless and freebooting country of TLu- ristén. At half-past four we turned to the N.N, W, and winding up an easy ascent, came, at five, to the encampment of Siroser Beni- Yusufvend of the Silasile tribe, spread in the form of a fan, at the base of a high hill, and sur- rounded by a wood of oaks. A scuffle between my Gulim and an old Yusufvend, in whose tent I had established myself, had well-nigh induced me to leave the encampment and resume my journey, notwith- standing the night was fast approaching, and the rain had set in. I expostulated with my host, who seemed much incensed against my conductor, and very vehement in his gesticu- lations, which is usually the case with these rough sons of nature, when worked up into passion, as they are taught no restraint. I received in answer, that as to myself T was very welcome, but that he owed a grudge to that fellow, pointing to my guide; there LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 237 existing, as it appeared, a family feud between them, of which I was not previously aware. I declared, however, that as he was in my service for the time being, I would not allow a hair of his head to be touched, and that, if the old gentleman was sincere in his pro- testations of welcome to me, he must extend his hospitality to the whole of my little party, otherwise I would leave him, and thereby bring shame on his grey hairs; for even the children of his tribe would point at him as one who had driven a stranger from his hearth. This appeal to his hospitality (a feature so deeply rooted among the wandering tribes of The old the Kast) wrought the desired effect. sheikh was quickly brought under the influ- ence of better feelings; a reconciliation took place, and I spent the rest of the evening very agreeably, in conversation with the cheerful old man and some of his aged friends, whom curiosity had attracted to ilis tent, and hos- pitality retained. TRAVELS IN 238 On some of the party expressing surprise why so few Frengi, or Europeans, visited their country, I answered that they themselves were the cause of it, as the only travellers who had ventured among them had been trea- cherously murdered. (These were the two Englishmen, Captains Grant and Fothering- ham, of whom Sir John Malcolm speaks in his « History of Persia,” vol. ii., page 438.) On this one of the old men present observed, that he remembered the circumstance perfectly well, for he was an eye-witness of their execution ; but then, added he, Kelb-Ali- Khan, by whose order the deed had been perpetrated, was yaghi, or in open rebellion against the authority of the Shah. 1 likewise learned from my newly-acquired Lur friends, that Ridbar, with some ancient ruins, lies seven or eight farsangs to the west, and is now known by the name of Ruari Lidlor. In a corner of our tent, stood a high wooden frame, at which three of the Iliyat women were seated a-breast, busily occupied 239 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. in weaving a very handsome carpet of diffe- rent shades of wool, producing a very com- I have plicated pattern from fancy alone. met with even still greater ingenuity among the Turkoman woImeiIl to the east of the Caspian. February 18.— We left £ Hasanavend and moved acquaintances at half-past SiX, along the banks of the river Kashgan in a direction N.N. E., till we reached the moun- tain of Peri-Periz, from whence another road, stretching to the north, leads to Madian-rid, by a pass called Tengi-Tili- Kesh. Proceeding on our journey at half-past seven there is a turning of the road to N.N.W., near which place another joins it, coming from Joider, along the left bank of the Kash- gan The upper course of the river in a north-eastern direction 18 soon lost sight of among the mountains, after receiving an insignificant rivulet on the right; then the road winds in a direction N.W. by N. N. W. At three-quarters past eight we ascended a 240 TRAVELS IN steep hill to the north-west by a zig-zag path, and in half an hour attained the summit of it, covered with groves of oak trees, where we found the atmosphere considerably cooler than in the valley below. At ten we left the julgeh or valley of Bidla to our left, with a stream of water running through it. As we proceeded onward, the mountains of Vézenior- Kuh became visible, rising on our left, whilst the snowy heights of the Kabir-Kih behind us became likewise apparent. After half an hour’s halt, we commenced at half-past eleven the descent to the camp of Hajji-Mullah Ahmed, and in the course of an hour arrived there. It was situated in the spacious valley of Madian-ri‘, or Madian-rid, in Iih-i- Desht. In Hajji-Mullah Ahmed, by whom I was cordially greeted, I found an old acquaintance, for we had met some years before on the borders of the Caspian Sea. Whatever may be the foibles and vices of the Persians in general (and where is the mortal who is 241 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. exempt from them), there are likewise many redeeming qualities in their character, and it would be ungrateful in me were I not: to acknowledge that, with very few exceptions, 1 have always met with attention, kindness, and hospitality from them. After some hours spent in pleasant chit-chat with the Hajji, I retired to rest, much fatigued by the day’s exertions, although I had not made more than five farsangs. I learned that, from Madianra to the Sasanian ruins of Rudbdr, the Lurs reckon ten or twelve farsangs in a south-western direction. VOL. II R CHAPTER XXVIIL Forces of Hajji-Mullah Ahmed in camp.—Defects in the organization of the Persian regular troops.—Nomadic life of the Chief of Khorremabdd.—Departure from MadianrG.—Stop for the night at Haiyat-Gheib.— Description of the place.— Various roads from Madianra to Khorremabid.—Desert of Chale-Hal.—Departure from Haiydt-Gheib.—Valley of Dilber.—Woody country inhabited by the Chingfini.—Plain of Khorremabdd.— Black stone with Cufic inscriptions.—Arrival at Khor- remabid.—Divan-Khaneh of the KedkhaGda in my apart- ment. TrE camp of the Hajji wore quite a military appearance. There was the 6th fadj or Regi- ment of Tebriz, under the command of Jemshid- Khan; the next regiment, 1200 strong, was composed of the natives of Luristin, of the Delfan tribe. This military force, assembled to check the turbulence of the mountaineers, would have proved of little avail to Hajji- Mullah Ahmed, had the different Lur tribes been actuated by a spirit of unanimity, for TRAVELS IN LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN, 243 there existed very little discipline among his own troops. The command of the first-named regiment was committed to an upstart youth of sixteen, because his father was patronized by the Prime Minister. The youth’s head seemed quite be- wildered by the adulation of the sycophants who surrounded him, and therefore little order could be expected among the soldiery. Hence the grand failure of the Persian military organiz- ation; for it is not by regular gradation, or through personal merit that high stations in the army are obtained ; it is mostly through court favour and intrigue. Another custom likewise prevails here. As the army is recruited chiefly from the Nomadic population of the country ; each tribe in offering its contingent, chooses out of its own clan a chief to command it; his nomination, however, requires the sanction of the Shah. It often happens that a mere child is placed at the head of a regiment because his father rules the tribe; and in many instances the colonelcy even becomes hereditary. "2 244 TRAVELS 1IN I learned from the Hajji that the governors of Luristan-Kuchik sometimes remain during the summer at IKhorremabad, and sometimes spend it on the high table-land, and among the valleys of the Zagros, where the Iliyats usually feed their flocks during the hot season. In winter they follow them to their germesir, or winter pastures, and encamp at Kah-Dasht and Joider, both very spacious plains surrounded by mountains, with fine grazing grounds, and plenty of wood. It is policy which induces the governors sent by the Shah to rule over Luristan to follow the movements of the wandering tribes, in order to keep a watchful eye on them otherwise they would find it a still heavier task than it already is, to maintain anything like order amongst so wild a population. In consequence of the Moétemid’s letter, Hajji-Mullah Ahmed supplied me with horses and a guide to Burujird. I had likewise taken the precaution, on leaving Teheran, of providing myself with an order, or ferman from the Shah, for the governors, and all kedkhidas, or chiefs LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 24 J of villages, to furnish me with horses, in such places where no post stations were established. The following morning, the 19th of February, I left the camp at a quarter-past eight, a.m., under a very heavy rain, and proceeded in a direction north-east. At a quarter to nine I crossed the river of Madianré, the source of which lies two farsangs to the north; three farsangs lower down to the south-east it flows into the Kashgan river. At a quarter-past nine we ascended a hill, and went along heights covered with oak, in a direction due east. This part of the country of Kah-Déasht is chiefly inhabited by the Dilfén tribe and the Azad-Bahkti, who belong to the sect of the Ali-Tlahi, or the worshippers of Ali, whom they recognise as one of the incarnations of the Deity. At a quarter-past eleven we mounted another hill, and soon came down to the bed of a rivulet full of cascades. After two hours’ march, we turned to the south-east, and crossed several times another insignificant stream, the Kaliab, 246 TRAVELS IN which proceeds from Kht-Dasht, close to the Imam-Zadeh of Daoud-Resh. At a quarter-past two we arrived at the village of Hayat-Gheib with a Piri, or Imam-Zadeh of the same name, a stone building, with a medresseh, or college, The village is in a very dilapidated state. inhabited by the Kulivend of the Silasile tribe, consisting chiefly of Seyids, or descendants of the Prophet; and therefore nothing was to be procured for ourselves or our -cattle. The dwellings are partly thatched with reeds, partly covered with coarse cloth of goats’ hair, a strange mixture of settled and camp life, but retaining only the disadvantages of both. The river Kashgémn flows close to this village. From the camps of Madianra three roads lead to Khorremabad. The first, to the north, crosses the Pil, or bridge of Kashgan, over the river of the same name. The second leads over Hayat-Gheib, where the Kashgan river can be forded; and The third, to the south of the latter, is LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 247 said to pass, by a mnatural bridge, over the same river at a place called Pul-i-Kali- Hurt. Between Pul-i-Kali-Hurt and Pul-i-Kuréh- Dolkhter, or the bridge of Shapir, are the ruins of a town, which among the Lurs goes by the name of S}aehr-i-Lut, or the town of Lot. It This is is situated in the desert of Chulé-Hul. not, however, the only spot where the Persians suppose that the remains of such a town are to be seen. In the Great Salt desert beyond Kum it is also sought for. Chulé-Hul is an extensive tract of country, partly barren, partly covered with oak. It is only partially inhabited in winter; but in summer it is perfectly desolate, being nearly destitute of water. February 90.—On leaving Hayat-Gheib the next morning at a quarter-past six, we forded the river Kashgan, and immediately’ rose by a serpentine, and in many parts, difficult ascent, until we reached, at a quarter-past seven, the summit of the Bogheld hill, at the foot e 248 TRAVELS IN of which the beautiful valley of Dilbér spreads its green carpet. The Persians themselves seem aware of the loveliness of the spot, as the word Dil-bér means captivating the heatt. The river Khorremab4d flows through it, and empties itself into the Kashgan, which comes from the north-east, and runs impetuously through a narrow pass in the mountains before it re-appears at Hayat-Gheib. The extremities of the black and craggy hills of Yaftah, at the foot of which stands the town of Khorremabad, shoot in an eastern direction. On turning round, I found the hill T had passed the preceding day bearing to the west, and behind it, inclining to the south-west, the position of the camp of Hajji- Mullah Ahmed was pointed out to me, although it was itself hid from my sight. This hill is called Kinrét Shirab, and is partly covered with SNow. The Sefid-Kih, or snowy hills which con- stitute the great chain of the Alvend, stretch from north-west to south-east; but between LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 249 them and the heights on which I moved extends the Yaftah-Kiuh range. I now gradually descended, and passed through a woody and uneven country, which, however, must be a beautiful spot in spring and autumn, until T reached, at a quarter to eleven, the river Ob-i-tel, running from S.S.E., and discharging its waters into the river of Khor- remabad. At eleven I stopped at the village of Chingini, situated on a rising ground, and consisting of a few hovels, similar to many other hamlets which I saw scattered about this woody district, which goes by the name of Sahrai Chingoi. The Chingtni people looked very miserable, and complained of being much oppressed. They appear to be aliens in these parts, though I could not make out from whence they origi- May they not be of the gipsy nally came. race ? After stopping here half an hour 1 resumed my journey. At a quarter to twelve we crossed the river Shiir-ob, which likewise falls into the river Khor- 250 TRAVELS 1IN remabéad. And at half-past twelve I fell into the main road, leading straight from Joider over Chule-H#l, in a direction from south-west to east, while to the south-east, on the brow of the mountain, is seen the tomb of Piri-Shahin-Shah, close to the road coming from Kil-ob and Dizfal to Khorremabad, the one by which Major Rawlinson returned from Khtzistan to Kermanshah, and very probably the same traversed by the retreating army of Antigonus after his discomfiture by Fumenes.* I I shall now note down some villages passed on the plain of Khorremabad, before I entered the town. At a-quarter-past one, the village of Chamo- kirdth, situated on both sides of the river Khorremabad, the town of the same name becoming visible to E.N.E. At half-past one, the rivulet of Bedrabad, and, to the left, the village of Jaldan, the pro- * See Diod. 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S Al ?(fﬁffff” e ‘ll \'1 ( \ & T [ L J‘\ N ,jrtﬁ] ,nh\, g\u@‘ ['r( AR rl(\ RY \(’1\ ot PR ] e 's B C’J e W RN r__... Bl e v /r;:-:'.; ((7 gl < e V= o v — . ¥ 4 :: o e @R ~l Dl(_w 7 (‘i‘ ’N\\ 7 "]\r\ﬁ \V’L 7“”‘ £ «\,fu’\ AT S PR, l’\'\r\/(} A Ay e o v’/’f”f ﬂF 15 L e | ll ﬂu e )] A L i, o =) 14 il = N e A s @ T el e regy | \]Q e J l ”[ ’ ') ? I i 7 / I ) = o L5 ~\\ 7 %, Lo - I'Z’Vzrcfzc_ﬁnru I \rU u 027\\ 7”\ iy “(ﬁ'\\ 7// 2 e ° /d Z/zﬁC\‘ (\:;u/'\ (EW F§ g el i - Al (@Tﬁ W.’ s, € & \/O PAN S f J <$’ O AN L./\, o] —.rvw L&ﬁ 8% ﬂ\‘ t\{ﬁ?« %% o WS INS) AYIVWIHMHOHM LV NOILdIHOSNI 214N 2 b} » [ LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. perty of Seyd-Azis, lying on the opposite shore of Khorremabéd river. At threc-quarters past one, to the right, the village of Piri-Bozar, a little further, that of Musim and Masid. At two o'clock, to the left on the opposite shore, the village of Ghileveran stretched at the foot of the Yaftah Kith. At a-quarter past two, a bridge and ruins of a town, with a mutilated minar, and close to it the remains of some extensive buildings. I thus minutely note down these different places, however insignificant they may be, because the plain of Khorremabad is not much known, and Furopean travellers seldom venture in this direction. A short distance from the ruins first men- tioned, close to the high road, at the foot of a hill, is a four-cornered black stone with Cufic inscriptions on each face of it. Before entering the town of Khorremabad (which is nearly opposite to it on the right bank of the river), I stopped to take a copy, 252 TRAVELS IN and it was not until it became dusk, that T left the spot, without being able to finish the task to my satisfaction, the characters being materially damaged by time. As Khorremabad lies on the right banks of the river, I had to cross a low stone bridge, close to which is a cypress grove. No lodgings having been secured before my arrival, T was first taken into the fort (situated on the top of an isolated rock) by a very steep path. Here no spare room was to be found, and I had to retrace my steps down again. Atlast a room was procured in the house of one of the kedkhtdas of the town, who had been charged with the administration of it during the absence of Hajji-Mullah Ahmed; but scarcely had I taken possession of my apartment before it was filled by the Lurs who had followed the master of the house, .and established themselves com- fortably round the walls. For several hours I was doomed to answer the inquisitive kedkhtida and his company. After that a Divan Khanéh, or court of regular LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 253 justice was established in the same room. Crowds pressed in and out; complaints were lodged ; differences were settled ; appeals were heard. At length my patience was exhausted, and I thought it my turn also to appeal to my host, who sat in judgment there. I told him I felt much edified by the distribution of justice at his ‘tribunal ; but nevertheless, as it was waxing late, and I had to rise early the next day, I hoped he would not take it amiss if T were to retire into my bed-room. The audience hall being destined for that purpose, my host took the hint, and one by one the company made their exit, to my no small relief. CHAPTER XXVIII Description of Khorremabid.—Trade of the town.— Garden of Cypresses.—Superstitious belief attached to them.—Xhorremab4d destroyed by Timr.—For some time in‘ possession of the Pasha of Bagdad.— Black monolite with Cufic inscriptions.—Departure from Khor- remabdd.—Arrival at the village of Resh.—Mode of baking bread.—Stability of Eastern customs.—Passage over the high chain of the Alvend.— Arrival at Bari- jird. I smarn take the liberty to extract here from Rawlinson’s notes, Major already so often quoted, the passage which gives a faithful account of the town of Khorremabad :— “ Khorremabad,” says the author, “is a singular place, a range of rocky }1ills stretching across the plain, in the usual direction of north- west and south-east, has been suddenly broken off to admit the passage of the river for the space of about three quarters of a mile, leaving, in the centre of the open space, a solitary in circum- rock mnearly a thousand yards 255 TRAVELS IN LUﬁlS’l‘AN AND ARABISTAN. ference ; the rock is very steep, and near This its summit is a most copious spring. is the fort of Khorremabad. It is surrounded by a double wall at the base, and the summit, where the palace is built, is also very strongly defended. The palace, which was erected by Muhammed Ali-Mirza, 18 a very elegant building. A magnificent reservoir, sixty yards by forty, which is fed by the spring, has been formed within it, and there is also a garden of some extent. The fort contains ex- clusively the palace and its depending buildings. “ The modern town, which is small, con- taining not more than one thousand houses, is built below the fort upon its south-western face. The river, a broad shallow stream, passes along to the south-east of the fort and town ; the banks are covered with gardens, and among them are to be seen the remains of the old town, the capital of the Atabegs of Luri Ktachtk.”* * These are the ruins, mentioned in the preceding chapter, on the left bank of the river. B 256 TRAVELS IN In offering here a sketch I drew of the town and environs, I may add to the above description, that Khorremabad has four mosques, eight public baths, and a separate quarter assigned for the Jews, the number of whose houses may average from forty to fifty. The fort is defended by six cannons, which have been there since the time of Muhammed Ali-Mirza, and were not removed, as the greater part of the guns were, from the different Persian towns, by order of Muhammed Shah, soon after his accession to the throne, to be concentrated in the capital. It was a precautionary measure, at a time when the newly-established Government was not sure whether it could rely on the fidelity of the provincial towns of the empire. The heights of Yaftah Kih, frowning over Khorremabad, are surmounted by a tower, in which two brass cannons are placed, commanding the town below. Khorremabad carries on a trade in chabuks for pipes; in otter-skins, as this animal is found o o o o oy % e : 5. R Ny 250 S St .; S S 3 = 7 # h {1 > W Rt S ! X s ;:: . R S y &~ L3 é;. 5 S R S B b, | > E s S B 1 4 S v 2832 R . - = i B —= ——l ? 5 2 E} 5 e 2% e oE .~ — = = it 3 & o4 1 ;- o e S i s, e — T T 53y s [ gt o ¢ &= i e = =T = < T.G bz;mn, lih. from a J by the Author. Day £ Haghe, Zi Tt the Queer KHORREMABAD CHIEF TOWN IN LURISTAN KUCHUOK. London Published by J. Madden &C° LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 5 1 in all the rivers of Luristan and Kurdistan ; in the juice of the pomegranate, the produce of its gardens, where fine grapes likewise grow. On the left side of the river is a spacious garden with rows of splendid cypress-trees. There exists a current belief among the super- that these are stitious Persians, cypresses endowed with a supernatural power. They say, that on a certain day in the year, namely, on the 10th of Moharem (which is the ruz-i-katl, or the day when their holy Imam-Hasan, son of Ali, was slain by the orders of Yezid, and at the time when the faithful Shia-Mussulmans are bewailing his fate), these trees begin to be agitated and tremble all over, however calm the air, and without any external cause to produce their shaking. It is unnecessary to dwell on the supposed antiquity of Khorremabad, or on its probable ancient appellation. Those who are interested in the subject are referred to the valuable notes of Major Rawlinson. VOL. 1I. S 258 TRAVELS IN In comparatively modern times we find men- tion of the name of Khorremabad in oriental authors, about the close of the fourteenth century, namely, in 1386, Sheref-u-din, the annalist of Amir Timar’'s campaigns, writes, that this conqueror, in order to chastise the Lurs for the assaults committed by them on Mussulman pilgrims, took posscssion of Khorremabad, and levelled 1t with the ground.* It appears, however, that either the town soon rose from its ashes, or was not totally destroyed, for we find that eight years later (in 1394) TimaGr marched once more into the provinces of Luristan and Khuzistan, and made himself master of Marvan, Kion, and Kkorrema- bad,t . During the Afgh4an sway over part of Persia, the Pasha of Bagdad took possession for a time of this town, which he found empty, the * See De Guigne’s ¢ Histoire Genérale des Huns,” tom. iv., p. 22. t Ibid, p. 33, 259 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. inhabitants having left it, after their Vali, Al Merdan-Khan, had retired to Khuzistan, at the approach of the Turks. * the next Before resuming my journey morning, I returned to the monument with the Cufic inscription, in order to finish, as well as I could, the copy of them. I do not know how far these copies can be deciphered by those who read the Cufic character, owing to the great difficulty I found in making out the letters. This monolite, measuring twelve spans in and eleven 11 height, thirteen in length, breadth, must have been extracted from a quarry in the neighbourhood, as the nature and colour of the stone resemble the strata of which the surrounding mountains are formed. It is not so black, nor is the grain so fine, as the Persepolitan stone, though it partici- pates, I believe, in the same nature, being t See Jonas Hanway'’s ¢ Account of the British Trade over the Caspian Sea,” &c., vol. ii,, part X., p. 238, London edition, 1764. s 2 260 TRAVELS IN a formation of limestone with the presence of carbon. * The northern face of the stone contains four lines; on the first or uppermost the letters appear to be more ornamented than on the other parts of the stone. Under the inscrip- tion are some strange characters, with sharp edges, but greatly defaced. They represent, perhaps, the date of the inscription. The tablet on the western side consists of six lines, that to the south of five, and the one to the east of only four; but they extend nearly The lower lines are so the whole length. close to the ground that I was obliged to lie down to copy them. I was told by my guide, as a fact known to the inhabitants of Khorremabad, that this monument stands on a raised platform, con- sisting of seven steps (like those of Mirgab), but ¢hat, in the course of time, the lower part has been covered with earth, swept from the * See Mr. Ainsworth’s © Researches in Assyria, Babylon, and Chaldea,” p. 234. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 261 mountains ; a circumstance which can easily be admitted from what we see at Persepolis, where a deep crust of earth now hides from the inquisitive eye many a curious relic of antiquity in that magnificent pile of buildings. roads lead from Khorremabad to Several Bargjird ; but at this season of the year great obstacles to travellers present themselves on account of the deep sSnow which cover the valleys and the high range of mountains separating Luristan from Irak-Ajem; although the distance in a straight line does not exceed twelve or thirteen farsangs. The general direction of the road is north- east, with a few deviations of the compass. My first day’s march took me through a hilly country, intersected by valleys, of which Hiru is the most spacious. I crossed thrice the river of Khorremabad ; the first time on leaving the town, the next not far from it to the east,—both times over stone bridges,—and the third in the plain of Nemekelan, separated from IHtru by a narrow 26 9 ~ TRAVELS IN belt of the R#mili hills. I found on the road some crumbling remnants of a wall, called the Turkish wall, and said to have been erected by the Turks during the distracted state into which Persia was thrown in the last century by the Afghans. The rain accom- panied us until our halt for the night, in one of the miserable hovels of the village of Resh, situated on the banks of the Khoshki-rit,* which falls into the Kashgan river. We had now quitted the wooded part of Luristan, and the fuel allotted for my con- sumption consisted of dried manure, fashioned into cylindrical cakes, such as are used in many parts of Irak, where wood is scarce. In burning it emits a thick smoke, but the cakes have the advantage of retaining the heat for a long time. The hut had no chimney; a round hole in the middle of the room served in lieu thereof, into which the kiziks (as these cakes are called) were introduced; and as the door could not be * Khoshki-r(, or rd, meaning a dry river. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 263 kept open, because of the bleak weather, the smoke first visited all the corners of the room before it found vent through the aperture in the ceiling. When the kiziks had burnt out, leaving hot coals at the bottom of the pit, and its sides well heated, the wife of my host, a poor woman all in rags, came to bake bread in it. She first took a piece of the kneaded paste, and, spreading it into a thin leaf in the palm of her hand, in the form of a pancake, applied the paste against the inner walls of the oven, first baking one side then the other. The Iliyat women like- wise bake their bread on the hearth. This mode of preparation carries us back to the days of Abraham, when he treated the three strange guests in his tents. « And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quick three mea- sures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.” (Genesis xviii. 7.) The traveller wandering in the Fast meets at every step with some illustration of what is written in the holy Scriptures; and passages which 264 TRAVELS IN formerly may have puzzled, now strike him by their fidelity to nature. The customs and manners of these pastoral tribes have remained the same, or have undergone few alterations, since the commencement of the world; because they are founded not on the fictitious, but on the real wants of man, and are in harmony with the nature of the country they occupy. The meal cakes were quickly baked, and the housewife performed her task very ably, twisting them in her hands, as she took them hot out of ‘When the oven, without burning her fingers. this part of the ceremony was over, the next difficulty was that of eating the cakes; for, however great was my hunger, I had to over- come my reluctance to swallow them, having been witness of the whole manipulation, and (entre mous soit dit) the hands of the swarthy dame were not of the cleanest. On waking the next morning we found that the rain had changed into snow, and it was doubted whether we could succeed that day in crossing the high chain. However, eight LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 265 stout peasants were procured to lead the way, by treading the snow under-foot, and thus opening a path for the horses, there being no road. Fortunately for us the weather cleared up as we were ascending the mountains; but the difficulties and the fatigues we had to encounter during our progress beggar all description. Notwithstanding the efforts of the men to pre- pare a beaten track, the snow was not suffi- ciently solid, and it was so deep that the horses were continually sinking up to their girths, still unable to arrive at any solid footing. There was no possibility of keeping one’s saddle, so our party dismounted, each leading his horse ; man and beast were continually stumbling, falling, sinking, and plunging, in order to extricate themselves from this abyss of snow. The country around presented one uniform white sheet, not spread over an even surface, but over one upon which the convulsions of nature had been most busy, and where they had left indelible traces of their passage. It TRAVELS IN 266 was the lofty chain of Alvend. Mountains overhung mountains, behind which still higher mountains reared their heads, the whole group clad in the same silvery mantle. It was a chilling sight to look at these regions of eternal snow and ice, and yet our party was far from feeling cold. The perspiration ran down our faces, while a column of steam rose from our panting horses, and the white foam from under the saddles showed plainly how strenuous were their exertions. ‘When a school-boy, I had read with interest the march of Hannibal across the Alps and the Appennines ; in later years I had followed with no less anxiety, Napoleon over Mount Cenis, but Mount St. Bernard, and the Simplon ; however faithful the narratives of their annalists may be, my imagination had fallen short of the severe hardships their armies had to encounter until personal experience taught me their full extent. On arriving at the summit of a hill, my rustic companions announced that the greatest LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 267 difficulties had been overcome, and as my guide from Madianr was acquainted with the country, they begged leave to return home. A few ducats made them very happy; with light hearts they retraced their steps, while we pro- ceeded along the crest of the hill where the snow was less deep, but still without the least vestige of a road. The wind in these elevated regions was so strong that we ran the risk of being swept down. The descent into a glen soon sheltered us from the bleakness of the weather, but the slope of the hill was so preci- pitous that had it not been for the snow which covered the face of the rock, and into which our feet and the horses’ hoofs sunk as we advanced, we never could have attempted it. On issuing out of the glen we came, not like the Carthaginians of old, into the lovely plains of Lombardy, but into a valley watered by a mountain stream, and stopped at the village of Bizihdl, in which a colony of Lars are settled. Here we rested awhile, partook of some refresh- ment, and then continued our road across a 268 TRAVELS IN LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. secondary range of mountains of a clayey and chalky nature. On leaving them we descended into the plain of Burtjird, studded with villages, and having plenty of pasture ground. On approaching the town the gardens increased in number and size; we only entered the gates of Bardjird after sunset. The distance from the preceding night's halting-place may be reckoned about eight farsangs, although my fatigue and the intricacy of the road prevented me from keeping a minute account of the day’s march. CHAPTER XXIX. « Property is there the creature of power and not of law, and possession forms no security where plunder is the preferable right.” — Dr. Keith, Of the Evidence of the Truth of the Christian Religion. Description of Luristén-Kuchtik.—Limits.—Pish-kuh and Pusht-i-kuh.—The Alvend and Taughi-Girrah chains of mountains.—Reasons for considering the former the loftiest of the two.— Parallel system of the mountain- ridges observable in the Zagros chain.—Rivers.— Luristédn-Kuchtk anciently inhabited by the Cosswans.— Traversed by Antigonus.—Later by the Arabs.—Timur’s expedition into Luristdn during the reign of the Atabegs. —The Valis of Luristin, Gurjistdn, Kurdistdn, and Arabistin.—Conduct of the Vali of Luristin during the Afghén invasion into Persia.—Recent intrigues among the members of that family.—Division of the tribes of Silasilé.— Luristdn-Kuchak.—Pishi-kth tribes.—The The Dilftins.—The >Amaldh.—The Bald-Gheriveh.— The Pusht-kth tribes.—The Feili, &c.—Taxation.— Produce of the country.—Character, religion, and cus- toms of the Lurs.—Burning incense at the approach of 270 TRAVELS IN a guest.—A similar custom mentioned in Ferdausi's ¢ Shah-nameh” as existing among Arabs in the early ages of the world. Luristan-Kvucuuk is bounded on the north by Burgjird and Kermanshah ; the river Dizfal separates it on the east from the Bakhtiyari of Luristan-Buzurg, but the boundary line on the south and west is much more uncertain, as the in their winter Lurish tribes, migrations, disperse with their flocks over the plains of Dizfal, lying to the southward of their moun- tains, and meet with the wandering Arabs on the Turkish frontier on the west in the vast Assyrian plains. Luristan-Kuchik has two principal divisions, Luristan Pish-Kuh, and Luristan Pusht-i- Kuh, or Cis and Transalpine Luristan. The former lies east, and the latter west, of the great Zagros chain. The town of Khorremabad, the chief place of Luristan-Kuchik, is situated in Pish-Kih, which has likewise many villages, whose inha- bitants lead a sedentary life, whilst those of LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 271 Pusht-i-KGh have no other habitations than their black tents, and wander from place to place. Luristan is, perhaps, one of the most hilly countries in the Persian dominions, not except- ing Kurdistan. Independently of the great chain which proceeds from the pass of Taughi- Girrah and separates Pish-Kah from Pusht-i- Kuh, there is another lofty range of mountains to the north-east, projecting from the Alvend, and whiQh, passing between Khorremabad and Burajird, follows, like the former, a south- easterly direction. It is at the northern foot of this latter range, which may be called the Alvend range, that the valleys of Silahar, Jopelag, and Ferei- dan extend, as noticed in chapter xix. The mountain-chain proceeding from Taughi- Girrah, and known by the name of Zagros, is generally looked upon as the principal range which extends from Kurdistan to the shores of the Persian Gulf. But if we derive our reasons for assigning a principal place to moun- 212 TRAVELS IN tains from their altitude, the chain of the A/vend (the Orontes of the ancients), which runs in the same direction, ought to have prece- dence, inasmuch as it is the loftiest of the two There we likewise meet with the highest points, such as Alvend, near Hamadan, Ushti- rim-kuh, near Barajird, Zardeh-kith, not far from Isfahén, and the mountainous country of Ardekén, in Fars. I am ignorant of the actual relative heights of these two chains ; the reasons, however, on which I found my supposition as to the greater altitude of the Alvend are the following :— On crossing the mountains from Khorremabad to Buarajird, I found them covered with very deep snow, not only on the heights, but descending the face of the mountains to a con- siderable extent, whilst on those which I passed at Keilin and Joider a few days previous, I found none, or hardly any snow, excepting to the west of the line of road, and a few patches on the summits of the Kabir-kih, although this was in winter, in the month of February. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 213 In the second place, several of the great rivers which flow through Luristan have their source in the Alvend range, and not the Taughi-Girrah, such as the Dizftl river, and the Kashgan, while the main branch of the Kerkheh, the Kara-Si river, takes its rise in the Kurdish mountains, still more to the north. The Karen and the Jerahi, or Tab river have likewise their source in the same chain which constitutes the continuation of the Alvend. The declivity of the country from mnorth to south is very perceptible, and may easily be ascertained by the rapid current of the rivers which run in that direction, Lastly, the difference in the clbiwsitie.sins likewise very sensible, and T might compare this change of atmosphere between the Alvend and the Taughi-Girrah, with what I felt in the ter- raced heights of Fars, between Kutel-i-Piri- Zen, and Kitel-i-Dokhter. In the system of the Zagros (using the word in its extensive meaning) there exists a parallel succession of mountain chains, of which the VOIL IT T 274 TRAVELS IN Alvend forms the spine, while the others gradually lower as they recede to the north and to the south of this principal chain. The Alvend as well as the Taughi chain, branches out in various directions, which consti- tates Luristan a perfect net-work of mountains, intersected by valleys, and watered by some considerable rivers. These latter are the fol- lowing:— The Dizfil river, or Diz, which takes its rise near Burajird. It is formed by the junction of two mountain-streams, after which it preci- pitates its waters through a very rugged and hilly country till it enters on the plains of Dizfal. Here, having passed through the town of the same name, and approached the ruins of Shush, it turns abruptly to the south-east, and joins the Kuren at Bendi-kir. The Balarid is a tributary of the Dizf(l river on its right, as well as the Shapir, or Shéver river, both of which run close by the ruins of ancient Susa. The Kerkheh is formed of several consider- LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 275 able streams which have their different sources m the provinces of Nehovénd, Hamadan, and Persian Kurdistan, or Kermanshah, Ardelan.* This river likewise assumes different names in the different places through which it flows; thus, in Kermanshah it is known under the appellation of Karast ; lower down it is the Gamasab; and near the ruins of Shtsh it bears the name of Kerkheh. Its principal confluents in Luristan are the Kashgan (with its tributary the Khorremabad river) and the * In the year 1837 I visited the principal source of the Kara-su where there is a small town built at the very foot of the mountain, out of which the waters of the Kara-sii rush with impetuosity from the apertures of the hill between its The volume of water is so considerable, different strata. that just below the town all the streams from the different streets join, and form a very respectable river, which, under flows along the plain before it enters the name of Kara-su, that of Mahidasht, near Kermanshah. I regret that I am unable to produce at present a sketch map of the course of the different rivers of Kurdistan direction of the mountain and Luristdn, together with the chains, which were drawn for my information by the united kindness of several of my Kurdish friends. ) 276 TRAVELS IN Ob-i-Zal, both very rapid streams, which cut through the mountains of Pish-Kuh. Luristan has always been looked upon as one of the most unruly provinces of Persia. The mountainous nature of the country, its distance from the seat of Government, its vicinity to the Turkish frontier, and, above all, the wild cha- racter of its inhabitants, have rendered the authority of the Persian sovereigns at all times very precarious. Among other instructions which Mangi- Khan gave to his brother Hulagit, on sending him to govern Iran, was that of exterminating the Lurs and Kirds on account of their plun- dering on the high roads.* In ancient times we find that Luristan- Kuchik was inhabited by the Coss@ans, and they were at that time already described as wild and plundering mountaineers by Strabo, Arrian, Q. Curtius, and Diodorus. I feel more inclined to embrace the opinion of #* See in Collection Orientale—Raschid-el-Din’s « Histoire des Mogols de la Perse,” tr. par Quatremére, tom. i., p. 143. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 277 Major Rawlinson, who thinks that Antigonus passed throngh this part of the country after the defeat of his army by Eumenes,* than to follow the routes which the Rev. F. Williams has traced out for him in his ingenious researches on the probable site of Ecbatana;+ but it would be foreign to our subject to discuss that point. But this is not the only instance in which Lu- ristan has been visited by invading armies. At the commencement of the Arab conquest of Persia, we read that the Basori (Boseri) Arabs, who had established themselves in Ahvaz, entered Media under the command of Noman Ibn-Makran, who marched from Khazistin up the Kerah (the Kerkheh), and defeated the Persian army at Nehavend; whereas another Arab Chief, named Ibn-Abdallah, had not been able to * See “ Journal of the Royal Geographical Society,” vol. ix. p. 91. t See the Rev. F. Williams’s “ Two Essays on the Geo- graphy of ancient Asia,” 1829, p. 45 and the following. 218 TRAVELS IN succeed in forcing the passage across Mount Zagros, at Taughi-Girrah.* In Mirkhond’s “ History of the Sultans of the Bayah Dynasty,” we find that Merdawidj, with the help of Abu-Shija, the Deilemite, joined Luristan to the other possessions which he had wrested from Macan, Prince of the Samanian family ; but it appears that this province did not remain long in his posses- sion, for soon 'after, the sons of Buyah or Abu-Shuja forced Merdawidj to content him- self with Ghilan and Deilem, whilst they became masters of the southern and western and provinces of Persia, supplanted the Samanian dynasty at the Court of the Caliphs of Bagdad.| From the eleventh to the end of the six- teenth century, Luristan was governed by its * See page 236 of the Rev. T. Williams’s « Essay on the Geography of the Anabasis,” where he quotes Golius, p- 226. t See Mirkhond’s ¢ History of the Sultans of the Buyah Race,” tr. by Fred. Wilken. 2719 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. own Atabegs, of the dynasty of the K hivrshids, but so little is known, that any information about them is uncertain. D’Herbelot in his ¢ Bibliothéque Orientale” actually makes no mention of this dynasty. We learn from Timar's military expedition into Persia, that this conqueror marched against Luristdn, in order to punish its in- habitants for plundering caravans passing to and from Mecca. The passage we allude to in De Guigne’s « History of the Teymurids,” runs thus:— “In 1386, Timur having assembled his whole army, crossed the Gihon and proceeded to Féruz-kah, from whence, at the head of a body of troops, he marched against Azeddin, King of the ZLor country (more correctly Lur), who, with his subjects, committed great outrages against the Mussulmans, and had plun- Timir proceeded dered a caravan from Mecca. in haste towards Loristdn (Luristan), took pos- session of Buroudjird (Birdjird), and Khor- the robbers had remabad, to which place 280 TRAVELS IN retired. He destroyed this latter town, and had a great number of them precipitated from the summit of the mountains. After con- quering this country, Timir joined his main force in the plain of Nehovend,” &c.* In the sixteenth century, Shah Abbas the Great, who introduced so many innovations into Persia, abolished the title of Atabeg in Luris- tan-Kichtk, and conferred that of Vali on the chief of this province, which denomination has been retained ever since by the descendants of Husein Khan, the first who received that title. We have already mentioned, on a previous occasion, that there existed formerly four Valis, who were reckoned the chief vassals of the Shah, and had a right to sit in his presence. They were, the Vali of Gurjistin or Georgia; the Vali of Kurdistan or Ardelan ; the Vali of Luristdn; and the Vali of Arabistin or Havizaa. Of these tributary princes, two only, namely, the Vali of Kurdistin and * See De Guigne’s “ Histoire Générale des IHuns,” tom. iv., lib. xx., page 22. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 281 Taristin, have retained their titles, although they do not possess any longer that degree of independence which they formerly enjoyed. I believe the last Vali of Arabistin, mentioned 18 the ome who treacherously 11 history, betrayed into the hands of the Afghans the crown of Shah Sultan Husein, that unfortunate Prince of the Séfevi dynasty. As to the Valis of Gurjistan, weakened by the bloody invasion of Aga Muhammed-Khan, in the latter end of the eighteenth century, and unable to resist the incessant attacks of the Turks and Persians, as well as their other inveterate enemies the Mussulman tribes of the Caucasus, they gave themselves up to Russia, to which they were already linked by the tie of the same religious faith. At the time of the Afghan invasion of Persia, the Vali of Luristan re-appears on the stage of history in a very favourable light. Previous to that event, Ali Merdan-Khan, the Vali in question, had been banished to Kerman through some court intrigue, and his younger 282 TRAVELS IN brother was named Vali in his stead; but when the Afghans laid siege to Isfahén, Shah Sultan Husein, aware of the great abilities of this nobleman, re-called and named him Com- mander-in-Chief of all the Persian forces, who were to assemble at Ihdnsar; and Persia at that critical moment might still have been delivered from the enemy, had not the Gover- nors of the provinces sacrificed the welfare of the State to their personal pride, by refusing to serve under a Turish Chief, Single handed, Ali Merdan-Khan still con- tinued to show his zeal and devotion in his country’s cause; he found means to collect a great store of provisions for the besieged inha- bitants of Isfahan, who were already suffering the horrors of famine; and was on the point of introducing these stores into the city, at the head of 6,000 of his Lur vassals, when his young brother, jealous of the glory which the Vali would reap from such an achievement, thwarted his designs. Profiting by the momentary absence of Ali Merdan-Khan, he rashly attacked LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 283 the Afghans with his Lur troops, was routed, 3,000 of his men killed, and the rest put to flight. We find, at a later period, though still during the Afghan dominion over Persia, that the Vali of Luristin, unable to resist the pro- gress of the Turks, who were making inroads on the western provinces of Irén, retreated for a time to Khuzistin with 15,000 men, while Ahmed-Pasha, of Bagdad, entered Luris- tan, and took possession of Khorremab4d. In order, however, to draw the Turkish army out of his country, the Vali, with the Khans of Ahvaz and Shishter, invaded the territory of Bagdad, and by this able manceuvre, forced Ahmed-Pasha to retrace his steps and evacuate Luristan.* During the lifetime of Muhammed-Ali Mirza, son of Fet’h-Ali-Shah, Kermanshah, with Turistan, were under his dominion, and as he was a man of great energy, order was * See Jonas Hanway’s ¢ Account of the British Trade over the Caspian,” &e., vol. ii., p. 238. 284 TRAVELS IN in these maintained provinces. But after his death, Luristan returned to a state of insubordination, and great disorders were com- mitted. Hasan-Khan Feili, the representative of the Vali family, would not recognise his allegiance to the Shah, and, for a considerable time, acted as an independent Chief. The Persian Government, like all feeble states when they cannot enforce their authority, strove by intrigue to weaken the power of the Vali, by sowing the seeds of contention among the members of his family. A misunderstanding took place between Hasan-Khan and his sons in consequence of a letter which the late Governor of Luristan, Mirza Buzirg, is said to have forged under the hand-writing of Ali- Khan, the eldest son of the Vali, addressed to his younger brother, Ahmed-Khan, in which he engaged the latter to enter into a con- This letter was spiracy against their father. intentionally dropped in the tent of the old man, who, on learning the contents, had his sons immediately secured. Ali-Khan and Ah- LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 285 med-Khan soon found means to escape, and sought protection with Mirza Buzirg, who espoused their cause. A contest ensued, the consequence of which was, thdt the old Vali was forced to fly towards the Arabs of the desert. A reconciliation was afterwards brought about between the father and the sons, and during his life Hasan-Khan continued in Pushti- Kiah to defy the Persian authorities. Since his death the sons have disagreed with each other. The pretensions of Heider-Ali-Khan, the third son of the Vali, to inherit the title of his father, are upheld by the representatives of the Shah in Luristan, while the elder brothers, Ali-Khan and Ahmed-Khan have taken refuge with the Assyrian Arabs on the Turkish frontier. A short time before I visited Luristan-K- chiik, the country was in a perfect uproar; all the Nomads were in a state of excitement ; and it was only the report of the near approach of the Moétemid, the Governor-Greneral, with a military force and a train of artillery, which 286 TRAVELS IN kept them somewhat in awe. The arrival, likewise, of a few regiments of regular troops, allowed Hajji-Mullah Ahmed (the Deputy of the Moétemid in Luristin,) to seize on six or seven Tushmals, or petty chiefs of the Lurs, who were held as pledges for the regular pay- ment of the Government assessments. We have seen that Luristan-Kachuk 15 divided into Pish-Kuh and Pushti-Kuh. The principal tribes who occupy the former are the following :— 1. The Silasilé, } Lék tribes. 2. The Dilfan, 3. The Amalah, 4. The Bala Gheriveh, } Lar tribes. Fach of these tribes has its subdivisions, which may be seen in the table Major Raw- linson has given of them, in vol. ix. of the Royal Geographical Society’s Journal, and which I take the liberty of introducing here, as it is a very satisfactory, interesting, and, I have no doubt, a very correct statement of the inhabitants of Luristan. I find only some 2817 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. difference in the number of the K hanehvar, or families of the several tribes, but readily admit that I cannot vouch for the accuracy of my own figures, as I had not the opportunity of verifying them. Numbers of Families. Residence. Assess- ment of REMARKS. Great Divisions. Tribes. Sub-divisions. Of each Of each ‘Winter. Great Tribe. - | Division Summer, Divisions. Kakawand .. escessecsevncone ..|Hulilan esscreccsscsann The Yéwetiwands and Mumindwands ( Yéwetiwand. .. Hulilan, Dujali, and supply at present a body of 350 in-| Muminidwand . Khawah EEER R K}'xh-Dés t fantry to the Crown. Dilf an PR Raisawand.... 15000 ...... S ok ua o oide | ROGDEE cescccscscencan Harasim ., ..... Charddawer cecsscncns L Chuwari Bijinawand ... j:} Khawah .. Terhin cacccccocevees Alishter scaseceses Joidar Hasanawand .. Séimarrah cesecseccccn Kuliwand 15000 Silasilé ... { Yusufawand... ) | Khawah Pushti-kah Tafnear Khorremabad Saki Reshnuh.... Abistan PR ceessecren 6000] - 38000|Sar Kara } Kir-a’b, & Plain of Lur - 40000 The distribution of this sum of 40,000i | Papi Kerki, Mangerrah, and tomans varies yearly, and it is impos- T’ish-kﬁh .o W Bala Giriwa. Dirikawand Kahi-Haftad-Pehli. . Plain of Reza . | | sible, therefore, to give the details. These tribes are Dih The *Amalah tribe, however, who are ( Kushki Ziwahdar offsets of all the other tribes, and Nishins, who culti- were employed by the former Walis Umrai ... vate the Khalisah, or at as their immediate servants, are very| Mirakhar Crown lands, ’Amalah .... Katirji 2000| Khorremabad, Séi- lightly charged, the cultivation of the Gholam marrah, Terhan, and Crown lands being accounted in lieu Mo’-timid .... Kah-Disht. The of taxation. Riakrak do not migrate at al i { [Zulah PR Kard Yailaks of the ‘The Wali of Pushti-kah has the sole Shanhun...... shevle el e range of Kébir- Sirwan, Jistan, Bad- direction of his own revenues, and| Pushti-kih ... |Faili ...... Mehaki 1200 120 2000 kiah, both on the rai, and Plains of] 15000 claims to account personally with the] north-east and A’bladani Kirméanshih Government for the as-| Chahar Sitan.. [ south-west faces. . sessment of his distriet. {[Dinariwand ... ) PR Dalwand 900 200 Plains of Sts, and be- These tribes are refugees of the last cen-| Bajilan Sagwand * 1100 4500|Hura yond the Kherkheh 2000 tury, from the vicinity of Mdsul. They Aliwand S ceseseen 11500 to Deh-Luran are lightly taxed, having to furnish a Bairanawand { Dushiwand. . {1000 } ) body of 1,200 horse to the Crown. O’smanawand ... Dependencies Jalalawand PR These tribes are now usually included | Dajiwand ....... | EE.8 200 3500 in Kirmanshah. They furnish 500 {Hulilani .... 100 1500, Hillsadjoining Hulilan Plains of Hulildn infantry. Ba awand . . }jg | Surkhéameri eesen 200/ ) 60500, 56000 * This is the only tribe of Luristin in whose name any similitude is to be detected to the Sagafeni of Strabo ; but as the Sagwand is a stronger tribe, no weight can be attached to the resemblance of the titles. LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 289 The Silasilé and Dilfuns, who belong to the Lek race, amount to about 80,000 khanchvar, or families, of which the latter constitute the greater half, although the former are reckoned the more powerful of the two; probably also the more unmanageable. The ’Amalak were formerly very numerous, but have been much reduced since Aga Mu- hammed-Khan, the founder of the present Kajar dynasty, transplanted them into Fars. After his death, it is true, the greater part returned, but their force was broken.* They occupy chiefly the villages surrounding Khor- remabad, at Kih-dasht, Rudbar, &ec. As they lead a sedentary life,. they are, more than the others, under the immediate sway of the Persian authorities, and are, therefore, looked down upon with contempt by their more independent neigh- bours. An old Silasilé Iliyat sneeringly ob- served to me, that the ’Amalahs are jabr-perest * T found a portion of the ’Amalak Iliyats encamped at the foot of Mount Istakhr, in the plain of Persepolis. ( SCC vol. i., chap. v.) VOL. II. 290 TRAVELS IN (i.e., worshippers of violence), who always submit tamely to any sort of authority, good or bad; whereas the other Lur tribes cannot Their number is held easily brook oppression. to be between 2,000 and 3,000 families, but it appears to us rather underrated. The Bdald-Gheriveh, although not strong in a numerical point of view,as they donot exceed 4,000 families, are reckoned a very troublesome tribe. The ’Amalah and the Bdla-Gheriveh belong to the great division of the Lur family. The Pusht-i-K#h tribes, who bear the name of Feili, are less numerous than those of Pisk- Kiah ; Major Rawlinson estimates them at 12,000 families. They consist of Kurds, Dinar- vend, Shuhén, Kalhar, Badrai, Maki. Independently of the tribes mentioned in Pish and Pushti-kih, there live in the plains of Huru, between BarGjird and Khorremabad, the Bajilans * and the Beiranevend, who belong to the Lek family. * The Bajildn I met at Zohab, are, T believe, of Turkish extraction, and profess the Sunni faith, LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 291 The taxation of Luristin, in 1837, was fixed at 60,000 tomans, but since that period it has been raised to 80,000, out of which Pushti-kth is aésessed at 20,000, and Pish-kdh at 60,000. The inhabitants complain that they are over- charged, and their complaints are, perhaps, not ill-founded, for, independently of the Crown taxes, the Governor and their own Thshmals,* or petty Chiefs, oppress them whenever they can do so with impunity, and it is, therefore, not to be wondered at, that the Lurs showed such a strong spirit of opposition, whenever they feel themselves in a situation to resist. Produce of the country.—Excepting the vicinity of Khorremabad, "Kth-dasht, Hurg, and a few other places, the land in Luristin is not much cultivated, as the inhabitants lead, * Tushmal appears a stray word from the Mogil language, and was probably introduced at the conquest of Luristin by the Mogfls, as, to my knowledge, it is not used in any other part of Persia, having for its equivalent the words kedkhida, sheikh, rish-i-sefid, and ak-sakal, according to the language spoken by the tribe by whom these terms are respectively employed. 2 292 TRAVELS IN for the most part, a pastoral life, and subsist chiefly on the produce of their flocks. The country furnishes the bazaars of Barajird, Nehavend, Hamadan, and Kermanshah, with mutton, cheese, and butter, from their numerous flocks, and with a large quantity of charcoal, which is prepared in the woody parts of Luristan, and transported on -the backs of oxen and donkeys. The TLurs likewise derive a con- siderable income from their breed of mules, which are known all over Persia, although those of Shtshter and Dizful are preferred to them. The Iliyat women are very skilful in the manufacture of carpets from the wool of their flocks, and of felt coverings for horses. They also manufac- ture the coarse stuff with which they cover their black tents, and which consists of goats’ hair; the same is made into bags, and used by the muleteers of Persia for transporting goods all over the country; and the Lurs themselves make use of them for carrying their charcoal to market. The forests of Luristan, as well as those of LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 293 the Bakhtiyari, produce wild cherry-trees, which are cut for chabiks, or pipe-tubes, and exported to Bagdad and other parts of Turkey ; the interior of Persia is likewise supplied with and the bladder them. Otter-skins, of the animal, form likewise an article of trade. Character —The Lurs, (or Luristini as they are sometimes called,*) like their Bakhtiyar neighbours, are greatly addicted to plunder, but in a less open manner than the latter; nor do they go out in such strong bodies. They likewise differ in the mode of attack, as they generally perform their assaults on foot; whilst the Bakhtiyari proceed on their forays on horseback. In consequence of this it is reckoned very unsafe to travel in Luristn, perhaps more so than in any other part of Persia. Such, I repeat, is the received opinion. However, as * The inhabitants of Kermanshah give them this latter appellation, in the same way as they call the natives of Persian Kurdistdn or Ardeldn, Kurdistani, reserving the word Kurd to the tribes of that race who inhabit their provinee. 294 TRAVELS IN far as I am concerned, I must do the TLuris- tani the justice to say, that I have no reason to complain of them, for although I never had more than three or four men with me, I never was molested by any of their tribes; on the contrary, wherever I went I met with hos- pitality. It is true that I passed through the country at a propitious moment, when the Governor-in-Chief was expected; and the in- habitants might therefore have felt reluctant to commit themselves by outrageously assaulting an FEuropean traveller, although this would be allowing too great foresight and caution for such wild unruly tribes, who usually act on the impulse of the moment. On my route to Kermanshah in 1837, tra- velling with few attendants, I was warned not to remain out late, as the Luristani, on their return to their mountains from Hamadan and Nehavend, where they carry charcoal, waylay travellers, and, in an unguarded moment, assault them with their massive clubs. After passing Asadabad in the dusk of the LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 295 evening, we overtook a party of that description, who requested us to slacken our pace, and allow them to join us, as the country (they observed) was unsafe; but my guide, as we passed them at a brisk trot, counselled me not to heed their prayer, as they were just the sort of persons against whom we had to be most on our guard. They oftener, however, lie in ambush near the road in some narrow defile, and, before you are aware of their presence, or prepared to resist, make a spring upon you like beasts of prey. Religion and Customs.—1 was too short a time among the Lurs to gather any accurate information concerning their religious tenets; but in general they appeared to be in a great measure ignorant of, and sufficiently indifferent to, the doctrines established by the Arabian Prophet, whose religion they outwardly profess, being the sectarians of ’Ali. In respect to their customs and habits, the Turs resemble the generality of the Iliyat tribes of Persia, who lead a pastoral life, attending to their flocks, and 296 TRAVELS IN changing their places of encampment according to the seasons. As the Lurs seldom see KFuropeans among them, I found them very inquisitive, even to rudeness, and much less shy than the in- habitants of villages, but always ready to oblige and accommodate the traveller, whom chance might lead into their encampment. Indeed, notwithstanding the bad character they bear as being notorious thieves and highwaymen, I shall always remember with a feeling of gratitude the hospitality with which they used to welcome me to their hearth; a feature too much effaced in Furope by the boasted polish of civilization. Often on approaching an Iliyat encampment you are met by the women of the tribe, who burn aromatic herbs in honour of the stranger guest, and as a token that you are welcome to their hearth. Mzr. Rich observed a similar practice among the Chaldeans in Kurdistin.* * « At the village of Teliskof,” says the author, ¢ inha- bited by Caldeans in Kurdistdn, we were met at a mile from LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 297 This custom must be very ancient, for we find Ferdausi alluding to it in his description of the early heroic ages of Iran. We read the passage in question in the nar- rative of the journey of the three sons of Feridan, XKing of Iran, when they went to choose wives for themselves among their Arab neighbours. “ Lorsque,” says M. Mohl, the French trans- lator of the Shah-Nameh, or Book of Kings, “les trois princes entrerent dans le Yemen, tous les habitans, hommes et femmes sortirent, tous verserent sur eux de I’'ambre et du safran, tous melérent le vin et le muse,” &ec. (Fer- daussi-Shah-Nameh-Feridoun, 185.) o e A it i the village by the Kiahya, and an old woman wanted to burn incense before me, but my horse would admit of no such familiarity.” (Narrative of a Residence in Kurdistan, &e. vol. ii., chap. vi., p. 101.) CHAPTER XXX. Arrival at BirGjird.—Theological controversy.—Ramazin fast.—Description of the province of Birijird. —Revenue. —Manufactures of the town.—Distriet of Tastrkan.— Khozrov-Mirza, the blinded Prince.— Various routes to Teheréin.—Departure from Brgjird.—Hissar.— Descrip- tion of Kézos.—Shehr-né, or Sultanabid.—Feraghéin.— Birth-place of the late Kaimacan.— Some account of the life of this Minister.—Mountainous country of Mahalat- Aga-Khan, Chief of the Izmaeli sect.—The Helej of Km.—Opinions of the Persians concerning this people.— —~Saliyan.—K@m.— Arrival at Teherin.—Summary of the distances between the principal places visited by the author.—Conclusion. I AnicaTED at the house of the ruler of Bartjird, placed over the town and province by Behmén-Mirza, second brother of the Shah, and who usually resides at Hamadan. The room was soon crowded by the inqui- sitive, as was usually the case wherever I arrived, and I had to attend for some time to the theological disputations of the learned com- ol TRAVELS IN LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 299 pany, who were of different opinions, as to whether Moses had preceded or followed the Patriarch Abraham, and whether David was not prior to both of them. They at length appealed to me, to tell them how it stood in the Enjil, or Gospel. I answered, that although the three named personages are often men- tioned by the Evangelists, still that the account of their lives was to be sought, not in the New, but in the Old Testament, and took some pains to set them right in respect of the times when Abraham, Moses, and David, appeared on the stage of Biblical history ; but with the exception of one individual, who, from the beginning of the contest, differed from the others, and who now acquiesced in the justness of my statements, the rest remained unconvinced, and so we parted for the night.‘ The modern Persians are as fond as were the Greeks ‘of the Lower Empire of spending their time in theological controversy, and it is astonishing what a number of absurd fables have been mixed up with the simple truths 300 TRAVELS IN of the Holy Bible, and, from being sanctioned by the Kiaran, are universally accredited in the East. February 23.—Although the morning was far advanced when I got up, I found no one some time moving in the house. I waited longer in expectation of breakfast, but in vain ; and at last learned from my attendants, that it being the first day of Ramazin, all were still asleep, and that there was no fire in the kitchen. The Ramazén, or Mussulman Lent, lasts a whole month ; and as the Persians are for- bidden to eat until the appearance of the first star after sunset, they contrive to shorten the day by prolonging their sleep in the morning. Very little public business is performed during the time the Ramazan lasts; and the Persians, who are in general inclined to saunter away their time in idleness, are glad to have this excuse for doing nothing. Towards the close of the day they often become even disagreeable. For such as are accustomed to the chtbtik and LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 301 the kaliyan (the ordinary and the water-pipe), the privation is doubly felt, as smoking is like- wise forbidden; and I have often heard the Persians acknowledge that they can support with greater ease the want of food and drink than the deprivation of the luxury of smoking in the course of the day—a proof that habit, when long indulged in, becomes for a time more imperious than the cravings of nature. Some of the most notorious smokers, and, such as are reckoned freethinkers among them, contend that the pipe was never forbidden by their Prophet, for the best of all possible reasons, because the use of tobacco was not yet known at the time; but for fear of scandalizing the more rigid observers of the law, and of letting loose against them the Mullahs, they cunningly resort to the house of some European friend, where they taste of the forbidden fruit, ren- dered so much the sweeter from the circumstance of its being enjoyed by stealth. It is amusing to see the Persians at the close of the evening with their kaliyans in hand, 302 TRAVELS IN waiting, with the tube directed towards the mouth, in panting expectation for the signal- gun, which allows them to break their fast, and then inhaling with glee the fumes of the narcotic plant. The women are in this respect not more backward than the men. The night is often spent in carousing until the first dawn, when another signal-gun informs the followers of the Arab Prophet that the fast is to re-commence, at the sound of which, after some prayers, they repair to sleep. Bardgjird, lying out of the line of the high road between the capital and the principal cities of the kingdom, is seldom visited by Furopean travellers; it may, therefore not be superfluous if I give a brief account of it. "Together with the provinces of Meloir and Hamadan (Kalemrd), it falls under the juris- diction of Behmen-Mirza,* the second brother of the reigning Shah. * Since my visit to Barjird, Behmen-Mirza has been appointed to the government of Aderbeijén, on the demise of his younger brother, Kahraman-Mirza, and the provinces LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 303 The province of BarGjird (often named Urﬁghird"") is bounded on the mnorth-west by Meloir and Nehavend, and extends along the northern skirts of the great chain in a south- east direction. The districts which belong to it have been partly noticed in our description of the Bakhtiyari tribes. They are:— Silahtr, Sarlek, Ashnahir, Barbarad and Jopélag touching, on the south-eastern ex- tremity, the mahal or district of Fereidan, which belongs to Isfahan. The secondary range, which runs parallel with the great above-mentioned have separately fallen under the adminis- tration of other Chiefs, much to the regret of the inhabitants, who were particularly well treated by that just and upright prince. * It appears, by what we read in Sanson, who was a Catholic missionary in Persia during the reign of Solyman- Shah (1683), that Bardjird, or, as the author calls it, Ouriguerd, was formerly under the jurisdiction of the Vali of Lurist4n-Kachik, who resided at Kourmabat (Khorrem- abad). (See Voyages ou Relation de I'Etat Présent du Royaume de Perse, p. 45.) 304 TRAVELS IN chain, divides these districts on the north from those of Kezos and Kemereh. They are mostly occupied by the Bakhtiyari tribes, of whom many are settled in villages. The number of villages, great and small, in the province of Bargjird, is 386, and the yearly income derived from them by the Crown, together with the town taxes, amounts to 50,304 tomans (about 25,0007) in cash, and 3,832 harvars in grain, of which one-half is barley, and the other wheat. A harvar of barley is usually estimated at one toman by the Crown; a harvar of wheat at two tomans. Reducing, therefore, the assessed quantity of grain into cash, we obtain the sum of 5,748 tomans, which, added to the 50,304 tomans, raise the annual amount of the taxation of Burajird to 56,052 tomans. The town of Buarajird is renowned for its manufacture of printed chintzes, which although inferior in quality to those of Isfahan, are nevertheless much in request all over Persia, and find their way into the Mussulman pro- LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 305 For chintzes vinces of the Russian empire. of superior quality, the manufacturers prefer the foreign white calico, imported from Kurope and by way of Constantinople, Trebizond, Tabriz ; for those of inferior quality, they use cotton stuffs from their own looms. The latter likewise consists of two sorts; the better sort of cloth, called kadek, is chiefly prepared at Isfahan, and resembles our nankeen; the in- ferior sort, named kerbas and fafti, is woven in all parts of the country. The chintzes, printed on FKuropean calicoes, are known in the market by the name of kalemkar, whilst those of their own cotton cloths are called chitt. The dyes used by the manufacturers are chiefly the production of their own country, partly imported from abroad. A red dye, for which there is a great demand, although it is not of a bright nor clear colour, is pro- duced from the root of a plant which grows wild in the fields. The natives call it remgi rinos. One méan Barajirdi (or three mani T'a- VOL. 1T X 306 TRAVELS IN brizi), equal to twenty-four pounds of this root, is worth five shillings. The blue dye mostly in use is the nil-reng, or indigo, brought from Shishter, Kerman, and India. The yellow dye is obtained from the rind of the pomegranate; the green from the same, mixed with indigo. Cochineal, called kirmiz by the natives, is imported into the country by means of the Russian trade. Bargjird has fifty establishments for printing cotton stuffs, which are all in the hands of private individuals, forming a separate corpo- ration. The yearly revenue of the crown from these manufactures is 2,000 tomans, paid by the person who farms it of Government, whereas the manufacturers satisfy him in kind, by paying one piece of cloth out of every sixty pieces. The size of the pieces depends much on the use for which they are destined. Table-cloths, or Sufreh, spread on the carpets during meals are broader and longer than such as are used for kneeling upon during the namdz, or prayers. 'The derre-perdeh, or curtains hung before doors, require a particular size and pattern. The stuffs LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 307 fdr arhalitks, or light under dress of the men and women, differ, likewise, both in the design and size of the cloth. At Buargjird, as at Isfahdn, they print cotton stuffs with a hand stamp cut out in wood. A considerable supply of the cotton used at Bargjird is grown in the ninety-four villages of the rich district of Tésdrkan, which lies between Burdjird, Nehavend, Kengover, Assa- dabad, Hamadan and Meloir. It is to this district that the two unfortunate princes, Khozrow-Mirza, and Jehangir-Mirza, (who were blinded at the commencement of the present reign for their political intrigues,) have been exiled with their families, and receive out of the revenue of Tustrkan 6,300 tomans, (3,1501.) for their yearly maintenance. However culpable they may have been, (and unfortunately positive evidence admits of no doubt as to their having been guilty of high treason,) still the mode of punishment inflicted on them is so horrible, so revolting to humanity, that we forget the crime to commiserate the fate % 2 308 TRAVELS IN of the victims. According to our Furopean notions, we believe that no punishment can equal the loss of sight; death itself seems less frightful. The natives of the Kast have very different notions on the subject. Is it that the reflection that none can with confidence reckon themselves beyond the reach of a similar danger that renders them at last callous to the thought? or is it that men in the Fast are prone to a more contemplative life than our restless activity will allow us to enjoy, and can therefore dispense more easily than we can with the blessings of sight? I know not, but so much [ may venture to say, that the Persians can speak coolly on this subject ; that they reckon the loss of their eyes a much lesser evil than that of life; and when de- prived of sight, soon become reconciled to their fate. At Shirdz I met with a Persian nobleman, who, notwithstanding that he had been blinded by the former ruler of Fars for his fidelity to the father of the reigning Shah, was named ¢ LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. . 309 Governor of a district, and administered it in person. I learned, likewise, from one of the frontier Chiefs of Asterabad, that the Turkoman whose father had murdered the father of Fet’h-Ali-Shah, although deprived of his sight by that Sove- reign, and then turned into the desert, still continued as he had done before, to lead his countrymen on plundering expeditions into Persia. These two instances are certainly not brought forward as illustrations of a contemplative life ; but they serve to show that, even thus situ- ated, men are not debarred from pursuing an active life, and are not always so helpless as might be supposed. Khozrow-Mirza himself, after remaining a Thstrkan under surveillance, few years at made all at once his appearance at the gates of Teheran, to the no small surprise of the Shah and his Ministers. He had come all that distance, conducted and accompanied by one trusty servant, to lodge a complaint before 310 TRAVELS IN Muhammed Shah against certain collectors at Thstrkan, who were in the habit of appro- priating to themselves the revenues of several villages, which had been allotted for the sup- The Shah had port of the fugitive princes. the case investigated, the Prince righted, and severe orders given that similar malversations should not happen in future. The King ex- tended so far his solicitude towards the poor blind Prince, as to grant his ready concurrence to the marriage of Khozrow-Mirza with a cousin of his, a Kajar Princess, on whom his Majesty bestowed a handsome dowry. The stoppage we met with at Bargjird, in consequence of the drowsy propensities of my host and his servants, was the cause that we could not arrive in time at the station, and were overtaken by the night. As mnone of our party seemed well acquainted with the country, we soon lost our way. After much wandering in the dark, however, we were at length fortunate enough to come to the village of Hissar, where we passed the night. R e o LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 311 Three roads lead from Buargjird to Teheran. The one through Hamadan I declined on account of the distance, and because I had already traversed it the preceding year. The next has the following stations:— Farsangs. From Buarajird to Hissar to Shehr-né to Megan to Savéh to Zarrend to Robah(t-Kerim to Teheran (E;;; Total 42 — Along this road, although the shortest of the three, no post is established; I therefore chose the third, namely, by way of the town of Kém, the most easterly road, passing by the following stages :— Farsangs. . 6 From Barajird to Hissar to Shehr-no 6 312 TRAVELS IN Farsangs. From Buarajird to Tbrahim-abad 6 5 to Roghird to Kim 8 to Teheran 20 — Total ol — The first part of the second day’s march was over a ground I had already trodden in the summer of the preceding year, when crossing the country from Isfahan to Hamadan, by way of Bartjird. I was once more in the rich district of Kezos, which forms, in all probability, part of the ancient Paretacena which belonged to Media. It is now under the jurisdiction of Shehr-né, or Sultanabdd, at which place I arrived on the second day, after leaving Birdjird in a north-eastern direction. Kezos is bounded on the west and south by the possessions of Birdjird, namely, the high hilly country of Seribénd on the west, the valleys of Silahtr, Sarovend, Barbtrad, and Jopelag, on the south, and to the south-east, Kemereh, which is, e e e - et e e ——— e o o e LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 313 likewise, at present a dependency of Buarajird. To the north and east Kezos is bounded by the district of Charré, and the immediate depend- encies of Shehr-né. The chain of Rosvend, running parallel to the Alvend, divides Kezos into two parts; this range of rugged and precipitous mountains presents in several places considerable de- pressions, allowing an easy passage through them. Kezos is divided into four bualtks: Sédeh, Karkeriz, AstGneh, and Fer, separated from each other by mountain ridges. As I have limited the maps in illustration of my journey to the southern side of the great chain, it will, perhaps, be as well to abstain from entering into more minute details, and reserve the description of this part of Persia, little known as yet, to a future period, when I hope to give an account of the provinces lying on the northern skirts of the Alvend chain, from Isfahan up to Hamadan, serving as a counterpart to the countries I have endeavoured to delineate 314 TRAVELS IN in these volumes, lying to the south of the same great chain. The town of Shehr-nd is situated in a plain, after the traveller has emerged from a valley with three villages, to which the town itself owes part of its population. and was founded It is a modern town, by the father of the Sepehdar,* who was with the late Fet’h-Ali- in great favour Shah. In order to be more secure from the incursions of the Bakhtiyari, he built this city, surrounded it with a high wall, and gave it the name of Sultanabad. It is likewise known by the name of Shehr-nd, or the new city. " A number of families, from the three neigh- bouring villages, were removed into the town; people from other quarters also sought refuge in its walls, it being a place of greater security than the open country, at that time exposed to the plundering incursions of the mountaineers; * Sepehdar was a title usually conferred on one of the grandees at the Court of the Shah, but has now lost its importance. The Indian word Sepoy, belongs to the same root. - ~ LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 31 ) and thus Shehr-né became peopled. At present it is the seat of local government, holding under its jurisdiction the districts of Kezos;, Charrd, Feraghén, Mahalat, and the country inhabited by the Heléj of Kam and Savéh.* The Sepehdar, during the reign of the old King, was at the head of 10,000 men, which he was obliged to bring into the field whenever the Shah might require their aid. This part of the country is now under the control of Khan-Baba-Khan, a kinsman of the Prime Minister, and married to a sister of the reigning Shah. On leaving Shehr-ng, T travelled over an even plain, having to my left the district of Feraghdn, celebrated in Persia for the fine large carpets that are manufactured in its numerous villages. It is likewise reckoned the nursery of the Persian Mirzas, or the civil employés in every department of the State, into whose hands Persia is at present fallen. Feraghan boasts, above all, of being the * See note at the end of the chapter. 316 TRAVELS IN bir-th-place of the late Kai-macan, a man of great intellectnal powers, who, to the of a first-rate qualities statesman, added the talents of a poet. For many successive years he distinguished himself in the service of ’Abbas Mirza, the father of the reigning Shah; and although at times he fell under the displeasure of that Prince, his abilities were such that they always paved the way for his return to favour. The means he employed to gain his end were as original as they were daring, considering the atmosphere in which he breathed. He usually spent the intervals of his disgrace in writing the most bitter satires against his former master and his administration ; which, spreading abroad, gained for the author much popularity, whilst they served to discredit the character of the Prince ; and, as the heir presumptive had many competitors to the throne of his father, the tenure by which he held power rested as much on public opinion as on the favour of Fet’h-Ali-Shah, and ’Abbas 317 I.I:RISTAN AND ARABISTAN. Mirza, therefore, usually found it expedient to stop the mouth of his ex-Minister by re- admitting him to his councils. In later years, the Kaimacan played the most prominent part at the accession of Mu- hammed Shah to the throne; but his immo- derate ambition and overbearing behaviour, in respect of the Shah and the other members of the Royal family, hastened his downfall, and terminated the eventful career of his life in a tragical manner,—by strangulation. On my right hand, to the east, was the mountainous district of Mahalat, where a rem- nant of the Ismaeli sect, the descendants of the followers of Hasan-Sabah, or Sheikh-Jabal (the old man of the mountain), are said still to exist. Tt is currently believed that their Chief, Aga-Khan, is likewise looked upon by the Ismaeli sectarians of India as their head, and considerable donations in money are made over to him yearly by them as a mark of their allegiance. This individual, on being appointed, a few 318 TRAVELS IN years ago, to the Government of Kerman, rebelled against the Shah, and, when he could no longer resist the forces sent against him, retired to the strong place of Bomm, on the confines of Beltchistan, rallying around him a strong party of his sectarian followers. Continuing my progress in a north-eastern direction, I next entered the territory of the Helej of Kitm, so called, to distinguish them from the Helej of Savéh. This tribe is of Turkish origin; at least Turkish is the lan- guage spoken by them. They have not the reputation of being very bright, and the Per- sians, who pride themselves on their ready wit, their polite and easy manners, tax the Helej with being very uncouth and heavy. The low estimate they form of their mental and social capabilities, is best exemplified by the short though significant sentence with which the name of Helej is associated. The Persians say in common parlance, Har, Hirs, Helej— meaning a donkey, a bear, and a Helej. By what I saw of this people, I found no LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 319 particular reason why this illiberal judgment should fall so heavily on the Helej; it has only left on my mind the impression, that men often indulge in wit at the expense of truth. * On approaching Kim, the country becomes once more hilly, the ground void of vegeta- tion, because deprived of water, and the moun- tains appear barren and dreary. At Salian, only about five farsangs before reaching Kiim, there is a source of brackish water, which supplies the wants of the few families who reside at that place, and serves to irrigate the melon-fields, and some gardens with pome- granate-trees, and the vine grown on beds. From Kam I travelled over the same ground * My friend, Baron Tornau, who was thrown amid the Helej of Savel, at the critical period which followed after the death of Fet’h-Ali-Shah, when all the Nomadic tribes of the interior were either in a state of fermentation or actual warfare, has collected curious and highly-interesting materials concerning that people. I am confident that his friends, as well as the enlightened public, would feel grateful to him, if he were to favour them with an insight into the customs and manners of the inhabitants of Helejistan. 320 TRAVELS IN by which I had commenced my journey, and arrived at Teheran on the 28th of February, 1841, after an absence of sixty-seven days, of which forty-six had been spent in actual tra- velling, and the remaining twenty-one days either in resting at Isfahan, Persepolis, and Shiraz, and examining the curiosities of those cities and their neighbourhood, or else visiting the country around Behbehan, Mal-Amir, and Dizfal. Having thus come to the close of the journey, we may cast a retrospective glance over the trodden ground, and sum up the distances between the different towns visited by the way,—were it merely for the benefit of the future traveller, towards whom our own pil- grimage in distant lands, and wayfaring life during many years, have taught to extend a brotherly feeling. The distance is reckoned :(— Farsangs. From Teheran to Isfahan . 58 From Isfahan to Shiraz 3 LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. 321 Farsangs. From Shirdz to Behbehan. 68 From Behbehin to Shiishter, by the circuitous way of Mal-Amir 50 From Shushter to Dizfal . 10 From DizfGl to Khorremabad 50 From Khorremabad to BarGjird 13 From Burdgjird to Shehr-né 12 From Shehr-né to Kiim 19 From Kiam to Teherin 20 Total 353 Or 1,235, in English miles. On dividing these 1,235 miles by the number of days of actual travelling, we have twenty- seven FEnglish miles, the average distance of each day’s ride. This calculatjon is not offered here with the view of making a show of hard riding; for I am perfectly aware, there is as little merit in riding quick as there is in riding slow; but this rapid progress through the country will be accepted, perhaps, as an excuse for the VOL. 1II. b ¢ 322 TRAVELS IN imperfect, and often superficial, information which is contained in these pages. NOTE TO CHAPTER XXX, Page 315.— Marco Polo mentions a singular legend attached to this place, which is thus related by the English translator of his ¢ Travels,” in note 156, page 76 :— “In the Italian Epitomes,” says Mr. Marsden, “ at this place (after chapter ix. of the English version), two chapters which have not been admitted in the other editions, mention is made in the first of a city of Persia named Saba, from whence the three magi took their departure when they proceeded to adore the infant Christ at Bethlehem, and where they were afterwards buried in magnificent tombs ; but that he, Marco, was not able to obtain in that city any satisfactory information on the subject of these three royal personages. “ In the second chapter he is made to state, that at the distance of three days’ journey from Saba there was a castle named Kalasata-Perinsta, signifying the castle of those who worship fire as their divinity,” &c. * With respect to the above-mentioned town, the learned translator and commentator of Marco Polo adds, ¢ The name of Saba, which is certainly not to be discovered amongst the towns of Persia, may be thought to have a reference to the doctrine of Sabaism, so nearly connected with those of the Gebrs.” e LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. By what precedes and follows in the narrative of the Venetian traveller, we must infer that Swbe was situated between the towns of Kazvin and Isfahdn ; and as the present town of Savék lies in a direct line between those two cities, and is still visited by the caravans that go from Tabriz to Isfahdn, without turning out of their way to Teherdn, there is little doubt of Sawék being identical with Saba. In corroboration of the fact, we find in the old French version of Marco Polo’s travels, published in the ¢ Recueil de Voyages et de Mémoires,” &ec., vol. i., chap. xxxi, p. 27, that the town in question is actually named Sava. “ En Persie,” it is said there, “est la cité qui est appelé Sava.” It appears that Savék has the honour of being connected with more than one important event in the great book of history ; for there exists another tradition concerning it among the Mussulmans of the present day, namely, that at the birth of the Arab Prophet the lake of Savéh was dried up. (See likewise Yakdti, in vol. ii. of the * Notices and Extraits des Manuscrits de la Bibliotheque du Roi,” art. 67, Saava.) The word Kalasata-Perinsta, which Mr. Marsden very justly observes, can have no other meaning than Cal'ek Atash-Peristan, or castle of the fire-worshippers, is more correctly given in the French version of Marco Polo, above alludgd to, in which we find Cala Ata-Peristan (atr, ader, or azr, signifiying fire, in the ancient Parsee language). X2 OBSERVATIONS ON THE MARCH OF TIMUR, FROM TOSTER (SHUSHTER) TO KALEH SEFID; AND ON THE PROBABLE COURSE PURSUED BY ALEXANDER THE GREAT, ON HIS EXPEDITION FROM SUSA TO PERSEPOLIS. BY THE BARON CLEMENT AUGUSTUS DE BODE. OBSERVATIONS, ETC A ¥ UntiL very recently great uncertainty prevailed as to the geographical features of Khazistan, or Arabistan (the ancient Susiana), and more especially respecting the system of the rivers which flow through that country, together with those "‘more to the east, which fall into the Persian Gulf. This circumstance has, conse- quently, thrown more or less obscurity over the different accounts handed down to us by ancient writers concerning the expeditions of Alexander the Great, and other conquerors in the Kast. The graphic description of Major Rawlinson’s journey from Zohab to the fastnesses of Mun- gasht in the Bakhtiyari mountains, together 328 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF with the lucid map in illustration of his narra- tive, published in the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London,* have, in a great measure, dispelled the gloom which hung over those regions of Persia, and furnished the means of comprehending more distinctly the accounts of the ancient writers who treat on these matters. Having lately gone over the same ground, I felt half inclined, also, to venture upon giving a few observations on the comparative geography of the rivers in the neighbourhood of the ruins of Shash, as, likewise, on the probable site of the ancient city of Susa; but as so many learned dissertations, have, from time to" time, appeared on the subject, and as it was also taken up only a short time ago by Professor Long, and ably handled by him in an article on Khizistan, published in the ““Journal of the * See Art., “Notes on a March from Zohdb to Khuzis- tan,” in No. ix. of the “Royal Geographical Society’s Journal ” of 1839, part i., page 26. TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 329 Royal Geographical Society,”* 1 thought it would be an act of supererogation in me to dwell any longer on this topic, and the more so, as I perfectly concur in the view that learned gentleman has taken as regards the locality of Susa, the names of the different rivers, and, in particular, as to the identity of the Euleus with the present Shapitr, or Shéver river. This last river has been, it is well known, the main stumbling-block to all the commentators who have tried to reconcile the apparent, and, at times, real contradictions we meet with in ancient writers, on the campaigns of Alexander and his officers, respect- ing the geography of this country. But if this portion of Susiana, up to Shushter, has become less obscure, I fear the regions east of the Kiren river are still immersed in darkness ; and as I have been fortunate enough to succeed in my endeavours to skirt the southern face of the Zagros mountains, beginning from Kizerin, through Naubenjin (now in ruins), Faliyan, Behbehan, Shushter, Dizfdl, and * See vol. iii., p. 257. 330 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF Khorremabad, and then crossing over that lofty chain to Burdjird, I may, perhaps, be permitted to make a few observations concerning the course of several rivers which take their rise in the snowy range of these mountains; con- necting them, as far as my limited abilities will allow, with the march of Amir Timur from Shashter to Kal'eh Sefid. A closer acquaintance with the country will also enable us to trace, with some degree of probability, the route followed by Alexander on his march from Susa to Persepolis. Few of the ancient geographers whose works have been handed down to us, have written satisfactorily on this part of Asia. Nearchus, the commander of Alexander’s fleet, has given little more than a bare catalogue of the rivers which flow into the Persian Gulf, as cited in Arrian’s Periplus. Pt(;lemy and Pliny are more or less obscure on this subject, and it may be questioned whether there exist any records of Hephestion’s march from Caramania to Susa, on Alexander’s return from India. The Oriental writers throw occasionally some 331 TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. glimpses of light on that benighted country, but unfortunately they only serve, in the words of Milton, « To make darkness visible,” since the gleam of light they cast is more apt to lead astray, than to guide one in the right path. Owing to this scanty stock of information, our modern maps are as yet very defective and incorrect; few travellers having penetrated sufficiently far into the interior on account of the insecure state of the country. The only itinerary we possess of an Furopean traveller from Shuashter to Shiraz, through Behbehan, is that of Major-General M<¢Donald Kinneir, and contrary to his usual exactness, this route is very superficial, and far from being correct.* Sherefi-d-din ’Ali, of Yezd, the historian of Amir Timdr, is the only one to my know- ledge who speaks with any precision of the different streams that were crossed by the * « Memoir of a Map of Persia,” by M‘Donnald Kin- neir, p. 456. 332 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF army of the Tatar Chief on his way from Shishter to Kal’eh-Sefid. It will be, therefore, my province to determine in the present in- quiry, as far as lies in my power, the relative position of the rivers mentioned by Sheréfu- d-din, and to show that they are those laid down in the accompanying map of my route; and also to identify some of them with the rivers mentioned by other authors. However, before we follow up Timur’s route step by step, it will be proper to cite the passage of Sheréfu-d-din, referred to.* “ The 25th of Rabi’ul-Akhir, AH. 795, Timar left Shishter (March, A.p. 1393,) (Téster), and marched in haste towards Shiréz, &e “ On the 27th he crossed the river Dud- dngeh, and in two days more encamped on the banks of the river Shart-Khan-Kendeh. ¢ The 1st of Jumadi-l-avvel he halted at Ram-Hormz, &c. * SQee ¢ Histoire de Timiar-Bee,” par Cheref-eddin Ali d’Yezd, traduite par M. Petis de la Croix, vol. ii., p. 183. 333 TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. “ TimGr, after granting an audience to the Atabeg Piri-Mohammed, of Luri Buzurg, mounted his horse about noon, and crossing the river of Ram-Hormtz, encamped on the opposite bank. “The 2d of the same month his camp was pitched near the river Fei.* “ The 3d, after a night’s march from Jdizan,} he pitched his tents on the plain of Zahrah.} “The 4th, Timur passed Kurdistan, crossed the river Abergun (Abi Arghun), and stopped at Behbehan. “The 5th, he crossed the river Abi-Shirin, and encamped on the plain of Lachter.§ “ The 6th, he passed Kejje (Kaj) Havas, and rested near the source of the river Khan- Bédak. * Mei, according to the MSS., No. 851, in the possession of the Fast India IHouse, consulted by the Rev. Mr. Renouard. t Tayizam, in MSS., No. 851, same authority. t Zumrah, in MSS., No. 851, same authority. § Tuster, idem, e AP L T N S L 334 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF “ The 7th, he encamped at the village Julalah. ¢ The 8th, he passed through Basht,* crossed the river of Ab-chaub (Abi sha’b), and encamped at Ml- Emir-Khal.+ “ The 9th, he crossed the river Cavedan (Khaviran, or Khavéin, in the above-mentioned MSS.), where he made enquiries concerning Kal’eh Sefid, and then marched to Naubenjan, where he fixed his quarters. “ The 10th, he mustered his troops for battle, and, having marched from Naubenjin, encamped at the foot of Kal'eh Sefid, one of the strongest fortresses in Asia.” By this account it will be seen that Timir required nine days to reach Behbehan from Shishter, a distance of about thirty-six far- ¥ Pasht, in the above-named MSS. t Mél Amir Shél, idem. This latter version is far more probable, as Timir had entered already on the territory of Shalistan, or the country of the Shals. Mal-Amir Shal, or Shél, would mean the estate or property of the Amir of the Shol tribe. TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 335 sangs ;* and, therefore, each day’s march, taken one with another, will be four farsangs, all that an Fastern army, on a long march, can be expected to perform. From the brief statement Sheréfu-d-din makes of Timtr's march during the first five days, and the no less short itinérary of Sir John M‘Donald Kinneir's “ Journey from Shushter to Ram-Hormz,” it is difficult to arrive at any certainty whether they did or did not follow the same route. But as the English traveller speaks of the country as being barren, and, for the greatest part of the way, destitute of water, I am inclined to suspect that Timur pre- ferred the upper road, as being cooler and better provided with water and grass for the cattle. If that be the case, he must have crossed the Shdrish-ab, which may be the Diiddnghel mentioned in his journal on the second day’s march, which, had it not been for this circumstance, I should have identified * 86 farsangs = 32 miles x 36 = 135 miles. (See Sir William Ouseley’s « Travels in Persia,” vol. i., p. 11.) 336 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF with the artificial branch of the Kuren river, or the Abi-Gargar, or the eastern side of Shushter, on account of the name of Didan- gheh* The next river, Shartikhan-Kende, which he crossed two days later, may correspond with the Abi-Zerd, if it join the Jerahi somewhat lower down than is noted in the map of Major Rawlinson’s route through Susiana. Or the Shivriikhan- Kende may represent the river I met * Perhaps it will not be reckoned superfluous if I mention that a custom exists in Persia of dividing not only fields and villages, but, in some localities, whole districts, into six parts, which are further subdivided into two unequal parts, the one containing four parts, chehar-dangheh, and the other two parts, du-dangheh. 'The same rule is observed, also, with water for irrigating the fields, it being intimately connected with the division of landed property. As the main branch of the Kuren, flowing on the west side of Shashter, contains a greater volume of water than the artificial stream on the east side of that city, hence it had the appellation of chehar-dangheh ; from which it might be inferred that the latter, or the Abi-Gargar, ought to represent the du-dangheh. t Sir John M‘Donald is mistaken in placing this river to the east of Rém-Hormiz. See his map of Persia. TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 337 with in the plain of Khari-Shttur-Zcr, running in a direction from north to south, although it appeared an insignificant stream, covered with rushes; but as I did not go by the lower road I can only speak by conjecture. One thing, however, is positive, that there are mountain- streams to the west of Ram-Hormuz. The first of Jumadi-l-Avvel, Timar left the town of Ram-Hormiuz, or Rimiz, as it is now styled, and encamped on the opposite shore of the river Ram-Hormuz. That the Abi-Tezeng, or Alai, is the repre- sentative of this river, I have the authority of the present Chief of Ramiz, Abdullah-Khan, in whose company I travelled part of the way from the Bakhtiyari camp at Mal-Amir to the ruins of Haleghun, where we parted, my course leading to the west and his to the south-east to Kal’eh-Tul, from thence to Manjanik, and down the valley of the Tezeng, which was to bring him to Ramiz. The names of these places are laid down in my itinerary map of Luristan- Buzirg. Mr. Layard, if I am not mistaken, VOL. II. Z 338 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF pursued the same course over Réam-Hormuiz and up the valley of the Tezeng on his return to Kal’eh-Tul from the island of Kherk, in the Persian Gulf. The second day brought Timur to the banks of the river Fei, or Mei, which is the Alar, or Abi-Talkh (so called on account of the brackish taste of its water), it being the next river to the east of Abi-Tezeng, or the Alai river. The Alar is a considerable stream, enclosed between high banks, and flowing through the plain of Petek. Both these rivers take their rise beyond the Mungasht mountains.* * I must not, however, omit to mention the following circumstance, which might induce one to identify the river Alai, or Tezeng, with the Mei of ShérefG-d-Din, and not the Aldr, or Abi-Talkh :—There is a large village on the right bank of the Tezeng or Alai, one farsang to the west of Sarila, which bears the name of Mei-Dovid, or Mei- Dovud. Now there are several places which go by the name of David (corresponding in Persian with David) ; Méi may have been prefixed-to it, in order to distinguish it from the rest; just as we are in the habit of saying This Frankfurt-on-the- Oder, and Frankfurt-on-the-Maine. is nothing more, however, than a simple conjecture, to TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 339 I have no other observation to make on the course pursued the third day, than that the Jaozan, mentioned 4n ShérefG-d-din, 18 the Jdaozin, marked in the itinerary I obtained at Behbehén (eight farsangs distant from that town), the difference being only the Shirazi In Kinneir’s pronunciation of the same word. route it is styled Jarsoon. On the 4th, Timar passed by Kurdistan, crossed the river Abergun, and encamped at Behbehan. The Abergim, or Abi-Arghun (river of Arghtn), 18 the Kurdistan river of the present day, and the 7a@b of the Arab writers. I crossed it on leaving Behbehan one farsang (three miles and three-quarters) to the north- = = RIS ARt S - i i e which T shall add another. Meh, according to Sir William Ouseley, (Vol. i, page 116, of his ¢ Travels in Various Countries of the East”) meant great or mighty, in the ancient language of the country; Méi-Davud, or Meh- David, may therefore be equivalent to the Great David ; as there happens in the same country the Great and the Little Daniel. 7.2 340 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF west, and not far from the village of Kurdistin, from whence the stream probably borrows its name, having a ford theré. The village is on the right bank of the river. I shall have to return to the latter presently ; let us first conduct the army safe over the Abi- Shirin, which Timar crossed on the 5th, and pitched his tents on the plain of ZLashter. It will be found that the Abi-Shirin corre- spdnds with the Kheirabad* stream of my Journal, although the former appellation is, I should say, more appropriate, because the waters of this river are fresh (Ab'i-Slri'rén meaning sweet or fresh water in Persian), while those I had crossed after leaving Shapur were gene- rally brackish. Abi-Shirin is a broad and noble stream. It is likewise called the Hindiyan river, from the town of Hindiyan near its mouth. But there is no conmnexion between this river and the * This name is probably derived from the large village of Kheirabad, now in ruins on the right bank of the river, close to a ford. 341 TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. Kurdistan or Tab just mentioned ; nor does it form a continuation of the Abi-Shir, which passes near the foot of Kal'eh-Sefid, as 18 incorrectly represented in most of our modern maps of Persia ; an error which, I suspect, must have arisen from Kinneir’s Itinerary. The plains of Lashter* or Lishter, retains its name to the present day, and is an exten- sive meadow, where a part of the numerous studs of the former Ferman Ferma of Farst were kept. There exists much obscurity in respect to the two last-mentioned rivers, occasioned by the superficial and inaccurate account which has been given of them by the few travellers who have penetrated so far into the country. I shall endeavour to clear up the point in as far as I am able, from what has fallen under my notice, and show that the Ta¢b and the Hin- diyan, which are often blended in one, are two * The Rev. Mr. Renouard finds in one of the MSS. Sahrai Tuster, or plain of Tuster. t The late Husein-’Ali-Mirza, son of Fet'’h-Ali Shah. 342 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF perfectly distinct rivers, the 7Twb being the Kurdistan, or Jerahi river, (the Abi-Arghén in Timur’s march,) and the Hindiyan being no other than the Kheirabad, or Abi-Shirin river. Let us first examine what the Fastern geogra- phers have written on the subject. The Arab writer* whom Sir W. Ouseley has translated, in enumerating the rivers of IFars, says :— “ The rivers of Pars which are navigable for boats are, the Nehr-Tab, Nehr-Shirin, &ce.’t We find in the same author the following :— “The river Tab issues from the mountains of Ispahan near Burj, and being joined by another stream from the same quarter at the village of Mes, or Mos, proceeds to Arjan, and passes * Khordadbah, and not Tbn-Haukal, as was at first sup- posed. (T owe this note to the obliging suggestion of the Rev. Mr. Renouard.) t See page 84, in Sir W. Ouseley’s Translation of Khérdadbah, entitled Ibn-Haukal's Geography. 343 TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. under the bridge called Dekan, and affords water to Pars, and Khuzistan, and Rustai-Zém, and falls into the sea.”* In a previous part of the same work, we read :(— “ The eastern boundaries of Khuzistan are Between the the borders of Pars and Spahén. borders of Pars and Spahan there is a certain river called Nelr-Tab in the vicinity of Mdhi- Riyan, from that the boundary is between Daurek and Mahi-Riayan towards the sea- side.”+ We find in M. Jaubert’s French translation of « Idrisi’'s Geography :”— “ La riviere de 7@b qui sert de limite entre le Kouzistan et le Fars baigne la partie méridio- nale de cette derniére province dont toutes les eaux se jettent dans la mer aupreés du port de Mahrotian non loin du port de Mehdi.”} In M. Hammer-Purgstall’s Persia, translated t See page 72. * See page 96. 1 See “Recueil de Voyages et de Memoires par la Société de Géographie,” tom. v., page 380. 344 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF by the Baron de Nerciat, we read the following passage :— “ Suivant le texte du Djéhén-numé, le 7Tub s'élance des montagnes du Lotiristan,* se grossit des eaux du Mos, ou Mes, sépare le Khotzistén du Fars et se jette dans la mer auprés du village de Choutour. Le manuscrit du géo- graphe Persant (sous le No. 433), dit que les montagnes ou ce fleuve prend sa source, sont celles de Chémiran et de Takht.”§ The learned Uylenbrock in his Inace Persice * Pres de Merj est ajouté par le Djéhdn-numa. (Note of the Rev. Mr. Renouard.) t De la Bibliotheque Impériale et Royale de Vienne, dans le quel se trouve & ce que suppose M. de Hammer un extrait du Noz-hatu-l-kooloub de Hamdu-Uah Mestofifi, qu’il appelle le geographe Persan. (Note of the Rev. Mr, Renouard.) 1 Chémiran, or Semirin, is a rich and populous district, under the jurisdiction of Isfahdn, the revenues of which were for some time fixed on the late Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Shah, Mirza-Massud. § « Recueil de Voyages et de Mémoires,” &e., tom. ii., page 324. TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 345 Descriptio, page 79, quotes the following passage from Abu-l- Fedd :— “ Fluvius Thab, &e. . teste Ibn-Haukalo, oritur juxta Al-Mardj ex montibus Tspahanis, &e His fluvius Thab postquam alium Masn dictum in se recepit, ulterius procedens juxta portam Ardjanis preetertubitur. Prope Schiniz denique in mare exonerat.” Further on (page 96) the same commentator gives us the passage of Ibn-Haukal himself, extracted from his travels, and which we take the liberty of transcribing before we notice Uylenbrock’s comment upon it :— “ Ad fluvios Persidis,” says Ibn Haukal, ‘““ quod attinet habet bonas aquas Orientes in confiniis Ispahan® ejusque montibus et appa- rentes in regione Al Sardan postquam transie- runt tractum Al Bordj sese exonerant in fluvium Masen qui itidem extractu Ispahane versus illum Sardani procedit. Cunjunguntur prope vicum Masen dictum ; neque desinit aqua fluere uberius quam incolarum necessitates postulant, usque ad portam ad Radjan sub pounte Tsakan ; 346 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF qui pons inter Persidem et Khouzistan exstans paucos sibi pares habet, ita ut, me quidem judice, opere preestantior sit ponte Cordube et ex laudatissimis Persie rebus. Rigat pagum et urbem, deinde incedit in mare prope confina Schiniz.” M adds, Uylenbrock that although the Arabian traveller does not mention the name of this great river, still it can be no other than the T hab, the description of which AbG-l-Feda states, that he drew from Ibn Hankal. In respect to Abi-Shirin, we find, that according to the Jeham-Numd, this river is only nine farsangs (thirty-three miles and three- quarters) in length, and takes its rise in the mountains of Dinér. It is a considerable river, and is crossed with difficulty on horse- back.* In AbG-l-Feda we read:— “ Fluvius Sechirin oritur e monte Dainowar, * See “ Recueil de Voyages et Mémoires,” &e., tom. ii., page 271. TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 347 qui est in tractu Bazarnog et pervagatus Per- siam incedit in mare apud Gonnabam,” &e.* The Journal of Sherafu-d-din fixes the posi- tion of the Abi-Shirin, which we have seen is the Kheirabad river, in my route. It remains, therefore, to ascertain whether it be likewise identical with the Hindiyan. To prove this, we must have recourse to Kinneir, who crossed the Hindiyan river near its mouth, close to the Persian Gulf; though, at the same time, it is essential to observe, that he mistakes it for the Tub The passage runs thus:— “ Of the rivers of the province (Fars), the Tab (ancient Arosis) is the most considerable. It is formed by the junction of two streams within a few miles of the town of Zeitoon. Both these streams take their rise in the recesses of the mountains of Fars, the first at the foot of the high hill of Kamaran, and the other near that of Ardicoone, twelve far- * See Busching’s “ Magazin fiir Historie et Geographie,” tom. iv., page 170. 348 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF - sangs north-west of Shirauz. (This branch of the Tab is evidently the river mentioned by Arrian, in the ¢ March of Alexander.’ It is necessary to cross it twice between the Kela- Sefeed and Shirauz.) It divides Fars from Khuzistan, and passes through the centre of the town of Endian, where, when T crossed it in the month of February, it was eighty yards wide and navigable for boats of twenty tons burthen. Nine miles above the town is a ford, and, sixteen below it, the Zub falls into the sea. When the river passes Zeitoon, the waters are perfectly sweet, but in its course over the hills, towards Fndian they become corrupted, and at that place are so brackish as hardly to be fit for use.”* In another portion of the same work, the author mentions, that this river lies to the east of the plain of Behbehan.t Without stopping to refute here, what in our * See Major-General M‘Donald Kinneir’s « Geographical Memoir of the Persian Empire,” page 57 t Idem., page 72. TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 349 humble opinion appears to be an error of the author, who holds this river to be the 7Tub, or his evident mistake in connecting the southern branch of it with the river of Kal’eh- Sefid, or the Abi-Shitr, it is sufficient for our present purpose to point out that his descrip- tion of the northern branch, laid down in his map of Persia, corresponds with the position of the ADbi-Shirin in Sheref-d-din and the Kheirabad of our Journal. At Behbehan 1 was told that the town of Zeitin is not more than five farsangs distant from it, and that it is situated on the river Kheirabad, as well as Hindiyan, from which latter town the river probably derives its appellation of Hindiyan in its lower course, the rivers in the East often changing their names according to the places through which they flow. The bare circumstance of 1ts waters becoming brackish, as Kinneir observes, from Zeitun down to the sea, must have induced the natives to designate the Abi- Shirin (which means fresh or sweet water) 350 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF by some more appropriate appellation in its lower course. We have now to examine what river will best correspond with the course which the Arab and Persian writers ascribe to the Tab. Sir John M*‘Donald Kinneir, in enumerating the rivers of Iars, says :— “The river Jeraki (the ancient Pasitigris?) which, next to the 7ab, is the largest in Fars, (the author had mentioned before that the Tab formed the boundary between Fars and Khuzistan,) descends from the mountains immediately behind Behbehén, and passes within a few miles of that city, runs through m the vale of Ram-Hormuz to Old Dorak, Here the the country of the Cha’b Sheikh. Arabs have erected a dam, the water of the river is dispersed in various directions, for the purpose of agriculture, having two principal branches, which flow, the one on the outside and the other through the centre of the town of Dorak. Most of the lesser branches ter- TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 351 minate, and in fact occasion, the marshes in the vicinity of this town ; and of the two one enters the Karoon principal branches, above Sabla, and the other flows into the sea at Goban. The Jerahi, in' its passage through the valley of Ram-Hormuz is very considerably increased by another river, which flows with great rapidity from the mountains about six miles east of the town of Ram- Hormuz.* This is the river alluded to in the march of Timur, and although its course is short, it contains a great body of water, and is not to be forded after the melting of the snows.” | In a subsequent passage, the same author mentions that the town of Behbehan lies three miles east of the ruins of the ancient city of Aragian, which may be seen on the banks of the Jerahi.} * The Tezeng or Alai river of my Journal. 1 See Kinneir’s « Geographical Memoir of the Persian Empire,” pages 58, 59. 1 Idem, page 72. 352 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF If we now turn to the Arab geographer, translated by Sir William Ouseley,* and to Abu-l-Feda,t in the passages above quoted, we find that it is the 7ab which passes by Arjan, and we glean moreover from the former that the Tab is in the vicinity of Mdahi-Riyan, and that from thence the boundary is be- tween Daurek and Mahi-Riyan towards the sea.} Now, the French traveller, Tavernier, in the table he gives of the longitudes and latitudes of the principal cities of Persia, alludes like- wise to Mehrouyon, which, he adds, is com- monly known by the name of Behbehdn (* Meh- rouyon appelé vulgairement Behbehan”).§ There can be no doubt as to Dauwrak being identical with Dorak, which is in the country of the Cha’b Arabs. * See above, page 342 t See above, page 345 1 See above, page 343 § Tavernier’s “ Voyage en Perse,” &e., liv iii., p. 403. TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT, 353 Mr. Stocqueler, who crossed the mountains from Behbehan to Isfahdn, gives to the river now under consideration, the name of Jerahi in its upper course,* while Major Rawlinson does the same in respect to its lower course, adding, that the Jerahi is formed from the junction of the Abi-Zerd with the Kurdistan river, in the plain of Ram-Hormuz.t M Ainsworth, who accompanied Colonel Chesney on his FEuphrates expedition, and visited the mouth of the Jerahi, gives a very detailed account of its lower course, which corroborates, in a great measure, what Kinneir had already written on the subject; but as the exploration of that part of the country by Mr. Ainsworth is quite recent and very valu- able, I shall quote here the passage of his work which relates to the Jerahi, notwith- standing its length :— * See Mr. Stocqueler’s ¢ Fifteen Months” Pilgrimage through Khizistdn and Persia,” &c., vol. i,, p. 102. t “ Journal of the Royal Geographical Society,” vol. ix., p. 79. VOL. II. 354 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF “ The Jerahi,” says the author, * originates from several rivers which flow from the Bakh- tiyari mountains. The united streams flow past Ghuraibah, in the longitude of Hawaz, into the territory of the sheikh of Ka’b. Here the waters begin to be drained by numerous canals which take their departure from the right bank; while the main river flows on- wards to Asdyi, within about eight miles of Dorak, or Ielakiyah, and where the waters from the east sweep round to the south-east. From this convexity six various canals take their departure; the most southerly loses itself in rice-grounds and marshes. The next unites with two other canals, after their waters have been diminished by irrigation, to form the canal of Dorak. The others lose themselves in the marshes of the same place, called IHjr Dordak. The sixth and most northerly divides into two branches, forming seven canals in all. On these various canals are many villages, surrounded by date-trees; the inhabitants cul- tivating rice and grain, and pasturing cattle. TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 355 The Jerahi in its continuation, loses itself in marshes ; from which part of the waters are said to re-unite, to form the Lusbah river, which empties itself into the Gulf. “The Dorak canal, flowing past Felahiyah, sends off a canal of irrigation at about a mile from the town, while the main channel, after losing itself partly in marshes, continues its course, as previously mentioned, into the Karin el "Amah, by which it empties itself into the Kartn.”* Mr Otter, a French traveller of the last century, when at Basra, also makes mention of this river, which he calls the Afitab (sun in Persian), as coming from Kiouh-Guilan (the country of the Khogila). t To this host of authorities, which tend to establish that the Jerahi, the Kurdistcin, and the Tdb, are one and the same river, I shall * See Mr. Ainsworth’s « Researches in Assyria, Baby- lonia, and Chaldaa,” 1838, p. 200. t See Otter’s “ Voyage en Turquie et en Perse,” &c., tom. ii., ¢. iv., p. 46, Paris edition of 1748. AAX 3 ON THE EXPEDITIONS o 3 56 take the liberty to add a few facts which have fallen under my own notice, and the information which I gathered on the spot respecting this river. When T visited the ruins of Arrejan, scattered on the banks of the Kurdistan, I was told that this river takes its rise at Serhad-Chendar, some distance to the north or north-east of Behbehan, in the mountains which separate this district from the province of Isfahan. In its upper course it passes by Deh-Dasht, the summer residence of the Governor of Behbehan, eight farsangs from that city. Near Behbehan it is now known as the Kurdistin river, probably from the village of Kurdistan, at which place there 1is a ford. It then flows into the plain of Ram-Hormz, to the south of the town of that name, and, lastly, joins the Kurén river above the town of Muhammereh, in the country of the Cha'b-Arabs. Its name of Abi-Arghiin (waters or river of Arghun), in Shéreft-d-din’s Journal, may well be accounted for from the circamstance that it flowed by the walls of the TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 357 city of Arrejan (or Arghtn); and it is not unlikely that it continued to be known under the same name long after the city of Arrejan had been destroyed. The fact of Sir John M¢Donald Kinneir’s omitting to mention that he had crossed the Jerali . before he arrived at Behbehan led Pro- fessor Long to conclude that he did not cross it ; and as Timur had previously pursued the same route, that he likewise had no necessity of crossing the Jerahi* But from what has been stated above, and by reference to the map annexed to vol. 1., it is clear that both Timur and Kinneir could not have avoided the Jeraki (in other words, the Kurdistan, or Abi-Arghtn river) on their march from Shuashter to Persis Proper. Before we quit this subject it will be in- teresting to ascertain whether Alexander or any of his generals crossed the same river on their way to Persia, and to determine, if possible, * See “Journal of the Royal Geographical Society,” vol. iii., p. 262. (3] Q 58 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF under what name it was known to the ancients; as it is not natural that the historians of that monarch, as well as the geographers who have treated of his expedition, should have left unnoticed, or passed over in silence, so consider- able a stream. We have endeavoured to establish elsewhere* that the plain of Mal-Amir is the site of the ancient city of the Uxians; and as it was there that Alexander, according to his his- torians, divided his forces, we must likewise take our departure from thence, and follow him along the mountains, while Parmenio with the main army, is marching over the level country. We must be allowed here to quote our authorities. The passage in Quintus Curtius is the following : — “ Dividing his army, he (Alexander) com- manded Parmenio to march through the level country, while he, with the light armed forces, traversed the mountains, which extend in a * See vol. ii., chap. xviii. TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 359 continuous chain to Persis. Having ravaged all this tract, he, on the third day, reached Persis, and on the fifth entered the straits, called Pyle Suside.” * In Chaussard’s French translation of Arrian the passage runs thus :— “ Alexandre renvoya ensuite en Perse par la grande route les bagages, la cavalerie Thessa- lienne, celle des alliés et des étrangers et les troupes pésamment armées sous la conduite de Parmenion. “ Prenant avec lui l'infanterie Macédonienne, la cavalerie des hétaires, celle des éclaireurs, les agrianiens et les archers, il s'avance rapide- ment par les montagnes.” The line of communication, or high road for waggons, between Shishter and Shiraz, is the more southern of the two, and leads, as is now known, by Ram-ITormiz and Behbehan close to Kal'eh ISoﬁ'd. This is the road, there- fore, which Parmenio must have taken, com- mencing by Ram-ITormz, as the nearest spot * Q. Curtius, translated by Pratt, book v., chap. iii. 360 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF on the plain after leaving the town of the Uxians (at Mal-Amir), and subsequently passing through the defile at the foot of Kal'eh Sefid, which is the site of one of the Pyle Persice. Or else, to avoid the difficult passage through the straits of Kal’eh Sefid, he may have taken a more circuitous route over the DPuri-Zen, leaving Kitel-i- Dokhter to the right; a road which, in my itinerary, I have shown to be prac- ticable even for wheel carriages and artillery.* But whether Parmenio chose the one or the other route, is not at present the question: it is sufficient to know, that from Réam-IHormiz up to Kal’eh Sefid, he must have marched over the same ground as Timur and Sir John M*‘Donald Kinneir, for there is no other practicable road to the south for a great army that I am aware of. e must, therefore, have crossed, as they did, the river Jerahi. In fact, since it has been ascertained that this river takes its rise in the snowy range to the northward of Behbehén, and only joins the Kurén stream * See chap. ix., page 221. TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 361 at the Delta of the Shat-al-’Arab by an arti- ficial canal, and the Persian Gulf by its own original bed, consequently flowing in a diagonal line across the whole country from north-east to south-west, it becomes clear, that any one travelling to the south of the Zagros chain, between Shtishter and Kal’eh Sefid, must unavoidably cross it. It next behoves us to find out the route pursued by Alexander, which his historians themselves say was along the mountains, and, therefore, to the north of the road which Par- menio had taken. Had he been in less haste to arrive at Perse- polis, or of a less adventurous spirit, he might have chosen the route known at present by the name of the Jdddehi Atabeg (the road of the Luri-Baztrg Chiefs near Mal-Amir from the twelfth to the fourteenth centuries), but which we hold to be far more ancient, being the straight line of communication between Susiana and Media.* * See chap. xvii., page 40. 362 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF In a stratagetical point of view, this course would, perhaps, have been the more advisable, as the enemy opposed to him at Persepolis would in that case have been hemmed in by Alexander in front, issuing from Media,* and by Parmenio in the rear, from the side towards Persis. It remains, then, to ascertain whether there exists any other road along the mountains between the J z’uldehi-Atz’mbog and the route of Timur. The celebrated German geographer, Professor Ritter, expresses his doubts whether any passage be practicable in this direction, on account of the stupendous range of moun- * In this point of view, the conjecture of Bongarsius, that instead of “ per medium iter,” we ought to read « per Mediam iter,” is not so void of plausibility as the English translator and commentator of Quintus Curtius, Mr. Peter Pratt, seems to think ; although it be necessary to observe, that Alexander, when he consulted the guides, was no longer in the Uxian territory (Mal-Amir), but near the Susian Straits, which we reckon to be, as will be seen hereafter, near the town of Arrejin. (See the letter C., in the additional notes to Q. Curting, vol. ii,, page 518, by P. Pratt.) 363 TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. tains which runs from north-west to south-east, and divides the sources of the Zoiyende-rud* from those of the Kurén and Jerahi rivers;t but since my recent excursion from Behbehan to M al-Amir, it has become evident that there does exist such a route, and from what has fallen from the pen of Quintus Curtius, there appears great probability that it was the very * Zoyende, born, from the verb Zoiden, to be born ; for the Zoyende-rud, according to the natives, is independent of its source at Zerdeh-kuh, formed of many springs, which bubble up to the surface from the bowels of the earth. t M. C. Ritter says :—* Eine dritte communication ist uns nicht bekannt geworden, auch scheint sie nicht zu existiren, weil zwischen dieser Bergroute und derjenigen die wir frither von der Ebene Merdescht bei Persepolis iiber Moin nordwiirts als sommer-strasse nach Yezdehast kennen lernten, die gewaltigste Bergmasse des Grenzgebirgszuges im miichtigen Gebirgstock des Kuhi-Zerd sich erhebt, welche bisher ganz unbesucht Clieb, auf welcher die wilden Bach- tiari-Stiimme hausen von dessen Snechihen gegen N.O. die Quellen des Zoyenderud hinab gen Isfahan strémen, wie gegen S. die des Jerahi nach dem Perser Golf und des Kuren zum Delte des Schat-ul-Arab.” (See Ritter’s ses ae Erdkunde iii., Buch, West Asien, Band iii. ii., Abtheilung iv., Abschnitt § 19, page 133.) 364 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF same Alexander followed from the Uxian town to the frontiers of Persis. To render the subject more perspicuous, we must be allowed to refer again to the passage of Curtius before quoted, and comment on it as we go on. “ Dividing the army,” says the Roman histo- rian, “ Alexander commanded Parmenio to march through the level country, while he, with the light armed forces, traversed in a continuous chain to Persis. Having ravaged all this tract, he, on the third day, reached Persis, and on the fifth entered the straits called Pyle Suside.” The road from Mal-Amir to Behbehan leads between the second and third parallel ranges of the Zagros chain, running from north-west to south-east, or, in the words of Alexander’s historian, the mountains which extend in a con- tinuous chain to Persis.” This hilly country is intersected by numerous streams, which flow through some pleasant and fertile valleys ; such as Baghi-Maltk, Baxi, Petek, Bilferiz, and Teshiin. Inhabited villages are even now met TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT, 365 with oﬁ this tract, while considerable ruins attest that formerly these valleys were still better peopled than they are at present. That they were inhabited at the time of the Macedonian conqueror of Asia may be inferred from the above quotation, in which Curtius mentions, that Alexander ¢ ravaged all this tract.” The same author goes on to say, that Alexander reached Persis on the third day after leaving the town of the Uxians, which perfectly answers the distance from Mal-Amir to the Kurdistan (the Jerahi, or Tab) river, which we have seen forms the boundary line of Khuzistin and Pars. It is about twenty-three or twenty- four farsangs (seventy-five to seventy-eight miles,) a distance which Alexander, owing to his anxiety to reach Persepolis, may have traversed in three days with his light Mace- donian troops without great exertion, especially if he allowed his infantry in marching to make use of the cavalry horses during part of the day, making his troops walk and ride cach in their turn. 366 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF Q. Curtius lastly observes, that Alexander only entered the defile called Pyle Suside on the fifth day. From the ford near the village of Kurdistan, to the foot of the mountains from whence the river issues, there are not more than three farsangs (eleven and a-quarter miles); but it would be idle to dwell long on conjectures as to the probable reasons which may have deterred Alexander from advancing to that pass sooner. Very trivial obstacles often serve to impede the march of an army; and, in the present case, very plausible motives might be adduced. The troops required at least a day’s rest after their forced march, before they could grapple with new hardships. It is equally natural to suppose that Alex- ander wished to await here the arrival of the main army, in order to concert with Parmenio the plan of attack on Persepolis, before he ventured further into the mountains, as at this place the level road from Persia, and the mountain-road from the Uxian country, meet in the plain of Behbehin, through which the TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 367 Tab pursues its course, after leaving the pass. Alexander had likewise the guides to consult as to his further progress. We believe, then, that Alexander penetrated into Persia by the pass of the 7u«b, which in that case becomes the Pyle Suside, or Pyle Persice, a name by which this defile could be indiscriminately called, as serving to form the boundary between the two provinces of Susiana on one side, and Persis on the other. In order to prove what we advance, it is first of all requisite to ascertain whether there exists or not a practicable passage across the snowy range of mountains separating the valley of the Tab from the waters of Persepolis. While on a visit to the ruins of Persepolis, my guide, the Kedkhida, or Chief of the village of Husein-abad, in conducting me up the isolated hill of Istakhr (about two and a-half farsangs north-west of the ruins of Takhti-Jemshid), assured me, that were the scason less advanced (it was the beginning of January), and I felt inclined, he would have 368 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF taken me across the mountains to Behbehan, without my going by the circuitous road of Shiraz. He pointed in the direction W.N.W., from whence the river Araxes* or Bend Amir of our maps, but known on the spot by the name of Kium-Firdz, was directing its course from the snowy range of the Ardekan moun- tains. We have therefore an assurance, founded on native authorify, of a possibility of crossing the mountains in the intervening space between the valleys of the Td¢b and the Arazes, and that was more than sufficient for Alexander, who courted nothing so ardently as to surmount such obstacles as to others would have ap- peared impossibilities; and we reap from his commentators an account of the innumerable difficulties he had to contend with, and the hardships he had to undergo, before he could reach the plain of Persepolis. We must bear in mind, that the latter part * The river crossed by Alexander on approaching Per- sepolis. TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE G KEA"F. 369 of Alexander’s route to Persepolis is geogra- phically established, namely, that the Arawes, which he crossed after descending the snowy chain, and before he reached the Persian city, is the Kir, or, more correctly, the Kim-Firiz of the present day. This undisturbed point will facilitate us in tracing the previous march of the Macedonian conqueror, and lead us to determine the ancient name of the Tab. . Since the country of Khizistan is become more known, the relative position of the different rivers enumerated by Strabo, which flow with their tributaries into the Persian Gulf, seem to have been more satisfactorily determined, with the exception of one river, namely, the Agradates. The passage of Strabo here referred to, Tuns m the Trench version of his thus, work by MM. de la Porte du Theil and Coray :— ¢« Il (Alexandre) passa un plus grand nombre de fleuves qui traversent le pays, et qui se VOL. II. B B 370 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF déchargent dans le Golfe Persique* car aprés le Choaspe vient le Coprates, ainsi que le Pasitigre qui a sa source dans le pays des Uxii. On y trouve encore le flewve Agradates,t nommé depuis Cyrus} par le Roi (de ce nom); Strictly speaking it would be more correct to say, “Et qui se dirigent vers le Golfe Persique,” as they do not all reach the sea; although in ancient times that may have been the case, in respect to the greater number of these rivers ; as Pliny observes that the lower part of Elymais was under water, and the country so low, that in order to gain the shores of Persis the mariner was obliged to stand off to sea, and that nowhere do the rivers bring down so much sand and slime as those which flow through the above-named country. (See Pliny, lib. vi, c. 27.) We learn the same from the voyage of Nearchus, sap. x1., ¢ Arriani Historia Indica.” t In respect to the river Agradates, M. Gossellin, in a note to the French translation of Strabo, above quoted, makes the following observation :— “ Jignore le nom moderne de ce fleuve, nous manquons de bonnes cartes pour suivre dans cette partie de la Perse la marche &’ Alexandre.” (Geogr. de Strabon., lib. xv., p. 120.) t Cyrus, which I believe was the Grecian word for khor, meaning sun in the old Persian language, reminds us of Afitab, by which appellation Otter says the river T'ab was called in his day, and meant the sun, according to the modern signification of Afitab in Persian. TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 371 il traverse la partie de la Perse connue sous le nom de Ceele-Persis aux environs de la ville de Passargades.” * The classification of these rivers, or the order in which they follow each other, is evidently from west to east, the course Alexander took on leaving Susa for Persepolis; the Choaspes corresponding with the Kerkheh, the Coprates with the Dizfitl river, and the Pasitigris with the Kidrén of the present day.+ The Agradates, the most eastern of all these rivers, seems to answer the position of the Jerahi or Tab river which lies east of the Kiren. * Strabo, lib. xv. t Strabo has omitted to name the Euleus, between the Choaspes and the Coprates, the present Shover river, which runs close to the foot of the great mound at Susa ; but Strabo’s intention may probably have been to mention only It will be the larger rivers of the province of Susiana, observed from the above, that we have adopted partly Major Rawlinson’s, but more particularly Professor Long’s system of classifying the rivers of Susiana, which appears to us, more satisfactory than all the former systems. B8 2 372 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF Strabo, as if to distinguish it from the streams which flow from the Bakhtiyari moun- tains in Luristan-Buztrg, adds that the Agra- dates comes from Cewle-Persis in the neighbour- hood of Passargade. Now, if the locality of Passargade were fixed, there would be little difficulty in deter- mining the position of the Agradates, but since opinions still differ on that question, we must have recourse to other means in order to settle the point. There is a passage in Pliny which, though it may itself require some explanation, will nevertheless help us in our present research. After enumerating several rivers on the coast of Persis, as the Greek fleet sailed up the Gulf, Pliny adds, on the faith of Onesicritus, the pilot of Nearchus, the following :—* “ Au milieu de la longueur du Golfe Persique se jette le fleuve Hyperis propre i porter des * See “Iistoire Naturelle de Pline,” &e., in the Irench version by Poissenet de Sivry, liv. vi. chap. 23, pages 755—757. TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 373 batimens de charge; le fleuve Sitiogade qui conduit anx Passargade en sept jours de navi- gation ; I Herathemis aussi fleuve navigable ; une ile sans nom ; le fleuve Iranis, qui ne porte qui des batimens mediocres et qui traverse la Susiane,” &c. According to the Arab geographers, the Tub and the A40-Shirin are the only navigable rivers of Fars. The fleet on sailing up the Gulf came first to the latter, the same which Kinneir calls the Hindiyan river, and says is navigable for boats of twenty tons burthen. From what has just been said, we think ourselves m that the justified concluding, Hiperis of Onmesicritus can be no other than the Abi-Shirin of the Oriental geographers ; and as the next river to the west of Ab-Shirin is the Twb, that this latter must, therefore, fairly stand for the Sitiogadus of Pliny.* Nor do we know of any river east of the Kiren (the river of Shashter) which would answer the descrip- * Or Sitiogagus of Arrian, the river by which provisions are brought up. 274 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF tion of Sitiogade better than the 7Tub (the Jerahi), or be more suited to so lengthened a navigation. On comparing Pliny’s account of Sitiogadus with Strabo’s Agradates, we are struck with the remarkable resemblance they bear to each other ; for both these rivers, in their upper course, are said to pass by the neighbourhood of Passargade, and both flow into the Persian Gulf. In a previous part of this work* we pointed out the possibility of placing the Asylum Per- sarum in the valley, watered by the Zu@b in its upper course, where ruins of considerable towns still exist ; it is, therefore, not unlikely, that they represent Passargadee, the strongholds of the Persians, though not the city with the tomb of Cyrus. If the points of resemblance be such as to identify the Sitiogadus with the Agradates, and serve to prove that the former, as has been shown, can be no other than the 7ab, it * Kee vol. i., chap. xii TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 375 follows that the Agradates must, in like manner, represent the said river Tab. We must not be surprised if the same rivers are often differently called by different authors; nor ought we to confound into one river such as are distinct, although bearing the same name. In the Fast this confusion is of daily occurrence, and was probably the same in ancient times. But since this part of Persia has become better known of late years than it was for many centuries, instead of attaching ourselves to names merely,* it becomes more important to inquire whether the relative posi- tion and courses of those rivers coincide with the fluvial system of the country; for it has been, in a great measure, the ignorance of its topo- graphical features which perplexed the com- mentators of Alexander’s march through Susiana and Persis. * Were we to be guided merely by the sound of the names, we might be induced to seek the Agradates, o Cyrus river, in the Kuren, and the Fuleus, ov Ulai, in the “ Alai,” or Tezeng river. v . 376 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF We are not aware tbat there exists any ancient authority to circumseribe the limits of Cwele-Persis to the plains of Merdasht and Murgab, with the ruins of Persepolis and Ccele-Persis have the city of Cyrus may extended further west into the moun- tainous country, intersected by valleys, which the Agradates pursued 1ts through course. If, then, the Agradates represents the Tab, as we believe it does, Alexander must have crossed it, because Strabo mentions the Agra- dates among the rivers traversed by the Mace- In donian King on his march to Persepolis. his narrative, the Araxes was the next river which followed the Agradates, but he omits to give any description of the intervening space. We have that deficiency supplied by Quintus ‘urtius ; according to whose account it con sisted of a rugged chain of mountains, difficult of access, the western acclivities of which were covered with forest, the summits capped in snow, and the eastern declivity broken into TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THI GREAT,. 377 deep ravines;*—a faithful picture of the Ardekan chain which separates the basins of the Tab and the Kim-Firaz between Behbehin and Persepolis The continuation of the passage in Strabo will further elucidate the subject. £ Alexandre,”.he says, ‘ passa aussi '’ Araxe prés de Persepolis, residence magnifique surtout par les riches trésors qu’elle renferme. Ce fleuve a sa source dans la Paretacene et regoit le Medus qui vient de la Médie. I un et I'autre traversent une vallée extrémement fertile qui touche de méme que Persepolis a la Caramanie vers 1 Orient.” The mountainous country, then of Ardekdn, where the Tab and the Kam-Firtz take their source, forms the ancient Paretacene, or Para- takena, of the Greeks. Thus we find that, with the single omission of the initial letter, the name has not changed since the time of Alexander, Ardekdn retaining the consonants of Aratakena, which is all one can expect from * Q. Curtius, lib. v., cap. iv. 378 ON THE EXI’I‘JI)I’I‘IOA\;S or the genius of Oriental languages, where the signs of the vowels are not always manifest. Herodotus informs us that Artei* or Ardei, was the proper name for Persians; Awrdekdn therefore designated the seat of the Persian race; and this appears to offer a further proof that the mountainous region stretching from Persepolis to Behbehan, and of difficult access at all times, would be the fittest spot to place the Asylum Persarum.t * Polymn. 61. t I am tempted to throw out a few more conjectures respecting Ardekdn, although I fear they are not well digested, and crave therefore the indulgence of my judges, in case these suggestions happen to be at variance with the etymological construction of the old Zend and other Eastern languages of which I am ignorant. Major Rennel, in his valuable commentary on Herodotus, is of opinion that the Artei may originally have oceupied the country of Ardestin to the north-cast of Isfahdn,* Without prejudicing in the least the propriety of such a suggestion, we wish to throw out a similar conjecture in favour of Ardekan. The wandering tribes of Persia, * See on the Geography of Herodotug, vol, i., p. 378, Y TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 3 ( 9 If the interpretation we have. given to the above-stated passages of Strabo and Pliny, together with the account of Quintus Curtius, o PR S et belonging to one clan and bearing the same name, are now, and were probably the same in ancient times, scattered over various parts of the country. The sound ard, or perhaps more properly ar, in the word Ardekan, seems to constitute the root of the Zend race, and was sprinkled all over the countries of the east, com- mencing fromthe hightable land of central Asia, and spreading westward. * Then we meet with Articane and Arid in the locality of modern Herat, and another Artacane more to the west, near Rhages, as well as several other places bear- ing the same name. If the word Dekan be equivalent to Dagyn, which, according to M. Burnouf’s interpretation, mecans province,t then Ardekan, ov Ardagyn, the province or country of the Ar people may form a counterpart to Lur-Dagyn, or Lur- Dagan, the country of the ZLuwur, who are also a tribe of the PPN * Fyven the Indians called themselves Arya, or the excellent, while in the Arab Geography, translated by Sir W. Ouseley, we read that the Hous (the Russians) were divided into three tribes, of which one was called Arthai, whose capital was Artha, near Bulgar. See Ouseley, p. 191. t See “Commentaire sur le Yagna,” p Ixii,, and C. Ritter’s “ Erdkunde,” part viii., p. 18. 380 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF be correct, we necessarily arrive at the following conclusions :(— 1. That the Agradates of Strabo, and the Zend race. This Lur Dagan is at present a large village, or, according to Major Rawlinson, it may be called a town,* and lies to the north of Ardekan, in the possession of the Bakhtiyari, who are of the Lur race. But are not the Artwi, or the Ar people, the same as the Paras,t under which name the country, as well as the inhabitants of Persia are mentioned in the Holy Serip- tures 7 the same as Pars and the Parsi of the Arab writers,§ or Fars of the present day ? Farsi being now “Journal of the Royal Geographical Society,” vol. ix., p. 103. T The Parga of the Persepolitan Zend inscriptions. (See Lassen, Die Alt Persischen Keil-Inschriften von Per- sepolis, pp. 49 and 60.) t “ Paras (Heb.) Persia Collect. Persiw.” (Ezech. xxvii. 10; Esth. i. 8; Esr. i. 1, 4, 5, 199 ; Dan, v. 28 ; vi. 12.) Al. Pers. (\wj\_e : L,,,}L;, \m)j), i. e., Zend, Splendus, nitidus, clarus (Wahl Asia, p. 225—19. Heeren, Ideen, &c., b. i., p. 627). See Lexicon Manuale Hebraicum et Chaldaicum m Veteris Testamenti Lilros, &e. § We find even the Parsi and Parsia close to Artacune and Aria in Ptolemy’s Geography, tabula ix, TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 381 Sitiogadus of Pliny, represent the 7db (Jerahi, or Kurdistan, ) river. 2. That the Pyle-Suside, or Pyle-Persice, is the pass of 7Tengi-Tek-6; and therefore that here was the boundary between Persis and Susiana. 3. That the Paretacene mountains are iden- tical with the Ardekdan chain. 4. That one of the Passargade ought to be sought in the upper valley of the Tab. And, lastly, that Alexander crossed the Tab, and traversed the pass of Tengi-Tek-6. On fixing thus the boundary-line between used only to designate the language of the Parsians, but not the people. Therefore, without the necessity of removing the letter P from the word Paretacene, we still find it identified with Ardekan, as being the country of the Paras, the Ardi, or Ar, who were one and the same race. I believe there is a passage in Nearchus where the Mardi are blended with the Paretace, and occupying the very locality now under consideration. If so, that would be water to our mill in identifying Ardekan with Parc- tacene. 382 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF Persis and Susiana at the Téab river, near Beh- behan, we are enabled to determine with some degree of precision, the site of the Uxian city, and have thus the means in our power of deciding whether our previous views on the subject were correct or not.* Curtius informs us that it was three days’ march before the frontier of Persis was reached, and that it was, moreover, in the mountains. This distance suits perfectly the position of the ruins on the plain of Mél-Amir, in the hilly country of the Bakhtiyari; whilst we have endeavoured to prove elsewhere that the same plain answers likewise, in other respects, the topographical description of the city of the Uxii, besieged by Alexander. Tt remains to show, that the defiles passed by Alexander on his march to Persepolis, could not have been those of Kal'eh-Sefid, which, agreeably to the received opinion, represent the Pyle-Suside. To prove this, it will be sufficient to notice * See vol. ii., ¢. xviii. TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 383 that Kal'eh-Sefid lies twenty-four farsangs south- "mye east of the a b; and nearly the same distance separates the latter river from the plain of MAal-Amir, situated in the mountains to the north-west. We have seen that it was only by forced marches that Alexander could reach the boun- dary of Susiana in three days, before he entered the Pyle-Suside, which we identify with Tengi-Tek-0, at the Tab river; but if the Pyle-Susidee are to represent the defiles of Kal’eh-Sefid, then the troops of Alexander must have performed double the distance in the same space of time—a thing utterly im- possible. It was, we believ;:, the idea that the Arosis of Nearchus laved the foot of Kal'eh-Sefid, which led to the erroneous notion of placing the Susian defiles so far inland, if we are allowed to make use of this expression ; for Kal'eh-Sefid lies at a considerable distance in the interior of the province of Persis, far from the boundary of Susiana. 2384 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF A serious objection may be raised against the Agradates forming the frontier of Persis, because the Oroatis, which geographers identify with the Arosis, constituted the boundary between that province and Susiana. If the Arosis and the Oroatis were two distinct rivers, the difficulty might perhaps be in some degree obviated, by -allowing the Abi-Shirin to represent the Arosis, and by assigning the Tab for the Oroatis; but not- withstanding some ambiguity which hangs over thre scanty information * concerning the Arvosis and Oroatis in ancient writers, the impression is, that they were intended for the same river. Tt will therefore remain to ascertain whether the distance, as given by Strabo, Pliny, and Arrian, which separated the frontier river of Persis from Pasitigris (which we Dbelieve 1is now admitted to be the Kiren), is to apply to the 7'ab, or the Abi-Shirin. Our ignorance of the true position of the * See (Gosselin’s Note to Strabo, in the French version of M. de la Porte du Theil, &c., liv. xv,, p. 119. TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 385 mouth of this latter river, as well as that of the original bed of the Tab, will not allow us to decide the question; but we may entertain the hope that the late surveys of the northern coast of the Persian Gulf, by the Euphrates Expedition, will ere long enable geographers to settle this long pending point. Before we quit the subject, we shall take the liberty of stating the motives which prompt us to identify the Oroatis, or Arosis, with the 7ub, in preference to the A bi-Shirin. In the first instance, this belief is founded en the observations of Strabo and Nearchus them- selves, who mention that river as the largest in Persia;* an honourt which undeniably belongs to the Tab, for its depth, and the length of its course, when compared to the ADbi-Shirin. In the next place we have seen that the highland tribes, who lived between Persis Proper and Susiana, such as the Mardi and the Parwtace, are to be traced to the valley of the * See Strabo. t See Arrian. VOL. IT. 386 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF Tab, in the mountainous region of Ardekan, and not to the ADbi-Shirin, These Mardi and Parztace were neighbours of the Uxii, who occupied the mountains to the north and north- east of Susiana, and a reference to the map will plainly show that this can in no way suit the position of the Abi-Shirin. The earliest Mussulman writers who have treated of this part of the country are unani- mous in assigning the Tab to be the boundary of Khuzistan (Susiana), and Pars (Persis). The Arabs must have found it existing on their taking possession of the country, for it is nowhere stated that the conquerors had any- thing to do with fixing this line of demarcation between the two provinces. The same limits prevail to this day,- Behbehan with its de- pendencies falling under the jurisdiction of Fars.* * In the map of our route from KazerGn to Shashter, published in the thirteenth volume of the transactions of the Royal Geographical Society of London, the Arosis is identified with the Abi-Shirin, the Brisane with the Shemsi- TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 387 After this long, though indispensable digres- sion, we resume Timur’s march. The sixth he passed to Kej-Hawas, and encamped at the source of the river Khan- bidak. The first considerable river we arrive at, after quitting the plain of Lishter, is the Shemsi- "Arab, and it is, I suspect, the same stream in a hilly country, the windings of which are crossed several times on the way to the karavanserai of Daghtmbezin ; but I cannot be positive on the point, having traversed a part of the road during the night. At all events, Timur could not have halted further than two and a-half, or, at the utmost, three farsangs (eleven and a-half miles) to the east of Lishter, the army having a hilly tract to pass, and the country in front being without water for a considerable distance. Moreover, if Shemsi-'Arab is not the same as IRC——————— o Arab, the Rhogonis with the Abi-Shur, and the Granis with the present Shapur river ; but as we did not follow their respective courses down to the Persian Gulf, we could only trace them conjecturally on the map. cc? 388 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF Khéan-bidak, surely Shérefi-d-din would have made some mention of the army having crossed the former, the Shemsi-’Arab being no mean stream. As Khan-bidak means the karavanserai of ithe little willows, it may be the same that I found in ruins close to the banks of the Shemsi-'Arab, and situated in a lovely grove.* 1t is the custom with eastern armies, when on If the Shemsi-’Arab does not empty itself into the sea, but joins the Abi-Shirin, it may in that case be the Hara river, of which Baron Hammer, of Purgstall, makes mention, on the authority of a Persian MS. in the Imperial Library of Vienna, No. 433. According to its author, the river Hard, coming from the mountain of Khoun- Kan, unites with the Abi-Shirin before it falls into the Persian Gulf, and is eleven farsangs in length. (See “ Recueil de Voyages et de Memoires,” &ec., tom. it,, p. 271.) In the mountains to the north of the karavanserai of DaghtGmbezin is a fort or village, bearing the name of Arit, ov Ard, which is the chief place of the Borahmet tribe, from which the river Hard just mentioned may derive its name. There is another mountain river between Shemsi- 'Arab and Abi- Shirin, marked on my route ; but in com- parison with the latter two, it appeared an insignificant atream. 389 TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. their march., to rest Jongest in such places as afford grass for their cattle; it is therefore not improbable that Timur halted longer in the plain of Lishter, and made only a short stage that day; the more so as his army had, as already observed, to encounter next day a long and fatiguing route through a tract of country destitute of water. On the Tth Timur stopped with his troops at the village of Julahah. At present there is no place of the name in the valley of Daghmbezan. I passed, however, the ruins of a considerable village and kara vanserai, with remains of old kanantd, or sub- terraneous watercourses, at a spot about four farsangs (fifteen miles) distant from Timur’s previous halting-place ; he consequently may have stopped there. The 8th he moved to Basht, crossed the river of Ab-Sha’b, and encamped at Malemir-Shol. The fort of Bdasht,* now the residence of a petty Khogili Chief of the Bovi tribe, is about * P4asht in MSS. 851. 390 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF five farsangs (eighteen miles and th'ree-quarters) from the ruined village and karavanserai just mentioned ; two farsangs further on is the A4bi- Sha’h, or the Abi-Shir river, as I was told by my native guides, which forms the limits of the Mamaseni and Khogili tribes. A fort not far distant belongs to one of the Mamaseni Chiefs of the Rustemi tribe. It 1is situated on an eminence, and surrounded by the hovels of the natives, who call it Kal'eh- ser-abi-Siyah (black water head castle), which name is likewise given to the whole swampy valley leading from thence to Fahliyan. It was probably at this fort that Timur rested for the night, after a forced march of nearly seven farsangs (twenty-six miles and a-quarter), as the word Malemir, or Mal-Amir-Shél, is not a proper name, but means the property of the Chief of 8%, or Slil, a tribe which occupied this part of the country before and at the time of Timut’s expedition. (See vol. i., chap. xi., p. 265.) In respect to the river Sha'b, to which in TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE ‘GREAT. 391 MSS. 851, examined by Mr. Renouard, the word Bevan is affixed, shows that Sha’b-bevan, which at present is limited, I believe, to the plain of Behram and the valley of Fahliyan, must formerly have extended further west in the direction of Behbehan. “The 9th -he crossed the river Khavidin* and, having collected the necessary information concerning Kal'eh Sefid (to which the enemy had retired), fixed his head quarters at Nau- benjan.” We are now once more on well-known ground. From Abi-Shir, or Ab-Sha’b, there are three farsangs to Naubenjan. The river Khavedan can be no other than the Sheker-ab, or Abi-Shir, which flows through the valley of Fahliyan, having its source in the Ardekan mountains, and after flowing through the narrows of Kal'eh-Sefid to the northern side of that hill fort,t traverses the beautiful valley * Abi Khaviran and Khavan in MSS. 851. t And not to the south of it, as it is marked on Kinneir’s Map of Persia. 392 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF of Sha’b-bevdn, one of the four terrestrial para- This river, it will dises of the Kastern poets. be seen by the annexed map, does not flow through the valley of Ser-abi-Siydh, or join the Hindiyan (Abi-Shirin river), but is lost between the mountains behind Fahliyan. I failed to ascertain whether the river Abi- Shitr (Sheker-ab) reaches the Gulf, but accord- ing to the configuration of the country, I am inclined to suppose that it joins the Abi-Shar, and that the united waters of the two rivers flow into the Persian Gulf. Not having followed the courses of these rivers to the beach, we abstain from comparing them with those the admiral of Alexander met on the Persian coast as he sailed up the Gulf. Nevertheless an important fact is ascer- tained, that the Journal of Nearchus is not a fiction, and that there are rivers close to the mountains which may correspond with those enumerated in his list. They may also serve, perhaps, after a little closer investigation, to unravel the apparent discrepancies we meet TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE \GREAT. 393 in Ptolemy, Marcianus, Pliny, and Nearchus, as to the number of those rivers. The Abi-Shér, so called on account of its brackish water (ab, water, and skir, brackish), is not fordable in every part, and, I presume, Timur crossed it near the hill of Kal'eh Siyaih, where a ford exists, or over the stone bridge, if then entire, as at present only some broken buttresses indicate the place where it formerly stood. Naubenjan is two farsangs to the south of it, beyond a low ridge of hills which must be passed before you enter the plain of Behram. We have now accompanied Timir through the whole of his march, as the rock of Kaleh- Sefid stands about two farsangs north-east of the town of Naubenjan, and comparing his with my own route from Kazerin up to Behbehan, and further on to the north-west, I find that Shérefa-d-din's account of it cor- responds perfectly with my own observations as to the topography of this country. In the interval between Abi-Shir and the 394 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF river Shapir there is only one insignificant stream, namely, the Belrdm river in the plain of Naubenjan, or Sahrai-Behram; its north- western direction evidently shows that it falls into the Abi-Shir behind the mountains to the south of Fahliyan. Lastly, as I know of no other considerable river to the north of Kazerin and Biashehr, the Shaptr river seems to answer satisfactorily the course of the Granis, according to Arrian’s Periplus. ‘ We have no account of Hephestion’s march inland, up the Persian Gulf, and to Susiana on Alexander’s return from India, at the same time that the King followed the road by Passargadee; but I think Dr. Vincent in his valuable work “On the Commerce and Navi- gation of the Ancients,” &c., is perfectly correct in his supposition, that Hepheestion did not go along the coast, but more inland, and may therefore have pursued the same tract I took from Kazertn to Naubenjan, and thence fol- lowed the route we have just been tra- TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 395 velling with TimGr, only in the opposite direction.* The road along the coast is reckoned barren, sultry, and void of habitations, whilst the one nearer to the mountains is cooler and well sup- plied with water and pastures. Before we leave this subject, I may be allowed to advert to a passage in Dr. Vincent's work, so often quoted. The author, in treating of the rivers enumerated by Nearchus, says :— “ With every assistance, however, that can be obtained, it is not in my power to give the course of the rivers with that correctness I wish; and though D’Anville has performed a great service in showing that the rivers of Persia beyond the mountains never reach the sea, but are lost in lakes, exhausted upon agriculture, or absorbed by sand; and that he has likewise proved, that the rivers which fall into the gulf are all derived from the range which runs parallel with the coast, and forms * Dr. Vincent ¢ On the Commerce and Navigation,” &ec., vol. i,, p. 490. 396 ON THE EXPEDITIONS OF the back-ground of the Germesir, or hot level country next the sea,—he is still undoubtedly mistaken in the course and names he gives to some of those in the upper part of the gulf, and I am not fully furnished with materials to correct his errors. The cause of this is in Of the mnature of the journals themselves. these I have consulted a great number, but every one of them takes its direction from the point where the author landed to Shiraz, or from Shirdaz to the coast; and there is not one that goes along the Gemesir below the moun- tains, nor perhaps ever will be one, for it is a matter of doubt whether any Kuropean, except Hephastion and the forces he commanded, ever trod the whole extent of the ground; and as this is the only route which could cut the streams from the wmountains at right angles, the and afford the means of Cstablishing order in which they succeed, it will be long before this desideratum in geography can be supplied. “ Pietro della Valle went from Mina to Lar; but TIMUR AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 397 from north-west to the Arosis, or Indian, there is no method of continuing the line but by fragments of routes from Fl-Edrissi, or by enu- merating the principal places which lie in that direction.” I flatter myself that a part of the difficulty of which Dr. Vincent complains has been removed; the rivers flowing from the mountains have been cut at right angles, and show that some are not merely winter torrents, but perennial rivers, because at the time I passed through that country (in January), the periodical rains had not yet commenced, and the thaws in the snowy range could not have been consider- able ; yet, notwithstanding this, I found some difficulty in fording several rivers, whilst in other places there were no fords at all. It is, therefore, more than probable that they reach the Persian Gulf, and correspond with the mouth of those rivers, which have been noticed by the Grecian navigator along the eastern coast of that Gulf. 398 ON THE EXPEDITIONS, &C. To identify them, however, it would be necessary to follow the course of each river from the spot at which I crossed it, down to the beach. FINIS. MACINTOSH, PRINTER, GREAT REW STREET, LONDON. DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER CONCERNING THIE PLATES. S Prates iv VoLume L Frontispiece. Ruins of a Bridge over the Tab, near Arrejan. Page 298, Royal Pavilion at Finn, near Kashdn, Page 31. [<1] Royal Kiosk at Finn, near Kashin, Page 32. Bas-relief of Nakshi-Behrim, in the country of the Mamaseni. Page 225, (<] Black Stone Monolite, with Bas-reliefs and Inseriptions, at Tenghi-Sailek. Page 353. Second bas-relief on the same stone. Page 355. Third bas-relief on a rock at Tenghi-Satlek. Page 336. Sasanian toli-gate in the Bakhtiyari mountains. Page 390. [Nelio IR e Two Inscriptions at the entrance of the Kar. of Meshedi Murgab. Page 87. 10. Inscriptions on a Black Stone Monolite at Tenghi- Saulek. At the end of the volume. At the 11. Map of the Route from Shiriz to Shishter. end of the volume. Prares ix Vorume II Frontispiece. Minar at Natens. Page 35. Bas-reliefs at Shikofti-Salmén in the plain of Mil-Amir. Page 31. Tomb of the Prophet Daniel at Siisa. Page 188. View of Khorremabad, chief town in Luristin-Kichik. Page 256. Cufic Inscriptions at Khorremabad. Page 251. Map of the Route from Shiishter to Biirdjird. 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