'Central Asia. Part V. A contribution towards the better knowledge of the History, Ethnography, Topography, and resources of part of Asiatic Turkey and Caucasia' [‎232] (247/360)

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KUR
ascribed to the distracted state of Kurdistan, and its inability to afford
security to the people.
So great and manifest are the natural advantages of KurdistSn that
the verdict of all travellers is unanimous in commending the fertility of soil
But since the beginning of that time from which we have any authentic,
records of his history, wars, dissensions, and violent distractions ha\c scaled
away improvement, and Kurdistan is still
"—an unweeded garden
that grows to seed.'"
" Mignon says—Without any exception I may safely aver that Kurdistan is
the loveliest country I ever beheld. The passes over its mountains aie of
the highest interest to the traveller, as they offer opportunities of observing
portions of the globe, which must from their nature have been m their pic-
sent state since their creation. In their recesses, he may observe from the
wonderful and varied position of their stratification what ha.\c been the
operations of nature on the grandest scale. These passes are in truth the
most sublime and solemn solitudes that can possibly exist, and louse the
breast of man to meditations bordering upon rapture.
" The Kurdish villages, although small, are very numerous, and all built in
the same style, of large unhewn stones, which have no binding material.
They consist of an outer and inner room only, having a floor, and walls
plastered with mud, and a roof formed by cross-beams of wood, covered
with reeds, or straw matting, and over that again a thick coveiing of mud.
They are generally seated upon the declivity of a mountain, and some idea
may be formed of the steepness of their streets from peculiarity of position,
that the top of one house forms an exact level with the bottom of the one
above it, and each house having a door that opens into this space; the loof
of one dwelling forms a level walk for its next or upper neighbour.
<{ Amongst those tribes whose morals have been vitiated by habits of lapine,
it is unsafe to trust to the strongest professions. F or there can be no doubt
that cruelty and avarice characterize this people, though they by no means
hoard their money, always preferring to convert it into horses, mares, lances,
pistols, swords, and ornaments for their women. Cash is not very current
amongst them, purchases being made by barter.
" The females are not shut up in nor are they veiled like those
of most Mahamadan countries. On entering the house of a Kurd,
you are not annoyed by women rushing in every direction to escape
notice. Women in company with men are constantly met without
veils. It is true they are not permitted to eat with the men, but in e\ cry
other respect they are entirely free. However they are not possessed of
those personal charms which might impose the necessity of restraint, though
a few of them, if dressed up in the Parisian fashion, would be considered
pretty brunettes; their complexions are not so dark as to veil their blushes. 1 hey
are generally small and well made, and have large dark eyes, the appearances
of which they take great pains to show off to the best advantage, t hey dye
their eye-brows with a collyrium called in the Arabic Khattat. It is
reduced to a fine powder. The eyelids are painted with the ' Kabel, and the
lashes blackened with a reed, which is passed between the 'eyelids. The
angles of the eye are also tinged and prolonged, which makes it appear much
larger.