'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOLUME II' [‎331r] (666/706)

YAZD
649
and the Kavir, and the southern, with a small break near Zain-ud-din by a
spur of the Shirkuh to Kirman. From the north and east the winds come
down in spring and summer with great force, bringing such sand storms
that the place becomes as dark as night, while great desiccating heat waves
burn up everything in their way.
Major Sykes writing in 1900 says : <£ gardens are gradually dominating the
sand, and these extend for a mile at least He says that the statement
that the sand is encroaching is quite erroneous, and as he wrote eight years
later than Mr. Preece, we may assume that the prophecy, “ that it is prob
able that in course of time Yazd itself will disappear ” will not be fulfilled.
The climate is very dry, and the quantity of sand in the town has a beni-
ficent effect on the sewage system, which is of the same nature as in other
Persian towns.
During the summer heat, which rises to about 100" Fahr. the wealthier
classes retire to the hills about Taft, w^here there are beautiful villages
embedded in the hills of the Miankuh district, or on the high open slopes
facing the Ahergh plain and called the Pusht-i-kuh.
Population —Maior Sykes writing in 1900 put the population of the
town at 60,000. The Zoroastrians or Parsees form a very important portion
of the population of Yazd and province ; their numbers are computed by
Sykes at 7,000 of whom 1,000 live in the actual city.
Parsees .—In the Parsee quarter, the streets are wider and clean, and
attention is given to the free circulation of air. The Parsees are neater in
dress and cleaner and more healthy looking than the Mussalmans. Their
houses are good and each one has its well kept garden. I visited one of their
S 'hools, a large well built house, with fine open rooms both for winter
and summer. There were some 150 boys present, divided into classes.
About seven or eight were being taught English, History and Geography.
The latter two subjects do not enter into the regular course, as they have
no books in Zend or Persian to teach from. The schools are supported by
a Bombay Society, called “ The Society for the Amelioration of the Condi
tion of Zoroastrians in Persia.” In the Yazd district are eight schools,
i iz.y four in Yazd itself and one in each of the villages of Taft, Kuchabyuk,
^Nasirabad and Shahabad. In all some 500 boys are educated in Zend,
Persian, Arabic and English. No attention is given to the education of the
girls : it is considered quite unnecessary as long as they can sew and cook.
The Zoroastrians of the Yazd province, according to the census of February
1892, numbered 6,908, exclusive of those travelling. Besides the town of
Yazd they inhabit the followdng villages : Taft, Qasimabad, Nainabad,
Bahmatabad, Muhammadabad, Mariabad, Kuchabyuk, Nasirabad, Kasnavla,
Madr-i-Sadr, Nasratabad, Tlahabad, Husainabad, Ja’afarabad, Mazra-i-
Kalantarl and Sharafabad-i-Ardahan. They have a council of tw J enty-
eight members, selected by the whole community. The council meets
regularly once a week, and decides all questions of internal economy, disputes
amongst themselves or with Persians ; all petitions, complaints, etc., sent
to the Shah or the Governor are drawn up and signedby the council. For
work with the Local Government they have a Kalantar (Mayor), who has been
given the title of Amin-i-Paiyan by the Zill-us Sultan (lately Governor
of Isfahan and Yazd). He epresents the community before the Local
C300GSB ,