'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOLUME IV.' [‎31v] (67/652)

54
BAM—BAM
mounted on unserviceable carriages ; the date of one, I remember, was A.H.
1254 (1838). A third and steeper passage led up from this square to a plat*
form, on which is a well, which we calculated to be some 180 feet deep;
it is alleged to have been dug by Rustam, under orders of King Solom on!
It now only supplies the water for a bath. A short flight of steps, and we
reached the summit of a fort, a CheJtdr Fasl or Four Seasons, evidently
constituting the Governor’s quarters. From the roof of this building we
enjoyed a wonderfully beautiful view. Looking back, Kuh-i-Hazar with its
mantle of freshly fallen snow rivetted our gaze, and on each side of the valley,
the hills showed up against the turquoise sky, the Shah Savaran range form
ing another vision of beauty. Below us lay the date-groves of Bam, and
we could trace its river to the north-east; we also indistinctly saw the
greenery of Narmashir. Far away, Bazman, loveliest of peaks, rose
grandly in solitary state, and we could not decide which was the finer of
the two great giants. Bazman, however, rears its head some 9,000 feet
above the plain, whereas Hazar, albeit loftier, rises but 7,000 feet above
Rayin, and is surrounded by other, if lesser, peaks ”
Bam and Narmashir between them maintain a regiment of infantry, half
of which garrisons Baluchistan, while 100 men are supposed to occupy
Bam fort, but these latter were conspicuous by their absence when New
comen visited the place in 1905. In modern times Bam was the scene of the
tragedy which culminated the Kajar-Zand struggle, when Lutf ’All Khan,
who had fled from Kirman, was basely surrendered to his hereditary foe by
its Governor, to whose hospitality he had entrusted himself. Yet once again
in the middle of the nineteenth century, Bam was besieged by a mixed force
of Afghans and Sistanis. When the ammunition was all expended and no
hope remained, the women of Bam, headed by Banu Husain Fatheh, heated
cauldrons of water, and gave the assailants such a warm reception that the
city held out until help came from Kirman.
A few years later Agha Khan seized the fort and was blockaded therein
for the best part of a year, until sickness broke out and he was forced to
retreat to India. After this, the erection of the modern town was com
menced.
In the town several wealthy families reside, chief of whom is the
Shaukat-ul-Mamalik, son of Sulaiman Khan, who thirty years ago
was in charge of Sir Frederick Goldsmid s escort. Is ext in importance, and
related to him, is the As'ad-ud-Dauleh, son of the late As’ad-ud-Dauleh, who
governed Baluchistan intermittently for many years.— (Sykes, 1902 ;
Dobbs, 1902 ; Newcomen, 1905.)
bamarIs—
The name of a Baluch tribe inhabiting Sarhad (see article on latter).
BAM BALA, see Bampur.
BAM-NARMASHlR—
A district of Kirman situated in the south-east corner of the province.
It is, as its name implies, really composed of two districts, viz., Bam and
Naimashir, but both are under one ruler and are usually included together.