'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOLUME II' [‎37v] (79/706)

62
AZARBAIJAN
hitherto rested, viz., that what was good enough for their fathers was good
enough for them, is now giving place to a new energy of feeling. They see
their brethren on the north side of the Aras living in greater ease and
comfort, and comparisons have not taken long to ascribe this to a better
administration.
Kurds .—The north-west frontier Region of British India bordering Afghanistan. is occupied by a comparatively small num
ber of Kurds, but as they form an important factor in its social life, some
account of them is necessary. They operate over the country west of a
line drawn between Marand and Julia, and extend from the Aras on the
north to near Kh5i on the south. They are divided into four tribes—the
Jalalis, the Milan, the Haidaranlus, and the Burkleh, accounts of which
will be found under their respective headings. These people depend almost
entirely for existence on their herds of sheep and goats, the products of
which they exchange for various foods, chiefly wheat, raised by the Turkish
or Armenian peasant. Milk in various forms is the staple article of food,
eked out by a little flour and mutton (the latter only on festive occasions).
Their dress consists of a tunic of cotton, open at the throat, rough cotton
breeches and felt bands for the legs, boots of untanned hide. In winter
they wear an extra garment, a large felt waistcoat without arms. In
summer they live in open tents, made of long strips of woollen stuffs,
woven by the women. In the winter, in the more desolate regions of
Maku and under Mount AgrI Dagh (Ararat), they dig under-ground holes
to the depth of some 10 feet. The largest is generally reserved for the
family, the smaller ones for the cattle.
The poorer families live in extreme wretchedness, their underground
dwellings being small, badly roofed with brushwood and not impervious
to rain or snow. On the Aras and in Kara Aineh the Kurds live side by
side with the Turks, and are a little better off than their fellows of the
underground dwellings. All alike suffer from the want of fuel, the country
producing no timber, and few woody shrubs. Dung is carefully stored
for winter use, and is practically the only fuel. The average Kurd owns
but few sheep, 50 or 60 being a liberal number for one family. A few
horses are also raised ; each tent may possess one or more. The large
flocks of sheep and small herds of horses seen in the mountains belong
to the chiefs, not the tribesmen, and the greater number in the Maku
territory belong to 14 or 15 of the Khans. The valuables of Kurds consist
of his tent, horse, a few sheep, rifle and cartridges, the wedding garments and
ornaments of his wife, and perhaps a few rugs. They make a few carpets
and derive little profit therefrom. As a people they are to be admired
for their endurance, and may be for their physical courage. They are
cunning and treacherous, without the redeeming quality of hospitality.
They number in all about 350,000 souls.
Armenians .—The Armenians are now thinly scattered in the north
west corner of Persia. They are found in the city and immediate neigh
bourhood of Khoi, where they number about 500 families, and again
are met with along the Aras and in the Ararat district. Once they
thickly peopled the whole country from Tabriz to Ararat, and the valley
of the Aras was more especially the scene of their ancient history and
glories. Commencing with Julfa on the east and travelling westwards