'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOLUME II' [‎249v] (503/706)

486 . QASR-I-SHlRlN
a description of the oil springs at Chiah Surkh see under Kirmanshah
(Province) Resources.
There is a post and telegraph office. The telegraph master, HajI ’All
Khan, Mubassir-ul-Mamalik, sells all the information passing through,
to the resident governor.
The present population of the place is composed of families of Luristanl
origin, i.e., former subjects of the Vail of Puslit-i-Kilh, some Jaff and no
mads, settled, a few Bajlan and a large number of Turks of the Derghe-
zinli section of the Khalaj Turks of the Hamadan district.
For an account of the ruins around Qasr-i-Shlrin see Rabino’s “Gazet
teer of Kirmanshah, 1907 — {Soane, 1912.)
QASR-I-SHlRlN (District).—
The following account by M. Soane, who is Manager of the Persian Oil
Company and also Vice-Consul at Qasr-i-Sh'rln includes the districts of
Bajlan (N. of Qasr-i-Shirin) Gilan, and Khaniqin (Turkey) (S. E. and S. W.
of Qasr-i-Shirin respectively). The border between Turkey and Persia
is now (1912) under dispute. Though some of the remarks apply solely
to Turkey they are included, as the district is the subject of much interest.
History .—The district under review, being all a part of the province of
Hulvan, comes within the history of that province, which has been the
centre of a large population and a high degree of security at various times.
The province takes its n tme from the River Hulvan, about the derivation
of which n .me considerable speculation has occurred without granting
any degree of success. The Persians, who delight in “ correcting” all
names they do not understand, call it “ Alvand ” thinking that because
they have a mountain of that name near Hamadan, this is the same name,
corrupted by the Kurds, but it would appear that the latter have preserved
the name correctly. It is pronounced by them Halawan, 7.e.,The river
coming from the high places.” The Hulavan, among the other streams
of the district, is distinguished by this very peculiarity. The spelling should
be and not which is the misleading Arabicised form.
The province was one of importance during the time of the Sassanian
dynasty, and up to its overthrow by Islam was of considerable value as a
tax-producing district. For years after the Muhammadan invasion it was
deserted and spoiled, but was a governorship under Kufa. No one seems to
have been able to keep its people in subjection, however, except Kurds
themselves, and in the 9th, 10th, and 11th centuries it was under the rule
of the family of ’Abul Fath Muhammad bin Ayyar. After the confusion
caused by the various Mongol invasions had given place to the comparative
order and rule of Turkey and Persia, the province again fell into the hands
of Kurdish governors, sometimes under one and sometimes the other Power.
In the middle of the 16th century the Kurds of Dartang (northern portion
of Hulvan) were in possession, their most noted ruler being Suhrab Beg,
under Persian rule.
In 1638 the first Bajlan Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , Khan Abdal Beg, was installed at Zuhab,
then a considerable town, now a ruin—Nadir Shah gained possession of
Zuhab for a time and then the family of Khan Abdal Beg ruled the pro
vince till 1826, at which date it was expelled by the Persians under
Muhammad AH Mirza, who have retained it ever since and ruined it.