Skip to item: of 982
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOL. III.' [‎348r] (700/982)

This item is part of

The record is made up of 1 volume (487 folios). It was created in 1910. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

Transcription

This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.

Apply page layout

MUH—MUH
685
In 1870 the Shah ordered the construction of fortifications round the
town, and a mud wail, 12 feet in height and 2 feet in thickness, was built,
but soon succumbed to the action of the wind and rain.
The only sort of defence which Muhammareh now possesses (1905), be
sides the miserable b ittery already mentioned of 5 miscellaneous brass field-
pieces, overlooking the river towards the eastern end of the town, is a ruinous
mud wall upon the landward side, which was built by the Persians in 1858
and suffered severely in the floods of 1896 : it runs at an unnecessary distance
from the town, and its perimeter is so great in proportion to any force which
the Persian Government could place at Muhammareh, as to render it value
less even should it be repaired. The only representatives of the Persian
army at Muhammareh are two artillery officers, with a dozen privates under
them, who are in charge of the guns and of an arsenal that exists, at least
in name.
A British Vice-Consul was appointed to Muhammareh in the autumn
of 1890, and the status of the eppointment raised to that of Consul in
1904-
Inhabitants .—The inhabitants of Muhammareh are chiefly local Arabs
belonging to the Hilalat, Bait Kan’an and Mutur divisions of the Muhaisin
tribe ; but there are also numerous Arabs descended from Bahraini refugees,
some natives of Dizful and Shushtar, a few merchants from other parts
of Persia, about 40 families of Sabians, and a handful of Jews and oriental
Christians. The total population is computed at 6,000. Selby found the
Arabs of Muhammareh to be more active and less bigoted than the Turks.
Accommodation for travellers is afforded by seven Husainiehs. These are
buildings primarily set apart for the readings and lamentations which are
obligatory on Shi’ahs at the Muharram, and as refuges for destitute strangers
and pilgrims, but also serving as inns ; in one of them superior rooms can be
had on payment. There are some Khans in Muhammareh, but these,
instead of being hostelries, as in Turkish Arabia A term used by the British officials to describe the territory roughly corresponding to, but not coextensive with, modern-day Iraq under the control of the Ottoman Empire. , are merely places of
business, or warehouses where merchants store their goods.
Trade and Industries .—Of the varied dngredi'ents that form the population
of Muhammareh, the Bahrainis are mostly small shop-keepers and mechanics ;
the Sabians are silver-smiths ; the Jews deal in Manchester goods ; and the
Christians are clerks or lightermen. There are also two or three gunsmiths
who repair rifles and revolvers.
Muhammareh can now boast of five large bazars containing over 300
shops and of a grain-market, and large stocks of rice and dates are generally
available. But more important than the local trade or industries of Muham
mareh are its foreign commerce and its functions as a port. Of the foreign
trade nominally belonging to Muhammareh, by far the greater part really
depends on places upon the Karun and up-country The town is accessible
to ocean-going steamers ; but, owing to the narrowness of the Karun and
the consequent difficulty of swinging, they discharge their cargoes without
leaving the Shatt-al-’Arab, opposite the village of Ma’muri. Cargoes,
etc., are transhipped at Muhammareh to the river steamer of Messrs.
Lynch Brothers, and conveyed thus to Bandar Nasiri. The steamers of
the British India Company call weekly at Muhammareh from Bombay,

About this item

Content

The item is Volume III of the four-volume Gazetteer of Persia (1910 edition).

The volume comprises that portion of south-western Persia, which is bounded on the west by the Turco-Persian frontier; on the north and east by a line drawn through the towns of Khaniqin [Khanikin], Isfahan, Yazd, Kirman, and Bandar Abbas; and on the south by the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .

The gazetteer includes entries on villages, towns, administrative divisions, districts, provinces, tribes, halting-places, religious sects, mountains, hills, streams, rivers, springs, wells, dams, passes, islands and bays. The entries provide details of latitude, longitude, and elevation for some places, and information on history, communications, agriculture, produce, population, health, water supply, topography, climate, military intelligence, coastal features, ethnography, trade, economy, administration and political matters.

Information sources are provided at the end of each gazetteer entry, in the form of an author or source’s surname, italicised and bracketed.

The volume contains an index map, dated July 1909, on folio 488.

The volume also contains a glossary (folios 481-486).

Compiled in the Division of the Chief of the General Staff, Army Headquarters, India.

Printed at the Government Monotype Press, India.

Extent and format
1 volume (487 folios)
Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 489; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.

Written in
English in Latin script
View the complete information for this record

Use and share this item

Share this item
Cite this item in your research

'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOL. III.' [‎348r] (700/982), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/17/15/2/2, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100034842507.0x000065> [accessed 29 March 2024]

Link to this item
Embed this item

Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.

<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100034842507.0x000065">'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOL. III.' [&lrm;348r] (700/982)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100034842507.0x000065">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100025472705.0x000001/IOR_L_MIL_17_15_2_2_0702.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" />
</a>
IIIF details

This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100025472705.0x000001/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Use and reuse
Download this image