Skip to item: of 820
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOLUME I' [‎274r] (564/820)

This item is part of

The record is made up of 1 volume (396 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

(Sh
MES-MES
525
Much has been written by earlier travellers respecting the roguery and
fanaticism prevalent at Meshed. With regard to the former accusation,
it is probab’e that matters stand to-day much as they did in earlier years.
The presence of a number of credulous and emotional pilgrims must neces
sarily breed—in other countries as well as in Persia—a host of greedy
adventurers who look to the pilgrim as a source of livelihood, and the
system of temporary marriages permitted to the latter dui’ing their stay
in the Holy City is little less than legalized prostitution on a large scale.
As to the fanaticism, although undoubtedly present and to a great
extent difficult to gauge in its consequences, it is probable that it has been
in no small degree exaggerated, and the leaven of the Sunni sect undoubt
edly acts as a check on the more fanatical of the Shi’ah population. It
may well be considered that the Anti-Armenian riots which occurred during
the Mukarram festival of 1905, and which were chiefly engineered by the
Karabaghi Turks in revenge for the death of their countrymen at the hands
of Baku Armenians, would have assumed a far more serious complexion
than was actually the case had the inherent fanaticism of the people of
Meshed been of a virulent character. ♦
In addition it may be mentioned that the Europeans resident at Meshed
have hitherto enjoyed complete immunity from insult or violence at the
hands of the inhabitants.
At all times a floating population composed o c the pilgrims to the Shrine
. of Imam R : za is to be found in the city. No
Pilgrims. • , j. . . J
means exist of ascertaining their exact
numbers, but it may be taken that during the seasons favourable for
travel, the number present at any given time does not fall far short of
10,000, while during the winter, their total wou 1 d hardly exceed 1,000.
The administration of Meshed, exclusive, of course, of the Bast, is vest-
j * ed in the Governor-General of Khorasan who
resides m the citadel, the Beglerbegi, assist
ed by; a no means large staff of farrashes, is more immediately responsible
for the order of the city, such policing as exists being carried out by his
men and by the soldiers in the various qardual khdnehs.
The Belgian Director-General of the Khorasan Customs, assisted b 7
three Belgian officials and a subordinate Persian Staff, is resident at
Meshed.
Meshed city is assessed at *tumdns 30,200 mallal paid in cash. The
„ Customs revenue of Meshed is now included in
nevonue. fche total for Khorasan.
In 1889, both a British and a Russian Consulate-General were estab-
„ . „ , , lished at Meshed. The European Staff of the
I oreign Consulate t „ • . r .i ^ i/^ i
former normally consists of the Consul-General,
* Vice-Consul and Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. Surgeon, and a Military Attache. An escort of
some 25 Indian savdrs is attached to the Consulate-General.
*The Governor-General gives the revenue of Meshed city:
Ts.
30.000
200
35.000
Artisans .,
Gipsies
Nishapur mines paid at Heshod

About this item

Content

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

The volume covers the provinces of Astarabad, Shahrud-Bustam, and Khorasan, or such part of them as lies within the following boundaries: on the north the Russo-Persian boundary; on the east the Perso-Afghan boundary; on the south and south-west, a line drawn from the Afghan boundary west through Gazik to Birjand, and the road from Birjand to Kirman, and from Kirman to Yazd; and on the west the road from Yazd to Damghan and thence to Ashraf.

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, 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 (from a later edition of the Gazetteer of Persia ), dated January 1917, on folio 397.

The volume also contains a glossary (folios 393-394); and note on weights and measures (folios 394v-395).

Prepared by the General Staff Headquarters, India.

Printed at the Government Monotype Press, India.

Extent and format
1 volume (396 folios)
Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 398; 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 file 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. VOLUME I' [‎274r] (564/820), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/17/15/2/1, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100037360151.0x0000a5> [accessed 28 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_100037360151.0x0000a5">'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOLUME I' [&lrm;274r] (564/820)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100037360151.0x0000a5">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100025472703.0x000001/IOR_L_MIL_17_15_2_1_0564.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_100025472703.0x000001/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Use and reuse
Download this image