'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOL. III. PART I: A to K' [‎166v] (337/1278)

History.— Local tradition traces the name of the town to the settlers
who came there after the destruction of Arljan. These people came and
camped there in Illdt fashion in black goats-hair tents, called by them
“ Bohuns, ” for which they gradually substituted mud houses which they
said were £C Behtar-az-bohun ” (Lur better than tents). This appellation
gradually by long usage became crystalised, through various stages, into
its present form Behbehan, ,
Behbehan is a town of extremely ancient and probably of Sassanian
origin, though it is difficult to say definitely to whom it owes its founda
tion. It gained notoriety only after the destruction of Arijan and Kubad,
which latter name, it may be of interest to note, was the name given to the
bth Kureh or district at present represented by the Behbehan district, into
which, in former times, Ears was divided, viz. Istakhr, Darabjird Shahpur.
Ardashir and Kubad. We may say, however, with a due amount of cer
tainty, that it existed prior to the 14th century, from the fact that Sharif-
ud-Din ’Ali Yazdi mentions that Taimur camped at Behbehan when en
route from Toster (Shushtar) to Kaleh Safid. In more recent times, during
the Governorship of Mirza Kumu (circ. 1870), owing to his refusal’ to pay
the taxes of Behbehan, the then Governor of Ears sent an expedition against
Behbehan under the command of Mansur Khan, who attacked the town
and put its inhabitants to the sword. Miraz Kumu himself, however,
escaped and took refuge with the Ka’ab Arabs in the vicinity of’ FallahieK
The latter are descendants of the Ban! Ka’ab Arabs who migrated from
the Hejaz.
In later years, the Behbehan Governorship has been, off and on, in the
hands of the Bakhtiari Chiefs, the last occasion being during the winter of
1909-10, when Hias Khan, Bakhtiari, Sarum-ubMulk, son of Haji Khusru
Khan, &ardar-uz-Zafar, and Fath’AlI Khan, Bakhtiari, Salar-i-Muyid, son of
Lutf Ali Khan, Amir-i-Mufakham, held the Governorship for a few months,
the former on behalf of the Ilkhanl, and the latter on behalf of the Haji
Ilkhani The paramount chief of certain tribes in south west Iran. family of the Bakhtiaris. On the departure of the Bakhtiari Gov
ernors m the spring of 1910, Mirza ’All Riza, Bahadur-i-Divan, was appoint-
ed Deputy Governor of Behbehan, which post he held almost continuously
till beptembei 1912, when Amlr-i-Mujahid, Bakhtiari was appointed. He
departed in May 1913.
There is no sign of permanence in the Bakhtiari administration of Beh
behan. Without their tribesmen, who will not stay there for 6 months
in the year, the Khans cannot maintain themselves in the town. Moreover,
experience shows that directly a powerful Governor-General of Ears is
appointed, as in the case of H. R. H. Zil-us-Sultan in 1908, and Nizam-us-
feultanch as late as 1911, he takes good care that the Behbehan Government
is re-subordinated to himself and administered by his Deputy.
Description. The town is some 3| miles in circumference, and is
surrounded by a mud wall flanked with circular towers and bastions. The
south-east corner is occupied by a castle called Kaleh Naranj. It is a place of
no great strength, but has thick and lofty mud walls surrounded by a ditch.
Its interior is small and confined, and not capable of containing a number
of troops. It is defended by 5 or 6 rusty cannons and might successfully
iesist the attack of undisciplined troops. None of these defences are men-