‘Gazetteer of Kermanshah.’ [‎147v] (299/504)

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inhabitants, T do not hesitate in putting down the population at 60,000,
and think it is more likely to be slightly over than under this figure. It
must be taken into consideration that the Kurds live huddled together in
an incredible way. Ten Kurds put up in a mud house consisting of three
small rooms, and it is said that in no town in Persia are tlmre so many
inmates to a house. Nasr-ed Din Shah was well aware of this fact when
he wrote.: “The town of Kerman shah has 7,(‘00 houses,” and further,
“ the inhabitants of this town aie a mixture of Kalhurs, Zengeneh^, a f«'w
Gurans and other tribesmen. The town is old and ccmposed of foreign
elements and numbers 70,0(>() inhabitmts, whilst in most seasons the p^pu-
lath-n is greatly increased by the coming and going of pilgrims.” it will
be noticed that, whilst a house is usually taken to represent five inhabitants,
iNasr-ed Dm Shah, in speaking of Kermanshah, reckons a bouse at 10
inhabitants.
The nobility of Kermanshah consists of Kadjar princes, the descendants
of Mob am ;d Ali Mirza Dowlet Shah and of his sons,
0 l lty * and of some of the chiefs of the Kurdish tribes.
The nobility have scarcely any influence whatever in Kermanshah, but
the chiefs of the tribes maintain their authority over iheir tribesmen in town
and in the province.
Themollahs who were most powerful under the two late Governors have
Moiklis. n°w lost part of their influence. The principal
mollahs and mujteheds are—
Imam Jumeh (Mirza AssaduHah},' Mohamed Saleh Mujtahed, son of
Hajji Aga, Aga Hady Mujtehedand his son Ajxa Kaliim Alujtehed, Aga
Abul Gassem Mujtehed, Aga Hady, son of Sheikh Abdur Rahim Mujtehed.
Most of the merchants oE Ke* mans hah are really only commission agents
Merchants. for their friends of Hamadan and Bagdad.
There are about 200 merchants dealing mcstlv in Manchester goods, got
direct fr >m Manchester or through Bagdad j in sugar, from Marseilles^ and
in opium, guns, goat-skins, carpets and wool, which they exported to
Bagdad and England
ihere are about 20 Ottoman Jews, who have in their hands the greatest
part of the foreign import and export trade.
Kashi merchams import from Kashan : tobacco, native silk goods, copper-
ware, to a total amount of some 100,000 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. , which they cover by
exports to Kashan of prints and foreign goods received from Bagdad.
Yezd merchants import Henna and Yezd silk from Yezd to tne amount
of 20,000 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. , and export an equal ameunt of foreign goods to Yezd.
Isfahan! merchants import native prints and cotton goods, such as kalanv*
kase, prints, lab Ms, abbas, &c , and gez and givehs from Isfahan ; and ex
port to Isfahan , Manchester prints, iron, t rj a, cowhides, wool, gilimsand gez
alafi. Their imports come to 100,000 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. , but are exceeded by their
-exports ] the consequence being that bills on Isfahan are always offering in
the bazaars. y
Hamadan merchants import naphtha, rice, Russian prints, glassware and
hardware (comingfrom Resht) ; and export to Hamadan, dates from Man-
dali, gall nuts, grease, ghi, raw hides, tea, spices, iron, lead, Manchester
goods and window glass. The exports exceed the imports.
Iheie aie other Hamaclan merchants who work exclusively as commis*
sion agents for releasing goods from the custom-house and forwarding
them tc Hamadan;