'Persia and the Persian Question by the Hon. George Nathaniel Curzon, M.P.' [‎167] (202/714)

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MESHED
167
daggers, there is not the same demand for new blades. Silk and
cotton and velvet stuffs are made here, but of a quality greatly
inferior to those of Bokhara. There are in the town 650 silk
looms and 320 shawl looms. On the other hand, good carpets are
procurable, particularly those of genuinely Oriental pattern, close
texture, and imperishable vegetable dyes, that hail from Kain and
Birjand. The Kurdish carpets are also original, but less artistic.
In Meshed itself are forty carpet-looms. Turkoman carpets,
jewellery, and weapons were formerly a common object in the
bazaars, but are now almost entirely bought up by the Russians
in Transcaspia or exported to Europe. Astrabad, near the camps
of the Goklan Turkomans, is probably, next to Teheran (whither
everything converges), the best place in Persia for procuring
Turkoman articles. Old Tartar and even Bactrian coins are
frequently to be met with at Meshed. I naturally anticipated that,
being in such close proximity to the famous turquoise mines ot
Nishapur, the bazaars would be well stocked with specimens of
that stone. I saw little but rubbish. All the best stones are
bought at the mouth of the mines and are exported to foreign
countries. Meshed seems to receive the residue, of a price and
quality likely to attract the itinerant pilgrim. Nor was I any
better pleased with the carved objects, cups, bowls, basins, ewers,
which are hollowed with the aid of a very primitive lathe and
tools out of a soft slate or steatite that is found in the neighbour
hood. There are two varieties of this stone, a dull reddish brown,
and a blue-grey. But though previous travellers have spoken in
terms of great admiration of these works of art, I failed to
appreciate either the material, the shape, or the workmanship.
At the time of my visit, the scale of artisans' wages was as
follows : Carpenters, 3 krans, or Is. 9c/., per diem ; masons, 2 krans,
or Ls. 2d. ; blacksmiths, 1 ^ hran, or lid.-, common labourers, 1 kran.
Wages and or ^d. The price of bread was about ^d. per lb., of
prices mutton 2^d. Fowls, which had cost ^ kTcin, or o^d., in
the mountains, cost 1 kran, or 7^., in the capital, ihe price of
wheat was a little less than Gd. a stone, of barley a little less
than 4id.
There were reported to be 144 private bankers or usurers in the
city, with a united capital of 931,000 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. , or 266,000/. iwo
only of these had a capital of 100,000 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. (28,570Z.); three a
capital of 50,000 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. (14,285Z.) each; and two a capital of