'Report on the Preliminary Survey of the Route for the Central Persia Telegraph Line' [‎51v] (107/300)

84
Water
Houses
Transport
Labour
Climate
People
Kerman has no river, but there is a good supply of
brought to the town by Kanats.
water
'"Like the houses of Yezd, the Kerman buildings are princi
pally of sun-dried brick faced with kiln-c >oked brick.
The roots are, as a rule, domed without rafters, but
... -{ there are also some with rat ters. The architecture is
not of a very high standard. The wood for the doors
and windows is brought from Goak, a village in the
^ mountains, 4 stages to the east of Kerman.
f Mules 1,000 at 2f krans to 3 krans per diem.
... j Camels 1,900 at 2| krans per diem.
( Donkeys 8,000 at lj krans per diem.
... Any number, from to 2 krans per diem.
'’Kerman has a splendid dry and bracing climate, compar
ing favourably with Ispahan and with our summer resort
of Gulahek near Teheran, and is undoubtedly a very
healthy town. The thermometer during the hottest
months, July and August, rarely rises over 80°, while
during the three winter months of December, January
and February it often falls below freezing point, snow
invariably covering the ground for some portion of this
time. During our stay, 1st to 19th Novemb r, the tern-
... perature varied from 44° at 7 a. m. to 54° at noon,
falling again to 50" at 7 p.m., but the nights were
decidedly cold and called foi extra blankets. Captain
* Sykes registers the temperature on April 12th as 4(3° at
7 a.m. and 60° at 7 p. m. During summer, sand and dust
storms are somewhat prevalent on the south-west and
west side of the town, which borders on the desert plain,
extending towards Baghin, which quarter is also more
exposed to the sun and where the water-supply is
^ limited.
I was very much struck with the civility and respect that
^ were shown to us by the inhabitants of Kerman.
Biding through the bazaars, I noticed that the shop
keepers invariahlv suspended work, stood up and salaam
ed to us. In looking from the effect to the cause f r
such special treatment, we have but to remember that
Capt. P. Molesworth Sykes has now been Her Majesty’s
Consul at Kerman for the past four years. Another
thing which struck me was the absolutely free, easy and
friendly terms that existed between the Consul and the
principal Khans and officials in the place, and at the
same time the respect which was shown to him—a
desideratum which can only be insured by displaying
great tact and judicious treatment in dealing with
Persians,
i
...«{ The Revd. W. Blackett, a member of the C. M. S., who has
only recently come down to Kerman, with his wife and
little girl were in addition to ourselves the only Euro
peans in the place. Mr. Blackett holds a service every
Sunday, which is a translation of the English service into
Persian, and it will be read with some surprise that on
the three occasions we were at church there were some
thing between 100 and 150 men and some 80 to 100
women present, and speaking for the male portion (the
women were creened ott and under Mrs. Blackeit’s care)
1 can say that they were a most attentive and well-
behaved congregation, and took a keen interest in the
discourse made by Mr. Blackett.
Ihe Parsees and Hindus do not appear to he oppressed
in any way. There are a la.ge number of beggars in
w Kerman.