'Lord Curzon's Notes on Persia: About 1889-1890' [‎257v] (534/1486)

6
PERSIA
Carpets and
felts.
Skins.
Cotton.
Imports.
Tin plates.
Industries
and trade.
Printing.
Pottery.
Madder root
and safflower.
consequently bread the staple food of the population, has been very
dear. This was owing- partly to the failure of the crops through rust,
and partly through the management of speculators and people in
authority, who accumulated great masses of corn and disposed of them
at famine prices. To the uncertainty and dearness in the price of
bread must be in great part ascribed tho very bad trade of last year.
The chief export of carpets takes place from Farahan, and most of
the carpets find their way to London, Paris, and Constantinople, by
way of the north (Tabreez and Trebizond). The firm of Messrs. Ziegler
and Co. has been established for many years in Sultanabad, the chief
place of the district, and buys up most of the carpets woven in the
district. Another firm, Messrs. Ilotz and Son, is represented there by
a Persian agent.
From Sultanabad carpets are also sent to Kermaushah and Tabreez,
and the total exports from that place and district may be roughly
estimated at about 1,500 to 2,000 bales, valuing from about 50 to
100 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. per bale, according to the quality. Felts are also manu
facturer! in Ispahan, but there is scarcely any export in this article,
most of it being for home consumption. The usual price, as far as I
could learn on the spot, as paid by the above firms, is something like
9 krans (or 5s. 6d.) per Persian yard of 42 inches. So there must be
very handsome profits to be made. It is to be regretted that little
is done to improve the make and patterns; but everything is sacrificed
to cheapness, and consequently a Sultanabad carpet of to-day is far from
what it used to be. There is no variety or imagination in the patterns,
which used to be the charm of Persian carpets, but they are all
i educed to the dead level of mediocrity. The people complain that at
the prices now paid it is impossible to produce good work, which is
very unfortunate, as Persian carpets have deteriorated, and will
assuredly still more deteriorate if this policy is continued.
A trifling quantity of fox and other skins are exported bv wav of
Resht to Russia. J J
The yearly crop of cotton grown in and about Ispahan may be
roughly estimated at about from 10,000 to 20,000 lbs., at an average
price of about 4 krans (2s. Id.) per 1 shahman (13 lbs.). A lar<»-e portion
of this produce is used for the manufacture of “kertaz” (coarse can
vas), and the remainder is exported by way of Bushire to India and
England.
Ispahan,
About 1,500 cases of tin plates are annually imported from England
each case containing 225 plates or sheets; average price from 5 to 8
tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. per case, equal to ll. 125. to 2 /. 10 s.
Amongst the chief industries in Ispahan are coppersmiths and manu-
facture of artistic brasswork iu imitation of old patterns. This latter is
exported extensively to London and Paris. It compares favourably
with Indian work of a similar nature. J
Ispahan supplies almost the whole of Persia with native prints
(“ kalemkars ”), and some better qualities exported to London and
Paris, chiefly in the shape of curtains. A certain quantity of Indian
prints are annually imported into Ispahan, but this import trade is
generally dying out.
A quantity of pottery ware, in imitation of old patterns and colours
—such as bowls, vases, jars, and tiles-'-are exported to London and Paris.
1 hese are extensively grown arouifd Ispahan, and are used by printers
on the spot, and part exported to India.