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Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [63r] (132/1814)
The record is made up of 2 volumes with inserts (898 folios). It was created in 1892-1924. It was written in English, Urdu and German. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
CONTEXTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME
XVII
Tank- steamers
ly life—Petro-
bour—Russian
Suram Tunnel
rillis —Baku—
issengers—The
• • -58
bility of entering Kelat—Approach thereto—The gate of Argawan
Shah—Entrance detected—Colloquy with the guard—Attitude of the
scrbaz —Answer of the Khan—Persian tactics— Abiit, excessit, evasit,
erupit !—Report at Meshed—Attempt to climb the wall—Bird’s-eye
view of the circumference—History of Kelat—Fortification by Nadir
Shah—Basil Batatzes—Later history—Persian sovereignty—Military
value of Kelat—Its five gates—Population—Remains of antiquity—
Cultivation and water supply—Return march to Vardeh—Onto Kardeh
—Road to Meshed—Scenery of North-eastern Khorasan—Animal and
human life—Physical peculiarities—Approach to Meshed—Accident to
the cavalcade—Tomb of Khojah Rabi—Entrance to Meshed.
,n—Change of
sshop at Kizil
lerv irrigation
ipeed and ser-
ustoms—Great
tensions of the
Russian morale
of Transcaspia
ral Asia—The
he Ashkabad-
ins—Projected
Imam Kuli—
of the Khan—
Is—Their cha-
Dresent
Ilkhani
The paramount chief of certain tribes in south west Iran.
ance of Amir
ft to the Khan
i—Buildings—
diani—Kuchan
nue—Tower of
^uide beaten—•
i-garm—Possi'
CHAPTER VII
MESHED
Previous chroniclers of Meshed—History—Size and plan of the city—The
Khiaban—Remainder of the city—Cemeteries—Health of Meshed—
Wind-towers and guard houses—The sacred buildings —(1) The Bast—
(2) The Sahn—(3) Mosque of Imam Reza—The Prophet’s tomb —
Other tombs—Europeans who have seen the shrine—(4) Mosque of
Gowher Shad—Other buildings in the Bast—Library of the Imam—-
Revenues of the shrine—Population of Meshed—Government of the
shrine—Extent of the quadrilateral—Prostitution—Tomb of Nadir Shah
—Jews in Meshed—Public buildings—Manufactures—Wages and prices
—Banks and Money-lending—Visit to the Governor-General—The
Ark—Conversation with the Rukn-ed-.Dowleh—Garrison—Foreign Con
suls in Meshed—Appointment of M. Vlassof—Russian Consulate—
British Consulate—Staff and appointments—Consular business—Tus—
Telegraphs—Attitude towards foreigners ......
CHAPTER VIII
POLITICS AND COMMERCE OF KHORASAN
Design of chapter—Province of Khorasan—Natural features—Rivers and
cultivation—Population—History—Revenue—Division of the spoil
Government—Origin of the Khorasan Question—Astrabad province—
The Russians at Ashurada—Nature of the island—New island—Change
of quarters desirable—History repeats itself—Peter the Great—Agha
Mohammed Khan—Reasons of Russian activity—The Astrabad-Shahrud
position—Persian and Russian Turkomans—Rebellion of the Persian
Yomuts—Weakness of the Central Government—Bujnurd—Kuchan
Deregez—Attitude towards Russia—Kelat-i-Nadiri—Russian aspira
tions—Russo-Persian frontier—The Tejend—The two Sarakhs—Capture
by Abbas Mirza—New Sarakhs—Reoccupation of old Sarakhs by the
Russians—Strategical value—Eastern frontier—Meshed district—Dis
tricts of Jam, Bakharz, and Khaf—Kain—Population and capital—Seistan
—Russian propaganda—Influence of the Transcaspian Railway—Interior
districts—Tabbas—Turshiz—Turbat-i-Haideri—Nishapur and Sebzewar
VOL, I. a
I’AGK
113
<7
148
About this item
- Content
These two volumes are George Curzon's own personal annotated copies of both volumes of his book Persia and the Persian Question , which was published in 1892. Alongside the volumes are various loose papers relating to Persia [Iran], consisting of the following: received correspondence; newspaper cuttings; publishers' press releases; cuttings from various booksellers' catalogues; various journal and magazine articles; two items of printed official British correspondence; several prints of photographs and sketches; and a few handwritten notes by Curzon.
In most cases these papers, which range in date from 1892 to 1924, relate to the chapters in the book where they were originally inserted, suggesting that they were kept by Curzon with the intention of using them to inform a revised edition of the book.
Of particular note among the small amount of correspondence are two letters received by Curzon in 1914 and 1915 from retired schoolmaster and Islamic scholar Sayyid Mazhar Hasan Musawi of Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India (ff 5-9 and ff 44-53). These letters, which are written in Urdu and are accompanied by English translations, discuss in detail several inaccuracies found in the Urdu version of Persia and the Persian Question .
The various prints of photographs and sketches, which were originally inserted into volume two, are of different locations in the Gulf region. Several of these appear to have been produced in preparation for the publication of the second volume of John Gordon Lorimer's Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , Oman and Central Arabia (i.e. the 'Geographical and Statistical' section) in 1908, as they are identical to the versions found in that volume.
Also of note among the loose papers are an illustrated article from Country Life dated 5 June 1920, entitled 'The People of Persia' (ff 36-37), and a printed family tree of the Shah of Persia [Aḥmad Shah Qājār], produced in preparation of his visit to Britain in 1919 (f 233).
Volume one of Persia and the Persian Question contains a map of Persia, Afghanistan and Beluchistan [Balochistan], which is folded inside the front cover (f 1).
The German language material consists of a publisher's press release for two books authored by German archaeologist Ernst Emil Herzfeld (ff 29-30).
- Extent and format
- 2 volumes with inserts (898 folios)
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: this shelfmark consists of two physical volumes. The foliation sequence commences at the first folio of volume one (1-463), and terminates at the last folio of volume two (ff 464-898); these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. Each volume contains a large number of loose leaves, which have been foliated in the order that they were inserted into the volume; for conservation reasons, these loose folios have been removed from the volume and stored separately. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers of the two volumes.
Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
- Written in
- English, Urdu and German in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [63r] (132/1814), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/33, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100157213842.0x00008b> [accessed 4 June 2026]
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- Reference
- Mss Eur F111/33
- Title
- Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Questionby George Curzon, with Inserted Papers
- Pages
- 54r:135v, 147r:149v, 158r:180v, 183r:221v, 224r:224v, 227r:246v, 248r:257v, 259r:260v, 268r:362v, 364r:364v, 367r:388v, 390r:400v, 402r:416v, 419r:432v, 434r:444v, 448r:462v, 464r:471v, 475r:481v, 483r:513v, 516r:525v, 527r:544v, 546r:563v, 566r:598v, 600r:622v, 624r:656v, 658r:665v, 667r:675v, 678r:684v, 687r:688v, 691r:691v, 693r:693v, 695r:708v, 711r:721v, 724r:726v, 728r:729v, 731r:736v, 742r:742v, 746r:757v, 759r:761v, 763r:763v, 765r:765v, 772r:777v, 780r:789v, 793r:794v, 797r:809v, 811r:821v, 825r:840v, 843r:898v
- Author
- Curzon, George Nathaniel, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston
- Usage terms
- Public Domain