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Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [579r] (1172/1814)
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.
161
PERSEPOLIS, AND OTHER RUINS
hem is the emblem of triumphant majesty ; the bull typifies powerful
but vanquished force.
We now pass to the main wall of the terrace, whose processional
as re le s supp y us with a clue to the ceremonies that were enacted
Proces- u P on its summit. In three long lines or bands they stretch
NoRul Zl 7 t0 u i; gh ‘ and left > towards the terminal staircases ;
although the full height of the platform has been reduced,
an . , ie , IU egrl y*’ ,^ e uppermost row of figures has been sadly im-
paired by a mutilation that has sawn them right in twain, leaving
only the lower halves of the bodies depicted. At either end the angle
formed by the steps is filled with an identical lion and bull ; the group
at the eastern extremity, owing to its having been buried for many
centuries beneath the soil, retaining a wonderful and brilliant freshness
o ou me. Next to these triangular panels, at either end, come
tablets for inscriptions. My notes record that that on the eastern side
has been obliterated; ' but the western compartment contains a cunei
form inscription, combining a dedication to Ormuzd with the name of
erxes, the Great King, the King of kings, the son of Darius, the
mg, e chsememan. 2 From this panel the triple row of figures
already spoken of, each a little over three feet in height, march towards
the centre ; while a corresponding procession advances from the left
nr opposRe wing These two sets of groups very clearly represent
ffeient classes of individuals. Those upon the left with lances and
arms, and musical instruments, accompanied by chariots and horses
are manifestly the courtiers and guards of the Great King. Those
upon the right, on the other hand, subdivided into smaller groups
by sculptured likenesses of cypress-trees, typify, by their differing
p lysiognomy and costumes, the various nationalities from which they
were drawn; and by the objects which they escort or convey, viz
■oxen, rams, asses, camels, fruits, vases, jewels, ornaments, and offerings
m general—the homage or tribute of subject peoples. There can be
very little doubt, therefore, that we have here depicted the ceremonial
•observance that took place annually in the palace above, at such time
as the Great King came to Persepolis at the vernal equinox, or No
Kuz, to receive the reports of his officers, and the tribute of his sub
jects; just as were chiselled upon the frieze of the Parthenon at Athens
the less serious splendours of the Panathenaic procession.
Siam,,, 1 f nd n0W having mounted to the upper level of the
platform, we approach the most notable external objects
■among the ruins, where
M. Perrot (p. 696) says that it never contained an inscription; but this I
think, is wrong. 1 1
2 Vide Rawlinson, Spiegel, Oppert, and Weisbach in the localities before
’ClCGCl.
vol - n -
M
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 [579r] (1172/1814), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/33, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100157213847.0x0000ad> [accessed 2 July 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