"دليل بلاد فارس. مجلد II" [ظ‎‎٢‎٨‎٣] (٧٠٦/٥٧١)

554
SHAHR-SHAHS
There were formerly many Chaldeans settled in the district, but they were
exterminated about 120 years ago in the massacre organized by Shaikh
’Abdul Qadir Gilani.
Shahr-i-Zur possesses a large number of villages on the fringe of the plain.
These, with the exception of one or two occupied by the old tribe of Shahr-
i-Zur, are inhabited by settled Kurds of the Bana, Jaf and Avroman tribes.
The present population of Shahr-i-Zur is said to be 50 Jews and 20,000
Kurds .—{Rich ; Soane, 1910 ; Rabino, 1911.)
SHAH RHD—
A river in the Kazvin province, rising in Alihmuti and flowing westward
to Manjil, where it joins the Kizil Uzun and forms with it the Safidrud. It
is crossed by the Pul-i-Lushan {q.v.) on the Kazvln-Rasht road.— {Schind
ler.)
SHAHS AY AN—
A very large tribe of Persia to be met with chiefly in Azarbaljan and the
great central plateau or old Province of Traq-i-’Ajam.
History .—The Shahsavans have long ago ceased to act up to their name
i.e., Shah-loving. They did not assist the Shah Sultan Husain, the last
Shah of the Safavis, against the Afghan: in 1722, and joined the Russians
in 1826 during the Russo-Persian war of that year.
Apparently the Shahsavans change their politics frequently. In the revolu
tion of 1909 they did not play any important part, and refused to obey the
ex-Shah’s orders to invade Gilan and expel the nationalists, but the following
year we find them in revolt against the Government. In April 1910 Yprim
with a Government force, defeated the Shahsavans ; but in September 1910
the tables were turned, and the Governor of Ardabil was defeated by the
Shahsavans, near Ardabil. The tribe was then actually threatening Tabriz
and Ahar. In June 1911, after a period of apparent quiescence, the Shah-
savans again revolted, along with the Karadaghis. This was presumably in
favour of the ex-Shah Muhammad ’Ali, for Mujallal-us-Saltaneh and Shua us-
Saltaneh, two of the ex-Shah’s lieutenants, were reported to have appeared
among them. Some Shahsavans fought for Shuja-ud-Dauleh at the end
of that year, but evidently the tribe did not support him whole-heartedly.
In June and July of 1912 another revolt occurred among the Shahsavans
in the neighbourhood of Ardabil and Ahar. The Persian Government
sent a force of about 1.000 men to try and suppress it, but this force made
no headway until supported by the Russians, who undertook extensive
operations, lasting for some months, against the tribe. Altogether about
5,000 troops, operating in three columns from Tabriz, Ardabil and Julfa
were employed from July to November. The Shahsavans put up several
good fights, and at one time broke away south, and threatened Kazvin.
In 1912 Russia, having defeated them severely, and confiscated all their
flocks, forced them to submit. The Russians realized 3,000 roubles by
selling captured flocks. *
Tribal .—The Shahsavans are divided into five main branches. The
Baghdadi, Ainallu or Inanlu, Afshar, Duiran, Kurdbaglu, and extend from
the plain of Mughan in Russian territory north of Azarbaljan to Zinjan,