"تقرير عسكري عن جنوب غرب بلاد فارس، بما في ذلك أقاليم خوزستان (عربستان)، لورستان، وجزء من فارس" [ظ‎‎٦‎٤] (٤٧٠/١٣٣)

98
The arms of the Bakhtiaris and of the Lars generally consist of long
smooth bore guns of Persian manufacture. Besides the
above, slung across his left shoulder, the Lur horseman
carries in his holsters a pair of pistols. They are excellent horsemen and
skilled in the use of their arms. They are eager sportsmen, and shoot remark
ably well from horseback (seepages 4,5). ^
They are particularly fond of training their horses to turn sharply
. . from side to side at full speed; a skilled horseman will
Cavalry training. fi re to the rear at full gallop and resting on one stirrup to
shelter himself, fire to a flank, or hurl a dart or spear.
No bows and arrows were seen in their possession in 1884.
The chiefs carry sporting rifles, guns, and revolvers of the best London
make.
The harness in their use is serviceable; their bits, in the form of the letter
H, with a circular piece of metal attached to the cross
Horse accoutremen s. are particularly narrow and severe ; their saddles
are padded frameworks of wood, serviceable but uncomfortable to those not
accustomed to them. They ride with very short stirrups; the paces preferred
are a quick walk (four to five miles an hour) and the gallop.
The Bakhtiaris pay a tribute of 20,000 tomans to Isfahan and equip a
force of 200 horse. The tribute is collected by the
Tribute. Ilkhani, who himself receives from the tribe a tax in
money and kind on animal and agricultural produce. At KaPa-i-Tul, Mirza
Ao-ha Khan, the chief of the Chahar Lang and son-in-law of the late Ilkhani,
holds jurisdiction under Imam Kuli Khan (see pages 286, 325 ).
It may be assumed that a nomad family pays annually a tax of about
two tomans. ...
The chief wealth of the tribe consists in sheep, goats, cows, donkeys and
mules; they have only a sufficient number of horses to supply their own wants.
Where wood abounds, i.e., in the interior of the mountains, south-east and
north-west of Ardal, charcoal is burnt for export; rice, the sweetmeat, gez, gum-
Flocks and produc- mastic, cherry sticks, gall-nuts, tobacco, clarified butter
tions. (ghi)> an d skins are also articles of export. They trap
the fox and musooreh (kind of martin) in winter; the skin of the former sells
for 2 and the latter for 6 to 8 krans each.
Wheat and barley are not grown in sufficient quantities to meet home
requirements. Acorn-flour in places takes the place of other flours.
A good sheep is valued at one to one and a half tomans and a lamb at
half its price; goats and kids are cheaper, costing 4 to 5 and 3 krans according
to size.
Their women and the Lur women generally weave carpets and yarn;
Tentg the latter of both sheep and goats' hair; goats' hair is
used in the manufacture of their tents (also the work
of the women), which are generally of a black colour (chaclar) . They are readily
pitched, struck and packed and so arranged in strips and lengths as to be
carried by their cows which are of a small size and sure-footed hill climbers.
These tents are of all sizes; they are high (8' to 10' in the centre) and long
tentes d’abri, their length depending on the number of poles, generally placed
at distances of 10 feet to 12 feet apart. The sides and ends are Availed in by
wicker-work made of reeds ; by reed screens, the long blanket shed is partitioned
off into any number of apartments desired; as a rule, each Avife, if a man has
everal, provides herself with a tent, carpets, &c., &c. A chief, who has many