Modern Persia

CHAPTER I.. General Survey of Persia.

GENERAL SURVEY OF PERSIA.

Once, in ages long past, Persia was the home of heroes and was studded with palaces of splendor. Bards and poets of all nations have vied with each other in singing of the bravery of her sons and the beauty of her daughters. The names of Cyrus the Great, Darius, and others are engraved in ever-living letters on the pages of history.

To-day, though her glory has flown away and her splendor has faded, her natural beauty remains untarnished. The words of the poet Sahdy are still true: "It is a paradise making men drunken with the odors of its roses; it is a garden whose streams wreath the faces of men in smiles."

In 1826, in the war between Persia and Russia, the territory of the former was greatly reduced. It now contains 628,000 square miles or three times the number in France or Germany. It is divided into thirteen states as follows: Ghilon, Mazandaron, Ostorobad, in the north; Azerbijon, Persian Kurdistan, Luriston and Khuziston on the west; Fariston, Loriston, Kerman with Mogiston in the south; Irakeston the capital state where the king resides being in the center. On the east lies the large state of Khorason, which is mainly desert.

Persia is dotted with many great and small mountains, interspersed with fertile valleys, flowing fountains and silvery streams. Dense jungles abound in the states of Mazandaron and Ghilon.

CLIMATE AND PRODUCTS.

The great extent of the country gives rise to an extremely varied climate. Cyrus said of it: "The people perish with the cold at one extremity, while they are suffocated with the heat at the other." Persia may be considered to possess three climates: that of southern Dashtiston; of the elevated plateau; and of the Caspian provinces.

In Dashtiston the autumnal heats are excessive, those of summer are more tolerable, while in winter and spring the climate is delightful. In the plateau the climate of Fariston is temperate. About Isphahon in the same plateau the winters and summers are equally mild, and the regularity of the seasons appears remarkable to a stranger. The Caspian provinces from their general depression below the level of the sea are exposed to fierce heat during the summer months, though their winters are mild. Heavy rains are frequent and many of the low districts are marshy and unhealthy. Except in the Caspian and northwest provinces the atmosphere of Persia is remarkable above that of all other countries for its dryness and purity.

The cultivated portions of Persia, where there is a good rainfall or the land can be irrigated, produce an immense variety of crops. Here is grown the best wheat in the world. Other characteristic products are barley, rice, cotton, sugar and tobacco. Vineyards are plentiful. The vines of Shiroz are celebrated in eastern poetry. Mulberries and silk are two other famous Persian products, while the finest perfumes are made from the countless varieties of roses with which the land is carpeted.

The forests of the Elburz mountains abound with wild animals, such as wolves, tigers, jackals, wild boars, foxes and the Caspian cat. Deer of every variety inhabit some of the mountains. Lions and leopards are also found in Mazandaron. Among domestic animals the horse, camels and the buffalo hold the first place. The horses of Persia have always been celebrated as the finest in the East. They are larger and more handsome, but not so fleet as the horses of Arabia. Sheep are one of the main sources of wealth of the country. All the rivers are well stocked with fish, especially with sturgeon. Silver, lead, iron, copper, salt, antimony, sulphur, and naptha are mined in large quantities. The late Shah found a little gold, but not in quantities sufficient to pay for mining.

INHABITANTS.

In the days of Darius and Cyrus the population numbered not less than 40,000,000, but that number has diminished until now not more than 10,000,000 people dwell in this once-populous land. These are from different nationalities: the Kurds, numbering 500,000, Arabs, 500,000, Jews, 20,000, Nestorians, 60,000, Armenians, 60,000, Zoroastrians, 15,000, and the remainder are a Mohammedan sect.

MANUFACTURIES AND TRADES.

The manufacturies of Persia are by no means extensive, but Persian rugs and shawls have a reputation the world over. The deft fingers of the women have contributed for centuries to the glory and wealth of this country. In the marts and markets of the world these rugs and shawls sell for fabulous prices. At the World's Fair I saw a single rug valued at $15,000.

Trade, both domestic and foreign, is carried on by caravans. Tabriz is the chief commercial city and from this point goods to the value of $2,500,000 are exported annually. From the province Shiraz about $900,000 worth of opium is sent out each year.

GOVERNMENT AND TAXATION.

The government of Persia is a pure despotism. The Shah is absolute monarch; he appoints governors for each of the thirteen states and these governors, in turn, appoint minor governors for the cities. Six cabinet officers assist the executive, but their function is wholly advisory. Upon the least pretext, any member of the cabinet may, at the will of the Shah, lose his head.

The country has been impoverished for ages from two principle sources. Nomadic tribes, wandering bands of Kurds and Arabs swoop down upon some unprotected villages and carry away everything of any value. Taxation is the second cause of poverty. The burden of the taxes falls upon Jews and Christians, the most cruel extortions often being used to obtain the desired amount. In 1882 the revenue was about L1,880,000, of which nearly L1,500,000 were from direct taxations. But notwithstanding so much is collected, not one cent goes for public improvements.

THE ARMY.

The standing army numbers about 130,000, of which only 30,000 are well disciplined infantry, 10,000 artillery, 10,000 cavalry, and irregular infantry and guards constitute the remainder. The officers in the Persian army are for the most part ignorant and inefficient, while the soldiers are described as obedient, sober, intelligent and capable to endure great fatigue. The peculiar power of the Persian army lies in its irregular cavalry of Kurds and other tribes who are famous for their courage and daring, and are equal to the Russian Cossacks and vastly superior to the Turkish Sultan's Boshibozouks.

CHAPTER II.. The Ancient History of Persia.

THE ANCIENT HISTORY OF PERSIA.

According to the poet, Firdusi, in his Shah Nomeh, the history of Persia begins some thousands of years before the Christian era. Professor Yooseph of Oroomiah College one of Persia's most scholarly men holds that as early as the time of Abraham there was here an organized government. The first king was the Chedolaomer of the Bible, King of Elam (Gen. 14:1). This opinion is confirmed by the fact that the name Elam is in reality the name of Persia. Persians call their country Ajam. Thus it can be seen that the Hebrew letter j has been changed to l. However there is stronger proof of this theory in the accounts of Greek historians. The northwest part of ancient Persia, called Media, was known to the Greeks as a part of the Assyrian Empire. But the Medes under Dejoce in 708 B.C. threw off the yoke of Assyria and gained the dominance over the other tribes of Persia. In 538 Cyrus of Persia rebelled against the Medes, led an army to victory over them, and extended the Persian Empire as far east as the Oxus and Indus and over Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine and Mesopotania. He was succeeded by his son Cambyses (529-522) and the latter by Darius (522-521). This dynasty ruled till Darius III. (336-329). He was compelled to yield his throne to Alexander the Great, who conquered all Persia. Under the leadership of the tribe of Arsocide Persia became independent in 246 B.C. But the dynasty of Arsocide came to an end at the hand of Ardasher Babajan, who managed to gain possession of more than half of the entire country, i.e., of the provinces of Fars, Kerman and the whole of Irakiston. Then in 218 this valiant warrior conquered the whole nation and was crowned "King of Kings" (in Persian, Shah in Shah) with Ardasher begin the famous dynasty of the Sassanidae who brought Persia to an unprecedented eminence of power and prosperity. Their last king succumbed to the Arabs in 636 A.D. and the latter ruled till 750 A.D. The tribe of the Abbossides went to the throne at this time but were soon in turn overthrown. Persia was then divided into different provinces until in 1253 it was conquered by the Mongols under Genghis-Khan and his grandson Khula-kun-Khan. The former was a Christian. During his reign Moryaw-Alaha was the Nestorian patriarch and under him the church was very successful. The Mongol dynasty lasted until 1335.

A new dynasty arose in western Persia in 1500. The first prince of this line was Ismael, the descendant of an ancient family of devotees and saints. He was held in the highest esteem by his followers, who revered him not only on account of his own valor but for the high standing of his family. Having become the leader of a number of tribes, he overthrew the power of the Turkoman and made Azerbijon their Capital. He then rapidly subdued western Persia and in 1511 took Kurason and Balkh from the Uzbeks. In the year 1514 he encountered a far more formidable enemy in the mighty Salim, sultan of Turkey, whose zeal for conquest was fanned by religious hatred of the Shiites, who were followers of Ismael, and who in turn were fiercely inflamed against a sect called Sunites. In the ensuing conflict Ismael was defeated but Salim did not gain greatly by his victory. The son of Ismael, Shah Tah-masip who reigned from 1523-1576 subdued all the Uzbeks of Khorason and frequently defeated the Turks without suffering the loss of a single battle. He takes rank as a prudent and spirited ruler.

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