'The Expedition for the survey of the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, carried on by order of the British government, in the years 1835, 1836, and 1837; preceded by geographical and historical notices of the regions situated between the rivers Nile and Indus. In four volumes. With fourteen maps and charts, and embellished with ninety-seven plates, besides numerous wood-cuts. Volume the first.' [‎250] (315/905)

250
THE KURDISH TRIBES.
[CHAP. XI.
supposed. The tribes who speak a dialect of the Turkish
language are the most important. Of these the Afshar, which
is composed of two principal branches, the Shamlu and
Kirklu, and are spread over Kirman, Faristan, Luristan, and
Khuzistan, consist of nearly 20,000 families.
Tribes in'Mk, The Kajars of Aster-abad, Mazanderan, Khorasan, and
Teheran, 10,000; the Turkomans in Azerbaijan, in 'Irak,
and near Hamadan, 6000 ; the Kara-Gheuzlose, near Hama-
dan, and about fifty other and smaller tribes, which are met
with at different places, but principally in 'Irak, amount to
75,000 or 77,000 ; and thus the whole number of families is
about 127,000.
and Luristan. The tribes of Luristan seem to be the next; and of these
the Luri-Buzurg, or Bakhtiyari, consist of 28,000. 1
The Dilfun, Silasila, Faili, and other tribes of Luri
Kuchuk, 56,000. 2 Total, 211,000 families.
The tribe Lak. The Lak 3 is a very large tribe, of Persian origin, which
pretends to have descended from the Kaianian dynasty. 4 It-
is subdivided into the Beiranavend, Khojahvend, Nadavend,
Jelilawend, Abdu-l-Meliki, and many others who are spread
over Persia, but are found principally in Fars and Mazan
deran. 5 One part of them hold the singular doctrine already
alluded to, 6 that Ali is God; and~ they do not acknowledge
the supremacy of Muhammed. They live partly in cities, and
partly in the plains. The total number of these celebrated
thieves is about 20,000. 7
Tribes in In Kurdistan, the Sekkir, Nur-ed-din, Shinkis, and Gel-
lati tribes (estimated by the armed men), 8 probably are about
2000; the Jafs 9 1700; the Sheikh Ismaili, Kelkore, Mendomi,
Bulbassi, and some fourteen others, 10 6000. The 20 tirehs,
1 See Major Rawlinson, Vol. IX. Part I., p. 102, of the Royal Geographical
Journal, for the details and subdivisions.
8 Ibid., p. 101.
8 Or Lek.—The Rev. G. C. Renouard, Foreign Secretary of the Royal
Geographical Society.
4 Morier, Vol. VII. Part II., p. 232, of the Royal Geographical Journal.
5 Ibid. 6 Chap. V. 7 Ibid., p. 233.
8 Rich's Kurdistdn, Vol. I. p. 280.
9 Ibid. 10 Ibid.