'Persia and the Persian Question by the Hon. George Nathaniel Curzon, M.P.' [‎137] (172/714)

FROM KUCHAN TO KELAT-I-NADIRI
After the assassination of the latter in 1747, Kelat passed into
the hands ^ of the present Khan's family, who have held it ever
Later since, along with the Atek or slopes extending to the
to Turkoman desert below, in nominal vassaldom to Persia,
but with occasional assertions of independence which have more
than once led to the despatch of punitive expeditions from Meshed.
It has indeed been the habit to keep the head of the family as a
hostage at Meshed, in order to guarantee the good behaviour of his
locum tenens at Kelat. Since the conquest of the Atek by Russia
in 1881, and the subsequent delimitation of the Russo-Persian
frontier in these parts by agreement between the two powers, the
greater part of the external properties of Kelat, such as Abiverd
(now Kaahka), Melma, Chardeh (now Dushak), and Chacha the
v illages, in fact, which are situated at the northern base of the range—
have passed into Russian hands j and, as I shall show later on, the
new-comers are gradually creeping further and further up the
slopes towards the crest, till they will ultimately reach Kelat
itself.
ihe loss both of possessions and of prestige thus involved has
co-operated with the centralising 1 policy so vigorously pursued by
Persian Nasr-ed-Din Shah to reduce Kelat to thorough subordina-
rdgnty ti0n; ^ tlie P resent ^ lian 3 Haji Abul Path Khan, would
not dream of the rebellious vagaries of his predecessors.
Kelat is garrisoned by the Persian Government, by a wing of one of
the infantry regiments stationed at Meshed, there being a nominal
force of 500 serbaz in the valley, and two guns of the horse artillery.
From what I saw at the Derbend-i-Argawan Shah, 1 cannot
think that anything like this effective strength is maintained, anv
more than the conditions of service which promise relief at the end
of three months are observed. Though the place has enormous
natural strength, I should think that with the present ragged and
scattered garrison it might be ' rushed any day ; while the defences
are not such as would stand for ten minutes against modern
artillery.
It appears indeed that the military value of Kelat (in its present
condition) to Persia is very small; nor, if acquired by Russia, can I
Military see va ^ ue ^o her would be very great. No future
value of conqueror is likely to wish to use Kelat for Nadir's pur
pose—viz. as a fortified treasure-house; nor would any
modern tactician, I imagine, contemplate the fortification of an