‘GAZETTEER OF PERSIA VOL. I Comprising the Provinces of ASTARÁBÁD, SHÁHRUD-BÚSTAN, KHÚRÁSÁN, AND SÍSTÁN’ [‎63v] (131/722)

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Originally the Chahar Aimak tribes were four, i.e., Jam nit vli, Tiruz Kuhi^
Taimuni, and Taimuri; but at present at least six tribes are included in the
above designation, i.e. Hazara and Kipehak in addition to the four first
mentioned.
The majority of these people live in black goats' hair tents, and trust
chiefly to their flocks and herds for their livelihood. Both in Afghanistan
and Persia, however, some portion of the tribes are settled.
The most usual plan is to have a Hshlac or settled winter residence, while
in the summer they wander about and visit their gailaes or summer
quarters in search of pasture for their flocks.
Taimuris .—
The Taimuris claim to be descended from Mir Syyad Kasim, also known
as Mir Syyad Kalal, who was the descendant of Imam Jafir Sadik, the sixth
in descent from Ali.
Mir Syyad Kalal lived as a hermit. The mother of Amir Timur Khurkan,
when on a pilgrimage to Mecca, was plundered by some Arabs. On her
return from the pilgrimage she complained to her son, who sent a large
force and carried ofl 12,000 Arab families. On Timur's return, accompanied
by his Arab captives, he passed by the hut occupied by the hermit MiT
Syyad Kalal, and went to see him. At theSayyad's request, Timur presented
him with his 12,000 Arab families as slaves, and settled them under him at
Furmuz, near Bukhara. Timur also gave one of his daughters in marriage
to the Sayyad s son. r Ihis son succeeded his father as chief, and brought his
tribe and settled them in the Herat country.
His descendants remained about Herat, and became very powerful )
especially one Haji Khan.
In his time the laimuris were settled chiefly in Badkis, north of Herat,
between the Murghab and Hari-Rud.
A large portion of the tribe moved over from Badkfs, and occupied Khaf
and its district, which was then Afghan. Amir Kalich Khan, Haji Khan's
son, rose to great influence in Herat, quarrelled with Mir Hasan Khan,
the "W azir of Shah Mahmud, and killed him ; seized the citadel of Herat, and
declared himself a partizan of Shah Zaman against Shah Mahmud. He
gave up the citadel to Shah Zaman, and withdrew himself and the rest of
his tribe to. Khaf ; and, having gone to Tehran and visited Fateh Ali Shah, he
declared himself a Persian subject. I he Taimuris also occupied a large por
tion of the Sabzawar district and remained there.
In the Khaf district and neighbouring mountains of Bakharz, there are
about 2,500 families of Taimuris under Darvesh Ali Khan, about 10,000
individuals.
I hey are very Arab-looking in features, though larger and coarser made
men. Their language is Persian.
Besides these laimuris, there are about 2,000 families settled in the country
near Mashhad, near the fort of Mazandaran, southward in the Pusht-i-Kuh-
i-Jam plateau, and also in Turbat-i-Sheikh Jami. The chief of this por
tion of the tribe is Sartip Ali Mardan, a man of much influence; and, although
living at Mashhad, is very anti-Russian.
ioco 6 ^ 6 ^^ 6 ^ 6 ' a ? a ^ n ’ ^ ie . re are a ^ ou f 3,000 families of Taimuris, who in
1858 left Herat and. settled in Persia, being granted lands in the Kuh-Surkh
district, south of Nishapur. The chief of these is Ataullah Khan. He has
not, however, more than about 500 families under him now ; most of them
having returned to Afghanistan,