'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOL. III. PART I: A to K' [‎43r] (90/1278)

AHW—AIF
37
Apart from the Hawashim and Ma’awieh, all of whom are settled, and
from 20 families of the A1 Bu Rawaieh in the Dizful district, these minor
tribes appear to be entirely nomadic, and to represent a Bedouin popu
lation of about 2,250 souls. They all cultivate wheat and barley, and
'some of the Hawashim are weavers.
Agriculture, trade, and communications. —These subjects are dealt with
in the general article on Arabistan, but here it may be noted that there
is an old disused canal leaving the Karun at Ahwaz village, which runs
southwards for 30 miles and is lost in the marshes on the right bank of
the Jarrahi riv6t west of Gharaibeh. On the western side of the Karun,
a canal, it is said formerly took off at Maqtu’ and run to Hawizeh. The
principal route is that from AhwaZ to Ramuz town, the length of which is
60 miles. It is joined by a route from Wais, at about 30 miles from Ahwaz,
passes Shakheh at 26 miles, crosses the Gupal river at 32 miles and enters
the district of Ramuz at 39 miles.
Administration. —The district is subject to the Shaikh of Muhammareh
who manages it through a Deputy Governor, with head-quarters at Nasiri.
The Deputy Governor only acts on orders from the Shaikh and has little
real power outside the village in which he resides. The Shaikh of Muham
mareh is also represented in the district by various political agents. These
agents usually deal with their master direct and not through his represen
tative at Nasiri, but there is no fixed rule in the matter. The Shaikh of
Muhammareh maintains police posts on the Karun in this district at Kut-
un'-Naddafieh Saghir (10 rifles), at Milaihan (20 rifles, of whom 10 are
mounted), and at Qajarieh (60 rifles, of whom 50 are mounted). For ad
ministrative purposes the Ahwaz district is divided roughly into two tracts,
that of Bavleh on the west and that of Karun upon the river. So much of
the district as lies west of the Karun is claimed by the Nizam-us-Sultaneh
as his property, and it is understood that the Shaikh of Muhammareh pays
him 3,000 tumdns a year on account of the tract, but does not admit the
Validity of the title.
It has been suggested that Ahwaz is derived from Ahwaz, the plural of
the word Hftz, common in Southern ’Arabistan in the sense of a cultivated
a"ea or estate. The conjecture is plausible and furnishes an explanation at
the same time of the origin of the name Hawizeh and possibly even of that
of Khuzistam— the old name of ’Arabistan— which may have been originally
Huzistan. Another derivation of Ahwaz is given in Curzon’s Persia, Vol
ume II, 351 (footnote) : see also Le Strange, page 232.— ( Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
Gazetteer, 1908.)
AI DUGHMISH—
One of the five parishes of the Linjan buluk of the Isfahan province, situ
ated on both sides of the Zindeh Rud ; it contains the following villages ;
Berinjgan, Margan, Ai Dughmish, Zard Khushu, Chammari, Cham Gav,
Cham Parkistan, Bagh Badran, Kachavan, Khushu, Vashnandijan, Latari,
Cham Zain, Cham Taq, Cham Kaka, Suvadijan, Garm Darreh— (Schindler.)
AIFAN—
A division of the AI Kathir tribe (q.v.).