‘Gazetteer of Kermanshah.’ [‎95v] (195/504)

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three roeK tombs. The one on the right and the one on the left are uxr-
ornamented. The one in the centre is surmounted by a tablet, representing
a large figure of a man with hands unlifted as in prayer, and three smaller
figures turned towards him. This is most probably an Elamitic sculpture.
There is no inscription. De Morgan calls these tombs the tombs of Deh
No, a village 1 farsakh distant : and believes them to be the tombs of some
petty tribe^s chiefs. On the opposite range of mountains on the other side of
the valley of Issakvan, is a Farhad tarash (so called from the legend of
Farhad and Shirin) on smoothed and polished surface of the rock, which
greatly resembles the one of Bisutun. In front of this place are two hills*
where the villagers have found Sassaniau and Parthian coins.
1TIW AN—Lekks.
M
Sea Iwatiwan.
1VE RRA—Assadabad.
A village of the Assadabad district.
IWATIWAN—Lekks.
Or It?wan. A sub-division of the Bilfan branch of Lekks. Their chief
is Tushmal Sartip Khan.
I LI Y ATS.
“ The Iliyats are not originally Persians, but may be compared to foreign
shoots grafted on the main stalk. The original Persian is to be found
m the cities, and in the old established towns and districts of the provinces.
The accretion of new population flowed in both from the east and from
tbe west. Until the conquest of Persia by the Saracens, her people might
be said to be unmixed; they having conquered the country, spread them
selves even to Balkh, Bukhara, and Merv ; were incorporated with t he Persian
nation, and, it is said, first inoculated it with roving propensities. The
next tribe of wanderers was brought from the east in A.D. with Jangiz
Khan, which was followed by a Taimur, who crossed and re-crossed Persia so
frequently that many of bis hordes were left in Turkey. Such, in general
terms, may be called the origin of the Iliyats, but each tribe has its own
particular history, recording whence it came and by whom it was introduced
into Persia. Many have become inhabitants of. cities and villages; there
fore the tribes are classed into what are called Shahr-nishin, or dwellers in
cities, or Sahra-nishin, or dwellers in the field. A few only adhere to
their original modes of life, and abide all the year round in tents ; in the
winter keeping to the plains, and in the summer seeking the pasturage of
the mountains. In their own estimation they look upon the Shahr-nishin
as degenerate, applauding the hardihood and simplicity of manners of those
who have no other dwelling place than the tent, and reviling those who
recur to the luxuries of a house and the protection of a city.
“It does not appear thatany of the tribes have written-records, and it
must be confessed that the information here acquired, concerning their
numbers, must be held as very uncertain. The traditions of the tribes are
oral, and, whenever they pretend to great antiquity, they immediately ascend
to the fabulous ages of their historians, where all is darkness ; and they do
not possess any popular ballads, which can throw light upon their history.
Each tribe has a patois of its own, bearing more or less affinity to the
Persian, but whatever books they possess are in the Persian language.
(The Kurds have Kuidijdi books).