'Persia and the Persian Question by the Hon. George Nathaniel Curzon, M.P.' [‎486] (545/714)

PERSIA
Eastern country, within my knowledge, where these influences have
not been felt, do the recognised and most populous highways of
communication, though, perhaps, as in the case of pilgrim routes
trodden by hundreds of thousands, correspond to what we should
term a road, that is, a track artificially prepared, levelled, and
metalled ; and in Persia, least perhaps of any among the impor
tant and frequented countries of Asia, is there plausible excuse for
the employment of the term.
The need of roads for Persia has been long seen. No one who
has laboriously travelled over that country, by postal service or by
Persia 1 " caravan ' or wl10 witnessed the tedious and expensive
transport of merchandise on the backs of camels or mules,
but sighs for the intelligence or the enterprise that will set on foot
this most elementary'and indispensable of innovations. The quick
eye of Sir John Malcolm at the beginning of the century detected
the need ; and his bluff candour as soon communicated the discovery
to the Persian Ministers. But let him speak for himself:—
The wisdom which prompted this advice was lauded to the skies.
ads were admitted to be a great and obvious improvement, at once
ornamental and profitable to Persia. Plans for making and keepina
them m repair were required and furnished. The royal mandate, the
Lk-lu was told, should be issued immediately ; and he was much pleased
at the thought of having given rise to a measure so good, and which
e considered as preparing the way for the permanent improvement of
. country. . . . But you know Persia,' was the concluding observa
tion of the Amin-ed-Dowleh, Minister of Finance, on the scheme. 1
\ es, the Amin-ed-Dowleh was right; and a far inferior know
ledge of Persia to that which he possessed might have taught the
sanguine plenipotentiary that roads would not come in his time.
It is eighty }ears since Malcolm was in Persia; and a chorus of
later travellers has swollen alike the advice and the lament. Here,
theiefoie, "\\e may reasonably pause and note both what has been
done, and what is still projected, for the supply of this classic and
venerable need.
In 188.) ] ersia possessed only two carriageable roads of any
Existing ex tent. These were the roads from Kazvin to Teheran,
roads'^ 6 anC ^ ^ rom Teheran to Kum, each between ninety and a
hundred miles in length. Upon the former alone is organ
ised a service of telegas and tarantasses, after the Russian fashion,
1 Sketches of Persia, vol. ii. p. 231.