'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎114v] (233/610)

of his becoming too powerful and conspiring to overthrow
his Sovereign. High office was not limited to men of noble
birth, and newly ennobled men were freely admitted into the
Persian aristocracy.
The Vizir and provincial governors were individually re
sponsible to the Shah, their tenure of office, preferment or de
gradation depended on his pleasure, and he held unquestioned
power of life and death over them. As recently as 1851 the
fall of Amlr-i-Nizam was speedily followed by his execution.
Concerning this regime Lord Curzon wrote: ‘ Persia is
governed by a huge bureaucracy, in which cupidity, open,
shameless and universal seems to have been raised into the
guiding principle of human conduct.”
Officials received no salaries. The whole administration of
the country was farmed and their remuneration consisted in
the pickings and stealings, u ‘ Mudakhil”, which they obtained.
The provincial governorships were bartered to the Shah’s
kinsmen or court favourites and the highest bidders, who would
pay presents, “ PIshkash ”, to the Shah and Vizir to secure
their appointments and further presents on 2 New Year’s day
in the hope of retaining them during the ensuing year. Some
governors of high rank remained as absentees in Tehran and
sent deputies in their places.
The incoming provincial governor was presented with an
official statement or 3 tax roll showing the legal taxes and
assessments, the military levies, the pays, pensions and grants
for public works, and the amount surplus to the expenses of
his provincial administration, which he was expected to furnish
to the Imperial Treasury, On arrival in his province his
ambition was to exploit it and make as much money as
possible in the shortest time possible in order to make good his
“ Pishkash ” expenses, pay the 4 dues to the Imperial Treasury
and make his own “ Mudakhil.
He farmed out the subordinate provincial posts on the
same principle, and these minor officials squeezed the small
men and peasantry on whom the whole burden finally fell.
1 They are called Mudakhil from the standpoint of the recipient, Pishkash (i.e.,
present to a superior) from the standpoint of the donor.
s Aid-i-Nauruz, 21st March.
* Kitabcheh. ... „ ^
* These were raised by taxation called “ Asl ” (root) or original revenue, ana
the accretions, which were the governor’s perquisites (“ Haq-ul-Hukumen ),
were called “ Par ” (off shoots). These varied from 1 to 5 or 6 krans for eacn
tum&n of the Asl.