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Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [153r] (308/1814)
The record is made up of 2 volumes with inserts (898 folios). It was created in 1892-1924. It was written in English, Urdu and German. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
KALAT-I-NADIKI
159
path has been constructed. In ascending it half my mules fell down
or dropped their loads, which had then to be carried to the top and
there reloaded. However, all’s well that ends well. It took my
mules fully an hour to get to the top of that little 100-foot scarp.
On the north side a long, very steep, and in places rocky track
descends into the Wardeh Valley. The mules did not think much of
it after their experiences on the south /side. There is a certain
grandeur in the wild scenery of this mountain region. The numerous
passes with their cliffs towering overhead and the limpid waters of a
rapid rivulet underfoot combine into a simple beauty. The vegeta
tion—wild roses, honeysuckle, convolvulus, wild thyme, and, what
is so rare in the East, luxuriant grass and clover—reminds the English
traveller pleasingly of his own native country. At the higher eleva
tions the steep slopes and scarps are overgrown with junipers of some
what dwarf stature. Several striking views are obtained along this
route; firstly, of the broad fertile plain of Mashhad from the hills
overhanging Eizwan. Such a view, both over the valley of the
Keshef Rud itself and over the neighbouring spurs and minor basins
(which are all cultivated), gives one some conception of the fertility
and productiveness of this district. Secondly, one gets a fine pros
pect from the Mirza Kashti range north of Baghkan down a wild pre
cipitous gorge to the lofty natural walls of Kalat overhanging the
Darwaza-i-Arghawan Shah.
The entire distance from Mashhad to Kalat is about eighty-three
miles. Leaving the Naughan Gate, the road at the fourth mile passes
the picturesque mosque, or tomb, of Khwaja Rabi, lying embosomed
in magnificent chinar-trees. Thence to Rizwan (twenty miles) the
only thing that attracts the attention is the great fertility of the
country and the picturesque appearance of every village lying
embedded in a large area of orchards and gardens. In the distance,
to the north, loom the lofty mountains which have as yet proved a
barrier to Russian acquisitiveness. Nearer to the east stands the
striking rocky height of Izhdarkuh (Drachen-fels). From Rizwan
the road passes through the Andurugh Pass to Kardeh (thirty-one
miles), and thence through another defile to A1 (thirty-six miles).
A1 is an uncommonly pretty village situated amid shady orchards
and ripening cornfields, and overhung by stupendous cliffs. It
boasts a couple of chinar-trees that might well vie with those that
adorn the great avenue of Isfahan. On the summit of the cliffs over
head, 1 was informed, are the ruins of a town or fortress of the ancient
Persians (Gabr, Anglice Guebres), and in passing through the Dahana-
i-Al (A1 Pass) the remains of masonry are seen in several places on
the sides of the cliff. These are said to be the relics of the road or
roads by which the Gabr obtained access to their stronghold. I
should doubt if such was the case, because I noticed there are other
About this item
- Content
These two volumes are George Curzon's own personal annotated copies of both volumes of his book Persia and the Persian Question , which was published in 1892. Alongside the volumes are various loose papers relating to Persia [Iran], consisting of the following: received correspondence; newspaper cuttings; publishers' press releases; cuttings from various booksellers' catalogues; various journal and magazine articles; two items of printed official British correspondence; several prints of photographs and sketches; and a few handwritten notes by Curzon.
In most cases these papers, which range in date from 1892 to 1924, relate to the chapters in the book where they were originally inserted, suggesting that they were kept by Curzon with the intention of using them to inform a revised edition of the book.
Of particular note among the small amount of correspondence are two letters received by Curzon in 1914 and 1915 from retired schoolmaster and Islamic scholar Sayyid Mazhar Hasan Musawi of Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India (ff 5-9 and ff 44-53). These letters, which are written in Urdu and are accompanied by English translations, discuss in detail several inaccuracies found in the Urdu version of Persia and the Persian Question .
The various prints of photographs and sketches, which were originally inserted into volume two, are of different locations in the Gulf region. Several of these appear to have been produced in preparation for the publication of the second volume of John Gordon Lorimer's Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , Oman and Central Arabia (i.e. the 'Geographical and Statistical' section) in 1908, as they are identical to the versions found in that volume.
Also of note among the loose papers are an illustrated article from Country Life dated 5 June 1920, entitled 'The People of Persia' (ff 36-37), and a printed family tree of the Shah of Persia [Aḥmad Shah Qājār], produced in preparation of his visit to Britain in 1919 (f 233).
Volume one of Persia and the Persian Question contains a map of Persia, Afghanistan and Beluchistan [Balochistan], which is folded inside the front cover (f 1).
The German language material consists of a publisher's press release for two books authored by German archaeologist Ernst Emil Herzfeld (ff 29-30).
- Extent and format
- 2 volumes with inserts (898 folios)
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: this shelfmark consists of two physical volumes. The foliation sequence commences at the first folio of volume one (1-463), and terminates at the last folio of volume two (ff 464-898); these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. Each volume contains a large number of loose leaves, which have been foliated in the order that they were inserted into the volume; for conservation reasons, these loose folios have been removed from the volume and stored separately. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers of the two volumes.
Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
- Written in
- English, Urdu and German in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [153r] (308/1814), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/33, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100157213843.0x000073> [accessed 10 June 2026]
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- Reference
- Mss Eur F111/33
- Title
- Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Questionby George Curzon, with Inserted Papers
- Pages
- 151r:157v
- Author
- Yate, Arthur Campbell
- Usage terms
- Public Domain