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Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [156r] (314/1814)
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
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KALAT-I-NADIRI
165
or north-east, Gates could be prevented, the Chubbaz and Kushtani
Gates to the east and south-east, and the Arghawan Shah, to the
south, will still be available. From these issues more distant points
of the Ashkabad-Sarakhs road could be assailed before the forces
opposite Dehcha and Nafta could afford any assistance. If all the
entrances to Kalat, however, are like that of Arghawan Shah, it must
be admitted that a sortie therefrom in the face of a fairly strong
besieging force would be as impossible as a successful assault by the
besiegers. But as I said above, I think the Kurds and Turks of these
highlands would render the position of a besieging force in front of
the Arghawan Shah Gate untenable. Whence would its supplies be
drawn? Would they be brought in by these difficult mountain passes
and gorges, in the face of swarms of mountaineers, rifles in hand?
It would be an arduous task, liable to end in disaster. On the other
hand, Kalat is more or less self-sustaining. Its principal water-
supply is drawn from the copious stream that flows down from Jarf
and Istakhsu, enters Kalat by the Arghawan Shah, and leaving it by
the Nafta Gate runs away to fertilize the fields of Dushakh. To
divert the course of this stream may be regarded as an impossibility,
but supposing that the garrison of Kalat were to be deprived of it,
they have still the internal resources of water-supply to fall back
upon. These, however, to the best of my knowledge, are not as
abundant as they might be. They consist of a large tank at Khisht
constructed by Nadir, and of five small springs issuing from the soil,
one each near Girau, Sirzar, Aghdash, Kulahzau, and the fifth some
six miles east of Khisht. But this tank and the springs are only
just enough for the wants of the villagers themselves, and could not
possibly suffice for a large garrison as well. What, therefore, should
be done now is to take immediate steps to provide an adequate
internal reserve of water by artificial means. The actual existence
of five natural springs proves that the interior of Kalat is not void
of water-bearing strata. While on the subject of water, it may be
mentioned that there are two medicinal springs in this neighbourhood,
the one of which is looked upon by the natives as a valuable remedy
for many diseases, and the other as a poison. The former is a hot
sulphur spring near the Nafta Gate, called by the local peasantry
Ab-i-Khwaja, or the holy man’s water. Its products are taken
medicinally, especially for skin diseases. In Mohammedan coun
tries the priesthood appear to have early realized the capital, both
pecuniary and religious, to be made out of a judicious use of these
hot sulphur springs. Near them is invariably to be found a Ziarat, or
the tomb of some saint of the Mohammedan Calendar, used as a
resort for pilgrims. The gesture expressive of offence to the olfactory
organ with which the Sartip spoke of the waters of Nafta carried my
thoughts away forcibly to the pleasures of Harrogate. The second
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 [156r] (314/1814), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/33, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100157213843.0x000079> [accessed 8 July 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