![Annotated Copy of <em>Persia and the Persian Question</em> by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎184r] (370/1814)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000001491.0x00033b/Mss Eur F111_33_0381.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "Annotated Copy of <em>Persia and the Persian Question</em> by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎184r] (370/1814)")
Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [184r] (370/1814)
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.
ii mm n
POLITICS AND COMMERCE OF KHORASAN 189
roads from Mazanderan and the sea coast, and from the capital,
Teheran. And, thirdly, it would command the sole entry from the
west into Khorasan, into the heart of which run two easy roads, the
one by Jajarm, Bujnurd, and Kuchan more to the north, the other
by Sebzewar and Nishapur due east to Meshed. In other words,
the Astrabad-Shahrud position is the key of Northern Persia!
Stationed there, an army severs Khorasan from the rest of the world,
and can effectually prevent any reinforcement from the capital.
North Persia may be likened in shape to a wasp of which the head
is at Teheran and the tail at Meshed. The narrow belt between
Gez and Shahrud is the wasp’s waist. Cut it and the head becomes
powerless; while the utmost that the tail can do (and that—not if
it is a Persian tail) is to implant a dying sting. It is in the light
of the physical configuration of this portion of the Shah’s dominions
that the presence and the intentions of the Russians at Ashurada
have always been invested with such importance. Their interests
in this neighbourhood are sufficiently guarded by a Consul at
Astrabad, and by Consular agents or representatives at Bunder-i-
Gez and Shahrud.
I P ass n °wto the third or Yomut Turkoman Question, in which
Russia again plays a significant part. By the Boundary Treaty of
Persian 1881 , the Russo-Persian frontier in this quarter was defi-
Russian fixed at the Atrek River, from its mouth as far as
Turk 0 - the junction of the Sumbar at Chat, although it appears
that one of their boundary pillars, for some unexplained
reason, is still placed south of the Atrek. Moreover, Russian officers
have been heard of who since the treaty have crossed the Atrek
River with soldiers, and have endeavoured forcibly to collect tribute
fiom the Persian Yomuts on the Gurgan. However, for such an
act there can be no excuse in international law, and practically, as
well . as diplomatically, the Atrek may be taken as the line of
division. North of that river are settled the Yomut Turkomans
under Russian rule * south of the river are the Yomuts under
Persian rule, though nomad camps of the latter are in the habit of
crossing the river at certain seasons of the year, and are allowed
by treaty to do so in order to change their pasturages. The
Russian Yomuts are thoroughly subdued, and, whether satisfied or
not with Russian sovereignty, are powerless to revolt. The Persian
Yomuts, however, who are subdivided into the Ata Bai and Jafir
Bai clans, are far from submitting tamely to the pretensions of
lU y /}v A - fcJr r ^
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
Use and share this item
- Share this item
Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [184r] (370/1814), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/33, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100157213843.0x0000b1> [accessed 6 June 2026]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100157213843.0x0000b1
Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100157213843.0x0000b1">Annotated Copy of <em>Persia and the Persian Question</em> by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎184r] (370/1814)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100157213843.0x0000b1"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000001491.0x00033b/Mss Eur F111_33_0381.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000001491.0x00033b/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- Mss Eur F111/33
- Title
- Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Questionby George Curzon, with Inserted Papers
- Pages
- 54r:135v, 147r:149v, 158r:180v, 183r:221v, 224r:224v, 227r:246v, 248r:257v, 259r:260v, 268r:362v, 364r:364v, 367r:388v, 390r:400v, 402r:416v, 419r:432v, 434r:444v, 448r:462v, 464r:471v, 475r:481v, 483r:513v, 516r:525v, 527r:544v, 546r:563v, 566r:598v, 600r:622v, 624r:656v, 658r:665v, 667r:675v, 678r:684v, 687r:688v, 691r:691v, 693r:693v, 695r:708v, 711r:721v, 724r:726v, 728r:729v, 731r:736v, 742r:742v, 746r:757v, 759r:761v, 763r:763v, 765r:765v, 772r:777v, 780r:789v, 793r:794v, 797r:809v, 811r:821v, 825r:840v, 843r:898v
- Author
- Curzon, George Nathaniel, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston
- Usage terms
- Public Domain