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Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎233v] (469/1814)

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. .

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2
The Shah did a record journey from Persia to Coustantinople, leaving Tehran on
the 12th August and reaching Constantinople on the 19th August on His Majesty’s
cruiser “ Ceres.” He proceeded, after a stay of a week at Prinkipo, where he saw his
father, the ex-Shah, on board His Majesty’s cruiser “Ceres” to Taranto, and went
from there by train direct to Montreux, where he stayed about a month. He
arrived in Paris early in October and stayed at the Hotel Meurice incognito as
Prince Abbas.
Prince Nosret-es-Snltaneh Husain Kuli Mirza.
Born 1894. He is the fifth son of the late Muzaffer-ud-Din Shah, and is therefore
the Shah’s uncle. He is 25 years of age, and has been Governor-General of the
province of Kerman in South-Eastern Persia bordering on Indian Baluchistan. He
held this post during the war, but he was not a success as a Governor. He has good
manners, and speaks French tolerably well, but he is rather effeminate. The Shah is
very fond of him.
Prince Nosret-ed-Dowleh Pirouz Mirza (Minister for Foreign Affairs).
Born about 1887. Son of Prince Farman Farma, G.C.M.G. [Knight] Grand Cross of [the Order of] St Michael and St George (accolade). , who is now Governor-
General of Fars (Shiraz). His mother is Princess Ezzet-ed-Dowleh, a daughter of the
late Muzaffer-ud-Din Shah.
He was Governor of the province of Kerman in 1907.
His first Cabinet post was in 1916 when he became Minister of Finance. He wa£
appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs a few days after the signature of the Anglo-
Persian. Agreement (August 9, 1919), and he took a principal pait in the negotiations
with Sir Percy Cox,, His Majesty’s Minister at Tehran, which led to the conclusion of
the Agreement.
Pie speaks French fluently and understands English.
Burin ^ his two visits to London in September and October he favourably
o
impressed official opinion here with his intelligence and shrewdness.
He is fond of shooting and motoring, and when in London in September he went
for a short flight by aeroplane at Hounslow Aerodrome, but would not face the journey
from Paris to London by air.
He has been consistently pro-British throughout the war, and had things gone
badly for us he would undoubtedly have suffered severely. He has before now given
proof of considerable personal courage and disregard of his own safety.

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
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Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎233v] (469/1814), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/33, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100157213844.0x00004c> [accessed 5 June 2026]

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