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Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [238v] (479/1814)
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.
PERSIA
L>84
Already, upon arriving at the posthouse of Shahrud—which is
unique in the possession of a threefold Imla-klmneh —I had observed
Deputa- unfamiliar symptoms of refinement, in the shape of a
tion from druggeted floor and curtained doorways. On my return
Governor from the bazaars I was proceeding to make my toilet
and was already in a state of semi-deshabille, when, without the
slightest warning, I became aware of a further act of official atten
tion. Two Armenians first entered unannounced, both of whom
could speak a little French. One was the agent of Messrs. Ziegler
in Shahrud, the other of a firm named Tumanianz. I presumed
that they had come out of curiosity, as they offered no explana
tion. But in the East such amenities cannot be resented, requiring
rather to be interpreted as tokens of civility. Wherefore I con
tinued my toilet while discussing the trade and commerce of
Shahrud. Presently, however, the doorway of the bala-hhaneh was
again darkened, and a trio of Persian officials marched in, while
a posse of attendants stood outside. They were succeeded by
some menials carrying a tray, on which were two packets of tea
and four sugar-loaves wrapped up in bine paper; following whom
appeared two other individuals holding by the legs a kicking sheep,
while a third balanced a couple of cane-bottomed chairs behind.
I really think that I am justified in presenting this to my readers
as a spectacle of no mean dramatic effect.
Scene—A mud room in a Persian posthouse.
Dramatis 1 ersonbt^ Englishman in flannel shirt, breeches, and
stockings only j Armenian traders • Persian chamberlains * struggling
sheep.
Dramatic Accessories .—Sugar-loaves and cane-bottomed chairs.
I now realised that I was the recipient of a formal deputation
fiom the
Prince-Governor
A Prince of the Royal line who also acted as Governor of a large Iranian province during the Qājār period (1794-1925).
of Shahrud, who had sent to welcome and
to invite me to become his guest at Bostam, and that the Armenians
had been despatched as a sort of advanced guard to reconnoitre
and interpret. By their aid I was enabled to acknowledge the
hospitality of the Governor and to accept his gifts—a process which
naturally involved the return of an equivalent present to the depu
ties. Having pocketed a few
tomans
10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value.
with much satisfaction, these
worthies forthwith realised that no more business was to be done.
ference, and terminated in a lofty pointed cone, in which was a single window.
wo belts of Arabic inscriptions demonstrated a kindred origin to the tower of
JBostam. °
>
a
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 [238v] (479/1814), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/33, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100157213844.0x000056> [accessed 6 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
- 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