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Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [368v] (739/1814)
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
502
idea as communism in the European sense, i.e. ? a forcible redistri
bution of property, or as socialism in the nineteenth century sense,
i.e., the defeat of capital by labour, ever entered the brain of the Bab
or his disciples. The only communism known to and recommended
by him was that of the New Testament and the early Christian
Church, viz., the sharing of goods in common by members of the
faith, and the exercise of alms-giving, and an ample charity. The
charge of immorality seems to have arisen partly from the malig
nant inventions of opponents, partly from the much greater freedom
claimed for women by the Bab, which in the Oriental mind is
scarcely dissociable from profligacy of conduct.
Babism is, in reality, a religious movement whose primary
object is a revolt against the tyranny and fanaticism of the Koran,
Religions an( ^ against the growing laxity of Mussulman practice,
tenets ^ represents what, in our terminology, would be
described as an effort after freedom of thought and purity of ob
servance. Foremost among the objects that it inculcates is the
emancipation of women, an idea which it seems to have derived, in
common with many others, from the Christian doctrine. The Bab
and Beha in their writings have enjoined the disuse of the veil,
the abolition of divorce, polygamy, and concubinage, in other words,
of the harem, and greater liberty of action for the female sex.
They recommend a system of poor-law relief, but declare war
against mendicancy. As regards the corrupt practices of the
modern Mussulman, the Bab forbade smoking, and condemned the
kalian. Wine-drinking is permitted in moderation by Beha, but
is interdicted to the Ezelis. Against the profligate imposture of
the ordinary mullah’s life, both inveigh with acrimony. Broadly
regarded, Babism may be defined as a creed of charity, and almost
of common humanity. Brotherly love, kindness to children,
courtesy combined with dignity, sociability, hospitality, freedom
from bigotry, friendliness even to Christians, are included in its
tenets. That every Babi recognises or observes these precepts
v ould be a foolish assertion; but let a prophet, if his gospel be in
question, be judged by his own preaching.
Only secondarily does Babism present a constructive body of
doctrine, which, it may safely be averred, not one tenth of its
votaries either understand or could explain. The somewhat mystic
and speculative character of the Persian is easily attracted by a pan
theistic conception of the Deity, by which all creation is regarded as
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 [368v] (739/1814), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/33, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100157213845.0x000092> [accessed 5 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