Skip to item: of 1,814
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎484r] (978/1814)

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.

Apply page layout

FROM TEHERAN TO ISFAHAN
13
Kai-(isIlian , or King s dwelling. From a very remote period
Kashan appears to have been famous for five things: the industrial
aptitudes of its inhabitants, its silk manufactures, its brass and
copper utensils, its earthenware or faience, and its scorpions.
Geoffrey Ducket, one of the English factors who sailed to Persia in
the fifth venture of the British Moscovy Company in the sixteenth
century, 1 went up to Kashan in 1573 and reported it to be:—
A town that consisteth altogether of merchaundise, and the best
trade of all the lande is there, beyng greatly frequented by the
merchauntes of India. The towne is much to be commended for the
civill and good government that is there used. An idle person is not
suffered to live amongst them. The childe that is but five yeeres olde
is set to some labour. Playing at dice or cardes is by the lawe present
death. 2
John Cartwright, preacher, in 1600, called it 4 the very magazeen
and warehouse of all the Persian cities for stuffes.’ 3 Sir T. Herbert
in 1627 said :—
This noble city is in comparison not less than \ r ork or Norwich,
about 4,000 families being accounted in her. A more industrious and
civil People or a town better governed Persia elsewhere has not. The
Carravans-raw, is an unparalleTd fabrick, and precedes all other I saw
in Persia. 4
Chardin also spoke of 4 the Boyal Inn, built by Abbas the Great,’
as ‘ the finest in all Persia,’ and said that in his day the city had
a double wall, five gates, 6,500 houses (including the suburbs),
forty mosques, three colleges, and 200 sepulchres of Seyids.
The silks, satins, velvets, and brocades of Kashan have long
been famous throughout the East. In former times the silkworm
Its manu- was largely cultivated in the neighbourhood, and there
factures was further a considerable import of raw material from
Gilan. A number of beautiful silk, and silk with cotton, fabrics are
still manufactured here (of which the shawls called Husein Kuli
Khani, from the name of some early designer or patron, are perhaps
the most artistic textile production of Persia), as well as velvets
with a peculiar mottled pattern. The pierced and inlaid brass
1 For further details, vide a later chapter on Persian Gommeice.
2 Early Voyages in Russia and Persia (Hakluyt Societ} ), vol. ii. p. 428.
3 Purchas’ Pilgrims, vol. ii. lib. ix. cap. 4.
4 Some Yeares' Travels, p. 222. The Royal Gaia^anseiai has long ago fallen
into ruin.

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
Cite this item in your research

Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎484r] (978/1814), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/33, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100157213846.0x0000b3> [accessed 6 June 2026]

Link to this item
Embed this item

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_100157213846.0x0000b3">Annotated Copy of <em>Persia and the Persian Question</em> by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [&lrm;484r] (978/1814)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100157213846.0x0000b3">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000001491.0x00033b/Mss Eur F111_33_0992.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" />
</a>
IIIF details

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

Use and reuse
Download this image