![Annotated Copy of <em>Persia and the Persian Question</em> by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎555v] (1123/1814)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000001491.0x00033b/Mss Eur F111_33_1137.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "Annotated Copy of <em>Persia and the Persian Question</em> by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎555v] (1123/1814)")
Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [555v] (1123/1814)
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.
126 PERSIA
the right side and streamers behind, and being commonly supposed to
represent Artabanus, the last Parthian king. On the other hand, the
figure whom the god tramples underfoot appears to have snakes
wreathed round his head, a symbolism which has been variously
explained. Ker Porter identifies him, somewhat vaguely, with the
< o'oro-on-headed demon of the Arsacidian idolatry.’ Thomas talks, not
less obscurely, about the ‘ snake-crested helmet of the Mecle/ Rawlin-
son decides for Ahriman, the embodiment of evil ; Perrot, for Zohak
or Azi-Dahaka, another incarnation of the evil principle. 1 Inscriptions,
bilingual, but triliteral— i.e. in two forms of the Pehlevi character, and
in Greek—are cut upon the shoulders of both horses. That upon the
charger of the king, which was first deciphered by De Sacy, 2 runs as
follows :—
This is the image of the Ormuzd- worshipper, the god Artakshatr (Ardeshir),
King of kings Arian, of the race of the Gods, son of the God, Papak, the King.
The Greek inscription on the horse of Ormuzd says
This is the image of the god Zens.
This is the sum-total of the Sassanian sculptures of Naksh-i-Rustam.
We will now cross the valley again to its southern side, where, soon
after turning the angle of the mountains that face the plain
mreiTof 3 " of Mervdasht, and setting our faces towards Persepolis,
Naksh-i- at a 6 0 ut two miles distance from the palace-platform we
come across a small natural recess 3 in the base of the cliff,
the sides and back wall of which have been artificially smoothed in
•order to receive the work of the chisel. So snugly hidden is this rock-
nook, and so littered are its approaches with loosely-piled boulders, that
four travellers out of five would probably pass it unobserved. Its
sides converge towards the back wall of the natural rock ; and all
three surfaces are adorned with bas-reliefs of the earliest Sassanian
period, representing incidents similar to those which have already been
described. They have suffered, however, from more deliberate and
savage mutilation than their fellows on the other side of the valley,
this being due, perhaps, to their greater proximity to Persepolis, whither,
we are told by Chardin that the Prime Minister of Shah Sefi I. sent
sixty men with orders to deface the sculptures, so as to discourage the
1 Vide Professor J. Darmesteter, Introduction au Vendidad, p. Ixv.
2 stolze, vol. ii. pi. 116 ; E. Thomas, Early Sassanian Inscriptions, p. 29.
3 Ouseley says it was artificially hewn, but I do not agree with him. For a
plan, vide Flandin and Coste, vol. iv. pi. 189: and for authorities, vide J. P. Morier
(1809), First Journey, pp. 137-9; Sir W. Ouseley (1811), Travels, vol.ii. pp. 291-3;
Sir r/k. Porter, Travels, vol. i. pp. 571-5 ; J. Ussher (1861), Journey, p. 546, et
seq. : K. D. Kiach (1878), Ancient Persian Sculptures ; as well as the works con
taining engravings or photographs which will be referred to.
Pi
.ranked*
On the rt
seen
Its
First
tablet:
and
Ardeshir
liave heei
Ardeshir'
The n
principal i
Ormuzd
and
Ardeshir
baton (
with t
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 [555v] (1123/1814), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/33, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100157213847.0x00007c> [accessed 7 June 2026]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100157213847.0x00007c
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_100157213847.0x00007c">Annotated Copy of <em>Persia and the Persian Question</em> by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎555v] (1123/1814)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100157213847.0x00007c"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000001491.0x00033b/Mss Eur F111_33_1137.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