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Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎586v] (1187/1814)

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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174
PERSIA
little doubt that the conduit is merely part of the system either of
drainage or of water-supply, the traces of which exist in other parts
of the platform—e.g. under the Hall of Xerxes. Whether Ker Porter
is justified in connecting it directly both with the relics of a tank at
the foot of the mountain on the east, and with the stone cistern
already noticed near the Porch of Xerxes, I have not the means of
ascertainino- As in the case of the Palace of Darius, so also here,
the buildinv is flanked by a number of smaller compartments, of which
there appear to have been four on either side, those two into which
access is Gained from the central or pillared hall having also contained
four columns each, and having, therefore, constituted subsidiary pil
lared courts The doorways, windows, and niches surrounding the
EAST STAIRCASE, PALACE OF XERXES
main hall are adorned with sculptures similar in character to those m
the elder palace, the sovereign with parasol and fly-flap,^ held >
attendants, being sculped on the door-jambs ; but m severa o ^
windows are depicted what appear to be evidences of royal hi™ J
and entertainment, in the shape of attendants leading ammaL,
carrying cups, dishes, and vases of perfume. On the south sid
staircases lead up from its eastern and western ends on to the pa w
platform in the outer front of which four niches with a cornice ai
disposed’ while-a unique feature in this structure—from the sou .
west corner another flight of steps, hewn in the natural rock, a rig
angles to the terrace, and without either parapet or SCU P ^ e ^ enerfll
up from the lower or southern to the upper platform. „

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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 [‎586v] (1187/1814), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/33, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100157213847.0x0000bc> [accessed 9 June 2026]

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