Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [624v] (1265/1814)
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.
238
PERSIA
r
.1
than any previously issued ; while the sadly disproportionate ex
panse of the two mighty deserts is a visitation from which Persia
will hardly free herself till the end of time.
I will deal with the cities before I come to the deserts; and
Cities and from the two I will then pass to the interesting but
deserts little-known subject of Persian Beluchistan.
Each distinct division of the Persian territories has its populous
city. In the north-west is Tabriz, in the north Teheran, in tbe
north-east Meshed, in the centre Isfahan, in the south
Shiraz. The provinces of which I speak can claim two
Yezd
and
Kerman
Kerman 0 f s i m il ar rank, Yezd and Kerman, the former
situated 200 miles (by caravan track) south-east of Isfahan, the
latter rather more than the same distance south-east of Yezd, and
hr&Ql miles from the sea at Bunder Abbas. Both are famous and
populous cities : both are sustained by local industry and foreign
barter; and both present much the same features of habit and
appearance; although Kerman must yield to Yezd, alike in
number of inhabitants, in wealth, and in general prosperity.
Yezd, 1 which is the capital of a district bearing the same name,
is ordinarily approached, on the north, by caravan route from
History of Kashan via Nain, or from Isfahan; on the south by
Yezd similar routes from Bunder Abbas, usually traversed by
camels, either via Saidabad or via Kerman. In the Persian
hyperbole the city is known as Dar-el-Ibadeh, or Seat of Wor
ship, a not inapt designation, seeing that its people, whether
Mohammedans, or Babis, or Parsis, are distinguished for great
strictness and zeal, and that it contains a large number of the
fanatical firebrands who call themselves seyids. In history it has
long been known; but, from its proximity to no frontier, has
played both a less troublous and a less distinguished part than
other cities of less importance. It was one of the legendary
halting-places of Zal and Rustam while on their march from Seistan
1 Yezd has been visited and described by the following Europeans in the
present century: A. Dupre (1808), Voyage en Perse, vol. ii. cap. xlii.; Dr. A.
Petermann (1854), Reisen ini Orient ; N. de Khanikoff (1859), Memoire, pp- 200
204 (with a map); Sir F. Goldsmid (1865), Telegraph and Travel,^- 570 -572,
Colonel Euan-Smith (1870), Eastern Persia, vol. i. pp. 173-175 ; (Sir) C. MacGregor
(1875), Journey through Khorasan, vol. i. pp. 71-80 ; E. Floyer (1877), Unexplore
Beluchistan, cap. xiv. ; A. H. Schindler (1879), Zeit. f. Gesell. d. Erd. zu Berlin,
1881; E. Stack (1881), Six Months in Persia, vol. i. p. 256 ; H. B. Vaughan (1888),
Proceedings of the R. G. S. (new series), vol. xii., 1890. The first city of Yezd was
also called Askizar.
r
.i
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 [624v] (1265/1814), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/33, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100157213848.0x000042> [accessed 15 June 2026]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100157213848.0x000042
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_100157213848.0x000042">Annotated Copy of <em>Persia and the Persian Question</em> by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎624v] (1265/1814)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100157213848.0x000042"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000001491.0x00033b/Mss Eur F111_33_1281.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
![Annotated Copy of <em>Persia and the Persian Question</em> by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎624v] (1265/1814) Annotated Copy of <em>Persia and the Persian Question</em> by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎624v] (1265/1814)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000001491.0x00033b/Mss Eur F111_33_1281.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg)