"تقرير عسكري حول عربستان (المنطقة رقم ١٣)." [ظ‎‎١‎٥‎٢] (٣٦٦/٣٠٩)

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of the war the Bakhtiaris maintained deputy governors of their
own supported by a force of Bakhtiari sowars in the two towns,
who helped themselves freely to the local revenues and main-
tained a semblance of law and order. In these circumstances
the impotence of any Governor General who could be induced to
take up his residence in ’Arabistan was complete and the con
dition of the hapless townspeople can be better imagined than
described. Shushtar suffered more than Dizful owing to the
presence in the former town of a family of Saiyids calling them
selves Kalantars, who had gradually made themselves supreme
in the town and were responsible for the most abominable cruel
ties until their power was finally broken by Captain Greenhouse,
the Assistant Political Officer at Shushtar in 1917.
Such was the position in 1917, when British Assistant Politi
cal Officers supported by a small force at Shush were sent to the
towns of Dizful and Shushtar. With the increase of British in
fluence in these two towns the Bakhtiari influence declined, the
two Bakhtiari deputy governors and their sowars disappeared
and an opportunity' was given to the officials of the Central
Government to exercise their normal functions. At the same
time the Persian Government sent a i*epresentative to Arabistan,
who was nominated as Governor and resided at Shushtar, where
he was advised by the British Political Officer. The immediate
result of these appointments was the recommencement of the
Customs, Revenue, Judicial and Opium departments under
their old heads with greatly increased receipts.
Other improvements which assisted in the preservation of
law and order were ;
( 1 ) The bridge at Dizful, which had been repaired during the
war bv the Persian Government with the assistance of the British,
was bringing in considerable income.
(2) The Imperial Bank of Persia opened branches at both Diz
ful and Shushtar ; the branch at Dizful has since been closed.
(3) More friendly relations were established between the
landowners and the priests.
( 4 ) A better understanding between the Shaikh of Muham-
nmrah and the Bakhtiari Khans prevented a recurrence of this
province being a “ No Man’s Land ”, over which they used to
settle their disputes.