"ملاحظات اللورد كرزون عن بلاد فارس" [و‎‎٦‎٤‎٥] (١٣٨٦/١٢٩١)

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Hamza’s flight was made known to him, and dispatched in hot haste after him Colonel
(“ Ser-teb ”) Mehemet Sadik Khan and Captain Mehemet Hussein Khan Bakhtizar,
at the head of 500 cavalry, with orders to arrest and bring back the fugitive. Hamza,
informed of the measures taken against him, called together a few horsemen of his
tribe, with whom he met and defeated the Governor’s troop. When this news reached
Savoudjblag, Chahzad at once set about collecting a stronger force with which to put
down the revolt. Meanwhile, Hamza had good information of what was preparing
against him, and seeing the urgency of making sufficient preparations to meet the
danger, and fearing that he was not strong enough to meet the Shah’s troops alone, he
sent to ask Sheikh Obeidullah to come to his assistance. The Sheikh sent his son
Abdulkader, at the head of 200 horsemen. Hamza Agha being also joined by another
Kurdish Chief, Kerim Khan, the three went forth at the head of 8,000 horsemen to
meet the Governor of Savoudjblag, who, dismayed at the formidable force Hamza was
bringing to oppose him, fled to Tauris with a small escort of cavalry. Hamza and his
allies, finding the road clear, pushed on to Savoudjblag without meeting any resistance,
and reached that place towards the end of September. He found the inhabitants, who
are all Kurds, ready to welcome him as their deliverer from the Persian yoke, which
had become especially oppressive in the matter of taxes. For instance, there was the
"mahyan," a monthly tribute; the " saliayan," a yearly tribute; “idane,” a tax
levied for the Bairam; the " nevroujieh," a tax for the festival of the 21st March;
the "mouharemyeh," a tax for the first day of the year; the "mevloudi," for the
anniversary of the Prophet’s birthday, &c. So that, considering how they were ground
down by the Persian authorities, the inhabitants of Savoudjblag were glad of any
change. Three days later Hamza laid siege to Miyan Divani, of which he took
possession on the 1st October, after routing a body of 2,000 cavalry, under the
command of Ali Khan, Governor of Maraga. Mulla Mehmed Djaafer was killed in
this action, and Merkamet Abad taken prisoner by the Kurds. From thence Hamza
and his allies proceeded to the attack of the town of Bonab. Hadji Ali, the Judge, at
the head of 3,000 men, made a stout resistance, but was beaten by the Kurds, and the
town fell into their hands. Agha Khan, at the head of seven or eight battalions of
regular troops, with eight guns, came up with the intention of attacking the Kurds.
A battle took place, which lasted for twenty-four hours, at the end of which the
Persians were beaten and put to flight. The news of this defeat caused great excite
ment at Tauris. Mouza-Afferendin-Mirza, the Heir-Apparent of the Shah of Persia,
and Governor of Tauris, who was at the time at Tehran, ordered Itimadussaltanet to
march against the rebels with an imposing force. Kachmelut-devlet, of Kermanshah,
also received orders to march against the insurgents. The towns which have submitted
to the Kurds without resistance are Savoudjblag, Saky, Bane, Lahidjan, Serdjan,
Chenu, and Boukian. All these towns or villages are inhabited by Kurds. The towns
captured by the rebels, after more or less resistance, are Miyandewab, Merhamet-abad,
Maragha, Ourmenyeh, Vinab, Seradja, Hechtrod, Satilmich, Bouzlik, Benadja, and
Giul-oudil, inhabited by Persians. The nephew of Kurd Aziz, formerly Minister of
War for Persia, has joined the Kurds, and many other Chiefs and officers have thrown
in their lot with them.”
No. 46.
Mr. Thomson to Earl Granville.
(Substance received by telegraph, November 23.)
My Lord, Tehran, November 23, 1880.
I HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship that the Shah sent for me to a
private audience this morning, and again spoke to me about the Kurdish outbreak.
He said the Persian Government had received information that the Kurds had at
length been driven out of Souj Boulak and the adjacent districts, which were now
occupied by the troops recently sent from Tehran, and that Sheikh Obeidullah, who
had been twice defeated in the Plain of Oroomiah by the Persian force under Timour
Pasha Khan, had fled to a district near Merghever, on the frontier, where he and his
son, Abdul Kader, had taken refuge with the Persian branch of the Shekak Kurdish
tribe. The Ikbal-ed-Dowleh and Timour Pasha Khan had already advanced by the
Merghever and Beradost Valleys in pursuit of the Sheikh, and the Sepeh Salar, who
would reach Souj Boulak to-morrow, would in a few days himself proceed to Oroomiah,
and thence, if necessary, to the Shekak districts. They would endeavour to capture
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