Modern Persia — Reading Notes

GENERAL SURVEY OF PERSIA.

Once, in ages long past, Persia was the home of heroes and was studded with palaces of splendor. Bards and poets of all nations have vied with each other in singing of the bravery of her sons and the beauty of her daughters. The names of Cyrus the Great, Darius, and others are engraved in ever-living letters on the pages of history.

To-day, though her glory has flown away and her splendor has faded, her natural beauty remains untarnished. The words of the poet Sahdy are still true: "It is a paradise making men drunken with the odors of its roses; it is a garden whose streams wreath the faces of men in smiles."

In 1826, in the war between Persia and Russia, the territory of the former was greatly reduced. It now contains 628,000 square miles or three times the number in France or Germany. It is divided into thirteen states as follows: Ghilon, Mazandaron, Ostorobad, in the north; Azerbijon, Persian Kurdistan, Luriston and Khuziston on the west; Fariston, Loriston, Kerman with Mogiston in the south; Irakeston the capital state where the king resides being in the center. On the east lies the large state of Khorason, which is mainly desert.

Persia is dotted with many great and small mountains, interspersed with fertile valleys, flowing fountains and silvery streams. Dense jungles abound in the states of Mazandaron and Ghilon.

CLIMATE AND PRODUCTS.

The great extent of the country gives rise to an extremely varied climate. Cyrus said of it: "The people perish with the cold at one extremity, while they are suffocated with the heat at the other." Persia may be considered to possess three climates: that of southern Dashtiston; of the elevated plateau; and of the Caspian provinces.

In Dashtiston the autumnal heats are excessive, those of summer are more tolerable, while in winter and spring the climate is delightful. In the plateau the climate of Fariston is temperate. About Isphahon in the same plateau the winters and summers are equally mild, and the regularity of the seasons appears remarkable to a stranger. The Caspian provinces from their general depression below the level of the sea are exposed to fierce heat during the summer months, though their winters are mild. Heavy rains are frequent and many of the low districts are marshy and unhealthy. Except in the Caspian and northwest provinces the atmosphere of Persia is remarkable above that of all other countries for its dryness and purity.

The cultivated portions of Persia, where there is a good rainfall or the land can be irrigated, produce an immense variety of crops. Here is grown the best wheat in the world. Other characteristic products are barley, rice, cotton, sugar and tobacco. Vineyards are plentiful. The vines of Shiroz are celebrated in eastern poetry. Mulberries and silk are two other famous Persian products, while the finest perfumes are made from the countless varieties of roses with which the land is carpeted.

The forests of the Elburz mountains abound with wild animals, such as wolves, tigers, jackals, wild boars, foxes and the Caspian cat. Deer of every variety inhabit some of the mountains. Lions and leopards are also found in Mazandaron. Among domestic animals the horse, camels and the buffalo hold the first place. The horses of Persia have always been celebrated as the finest in the East. They are larger and more handsome, but not so fleet as the horses of Arabia. Sheep are one of the main sources of wealth of the country. All the rivers are well stocked with fish, especially with sturgeon. Silver, lead, iron, copper, salt, antimony, sulphur, and naptha are mined in large quantities. The late Shah found a little gold, but not in quantities sufficient to pay for mining.

In the days of Darius and Cyrus the population numbered not less than 40,000,000, but that number has diminished until now not more than 10,000,000 people dwell in this once-populous land. These are from different nationalities: the Kurds, numbering 500,000, Arabs, 500,000, Jews, 20,000, Nestorians, 60,000, Armenians, 60,000, Zoroastrians, 15,000, and the remainder are a Mohammedan sect.

MANUFACTURIES AND TRADES.

The manufacturies of Persia are by no means extensive, but Persian rugs and shawls have a reputation the world over. The deft fingers of the women have contributed for centuries to the glory and wealth of this country. In the marts and markets of the world these rugs and shawls sell for fabulous prices. At the World's Fair I saw a single rug valued at $15,000.

Trade, both domestic and foreign, is carried on by caravans. Tabriz is the chief commercial city and from this point goods to the value of $2,500,000 are exported annually. From the province Shiraz about $900,000 worth of opium is sent out each year.

GOVERNMENT AND TAXATION.