DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN--THE TOWN--PERIOD OF FASTING--BEHMEN MIRZA--
ANECDOTES OF THE PERSIAN GOVERNMENT--INTRODUCTION TO THE VICEROY AND
HIS WIFE--BEHMEN MIRZA'S WIVES--VISIT TO A PERSIAN LADY--PERSECUTION
OF THE LOWER CLASSES, OF THE CHRISTIANS, AND OF THE JEWS--DEPARTURE.
Tebris, or Tauris, is the capital of the province of Aderbeidschan,
and the residence of the successor to the throne of Persia, who
bears the title of Viceroy. It is situated in a treeless valley on
the rivers Piatscha and Atschi, and contains 160,000 inhabitants.
The town is handsomer than Teheran or Ispahan, possesses a number of
silk looms and leather manufactories, and is said to be one of the
principal seats of Asiatic commerce.
The streets are tolerably broad, and are also kept clean, there is
in each an underground water canal with openings at regular
intervals for the purpose of dipping out water.
There is no more to be seen of the houses than in any other Oriental
town. Lofty walls with low entrances, without windows, and with the
fronts always facing the court-yards, which are planted with flowers
and small trees, and generally adjoining a beautiful garden. The
reception rooms are large and lofty, with whole rows of windows,
forming a complete wall of glass. The decoration of the rooms is
not elegant, generally nothing beyond some few carpets; European
furniture and articles of luxury are rare.
There are no handsome mosques, palaces, or monuments, either ancient
or modern, with the exception of the partly ruined mosque of Ali-
Schach, which, however, will not bear comparison in any respect with
those in India.
The new bazaar is very handsome, its lofty, broad covered streets
and passages forcibly called to my remembrance the bazaar at
Constantinople; but it had a more pleasant appearance as it is
newer. The merchant's stalls also are larger, and the wares,
although not so magnificent and rich as some travellers represent,
are more tastefully displayed and can be more easily overlooked,
especially the carpets, fruits, and vegetables. The cookshops also
looked very inviting, and the various dishes seemed so palatable and
diffused such a savoury odour, that I could have sat down with
pleasure and partaken of them. The shoe department, on the
contrary, presented nothing attractive; there were only goods of the
plainest description exposed; while in Constantinople the most
costly shoes and slippers, richly embroidered with gold, and even
ornamented with pearls and precious stones, are to be seen under
glass cases.
I had arrived at Tebris at a rather unfavourable time--namely, the
fast month. From sunrise to sunset nothing is eaten, nobody leaves
the house, there are neither visits nor company--indeed, nothing but
praying. This ceremony is so strictly observed that invalids
frequently fall victims to it, as they will take neither medicine
nor food during the day; they believe that if they were to eat only
a mouthful, they would forfeit the salvation to be obtained by
fasting. Many of the more enlightened make an exception to this
custom in cases of illness; however, in such an instance the
physician must send a written declaration to the priest, in which he
explains the necessity of taking medicine and food. If the priest
puts his seal to this document, pardon is obtained. I am not aware
whether this granting of indulgences was taken by the Mahomedans
from the Christians, or the reverse. Girls are obliged to keep
these fasts after their tenth year, and boys after their fifteenth.
It was to the courteousness of Dr. Cassolani, and his intimacy with
some of the principal families in Tebris, that I was indebted for my
introduction to them, and even for my presentation at court,
notwithstanding the strict observance of the fast.
There was no viceroy in Tebris until about six months since, but
only a governor; the present reigning schach, Nesr-I-Din, raised the
province of Aderbeidschan to a vice-royalty, and decreed that every
eldest son of the future inheritor of the empire should reside here
as viceroy until he came to the throne.
The last governor of Tebris, Behmen Mirza, the schach's brother, was
a remarkably intelligent and just man. He brought the province of
Aderbeidschan into a flourishing condition in a few years, and
everywhere established order and security. This soon excited the
envy of the prime minister Haggi-Mirza-Aagassi; he urged the schach
to recall his brother, and represented to him that he would engage
the affections of the people too much, and that he might at last
make himself king.
For a long time the schach paid no attention to these insinuations,
for he loved his brother sincerely; but the minister did not rest
until he had attained his wishes. Behmen Mirza, who knew all that
was going on at court, hastened to Teheran for the purpose of
exculpating himself before the schach. The latter assured him of
his love and confidence, and told him, candidly, that he might
retain his office if the minister would consent to it, and
recommended him to endeavour to gain his favour.
Behmen Mirza learnt, however, through his friends, that the minister
entertained an inveterate hatred towards him, and that he ran the
risk of being deprived of his sight, or even made away with
altogether. They advised him to lose no time, but quit the country
immediately. He followed their advice, returned quickly to Tebris,
gathered his valuables together, and fled with a part of his family
to the neighbouring Russian dominions. Having arrived there, he
appealed to the Emperor of Russia by letter, soliciting his
protection, which was magnanimously afforded to him. The emperor
wrote to the schach declaring that the prince was no longer a
Persian subject, and that therefore every persecution of himself or
his family must cease; he also provided him with a pretty palace
near Tiflis, sent him costly presents, and, as I was informed,
allowed him a yearly pension of 20,000 ducats.
It may be seen from this circumstance that the minister completely
governed the schach; indeed he succeeded to such an extent, that the
schach honoured him as a prophet, and unconditionally carried out
all his suggestions. He was, on one occasion, desirous of effecting
some very important object. He told the schach, at a morning visit,
that he woke in the night and felt himself being carried upwards.
He went up higher and higher, and finally entered heaven, where he
saw and spoke with the king's father, who requested him to describe
the government of his son. The deceased king was greatly rejoiced
to hear of his good conduct, and recommended that he should continue
to go on thus. The delighted king, who had cordially loved his
father, did not cease from asking further questions, and the artful
minister always contrived to bring in at the end of his answers--"It
was only this or that thing that the father wished to see done," and
of course the good son fulfilled his father's wishes, not for one
moment doubting the assertions of his minister.
The king is said to be rather passionate, and when in such a state
of mind, will order the immediate execution of an offender. The
minister, on the other hand, possesses at least enough sense of
justice to endeavour to stay the sentence of death upon men whom he
does not fear. He has, therefore, given orders that when such a
circumstance occurs, he is to be sent for immediately, and that the
preparations for the execution are to be delayed until he comes. He
makes his appearance then as if accidentally, and asks what is going
on. The enraged sovereign tells him that he is about to have an
offender executed. The minister agrees with him completely, and
steps to the window to consult the sky, clouds, and sun. Presently
he cries out that it would be better to postpone the execution until
the following day, as the clouds, sun, or sky at the present moment
are not favourable to it, and that some misfortune to the king might
probably result from it. In the meanwhile, the king's rage abates,
and he consents that the condemned should be taken away, and
generally, that he shall be set free; the next morning the whole
affair is forgotten.
The following circumstance is also interesting; the king had once a
particular hatred for one of his town governors, and ordered him to
the capital, with the intention of having him strangled. The
minister, who was a friend of the governor, was desirous of saving
him, and did so in the following manner. He said to the king,
"Sire, I bid you farewell, I am going to Mecca." The king, greatly
grieved at the prospect of losing his favourite for so long (the
journey to Mecca takes at least a year), hastily asked the reason of
his making this journey. "You know, sire, that I am childless, and
that I have adopted the governor whom you wish to have executed; I
shall then lose my son, and I wish to fetch another from Mecca."
The king answered that he knew nothing of this, but as such was the
case he would not have him executed, but allow him to retain his
office.
The king has a great affection for his mother. When she visited
him, he always rose and continued standing, while she sat down. The
minister was much annoyed at this mark of respect, and said to him,
"You are king, and your mother must stand before you." And he
ultimately succeeded according to his wish. If, however, the king's
mother comes at a time when the minister is not present, her son
pays her this respect. He then gives strict orders to his people
not to say anything of it to the minister.
I was told these and other things by a very trustworthy person, and
they may serve to give my readers some slight idea of the system of
government in Persia.
I was presented to the viceroy a few days after my arrival. I was
conducted one afternoon by Dr. Cassolani to one of the royal summer-
houses. The house was situated in a small garden, which was
surrounded by another larger one, both enclosed by very high walls.
In the outer garden there were, besides meadows and fruit trees,
nothing deserving of much notice, except a number of tents, in which
the military were encamped. The soldiers wore the usual Persian
dress, with the single exception that the officers on duty had a
sword, and the soldiers a musket. They only appear in uniform on
the most rare occasions, and then they are, in some respects, like
European soldiers.
Several eunuchs received us at the entrance of the small garden.
They conducted us to an unpretending looking house, one story high,
at the end of a field of flowers. I should never have looked for
the country seat of the successor to the Persian throne in this
house; but such it was. At the narrow entrance of the little house
were two small flights of stairs, one of which led to the reception-
room of the viceroy, the other to that of his wife. The doctor
entered the former and several female slaves took me to the
viceroy's wife. When I reached the top of the stairs, I took off my
shoes, and entered a small, comfortable room, the walls of which
consisted almost entirely of windows. The viceroy's wife, who was
only fifteen years of age, sat upon a plain easy chair, not far from
her stood a middle-aged woman, the duenna of the harem, and an easy
chair was placed for me opposite the princess.
I was fortunate enough to be remarkably well received. Dr.
Cassolani had described me as an authoress, adding that I intended
to publish the experiences of my journey. The princess inquired
whether I should mention her also, and when she was answered in the
affirmative, she determined to show herself in full dress, in order
to give me an idea of the gorgeous and costly dress of her country.
The young princess wore trousers of thick silk, which were so full
of plaits that they stood out stiff, like the hooped petticoats of
our good old times. These trousers are from twenty to five and
twenty yards wide, and reach down to the ankle. The upper part of
the body was covered as far as the hips by a bodice, which, however,
did not fit close to the body. The sleeves were long and narrow.
The corset resembled that of the time of the hooped petticoats; it
was made of thick silk, richly and tastefully embroidered round the
corners with coloured silk and gold. A very short white silk
chemise was to be seen under the corset. On her head she wore a
three-cornered white kerchief, extending in front round the face,
and fastened under the chin; behind, it fell down as far as the
shoulders. This kerchief was also very handsomely embroidered with
gold and silk. The jewellery consisted of precious stones and
pearls of great purity and size; but they had not much effect, as
they were not set in gold, but simply perforated and strung upon a
gold thread, which was fastened above the head kerchief, and came
down under the chin.
The princess had on black silk open-worked gloves, over which were
several finger rings. Round the wrists sparkled costly bracelets of
precious stones and pearls. On her feet she wore white silk
stockings.
She was not remarkably beautiful; her cheek bones were rather too
prominent; but altogether her appearance was very attractive. Her
eyes were large, handsome, and intellectual, her figure pretty, and
her age--fifteen years.
Her face was a very delicate white and red; and the eyebrows were
covered with blue streaks, which, in my opinion, rather disfigured
than adorned them. On the temple a little of her brilliant black
hair was to be seen.
Our conversation was carried on by signs. Dr. Cassolani, who spoke
Persian very well, was not allowed to cross the threshold today, and
the princess had received me, consequently, unveiled. During this
stupid interview, I found time enough to look at the distant view
from the windows. It was here that I first saw how extensive the
town was, and what an abundance of gardens it possessed. The latter
are, indeed, its peculiar ornament, for it contains no fine
buildings; and the large valley in which it lies, together with the
mountains round, are naked and barren, and present no attractions.
I expressed my surprise at the great size of the town and the number
of the gardens.
Towards the end of the audience, a quantity of fruits and sweetmeats
were brought, of which, however, I alone partook--it being fast
time.
Leaving the princess, I was conducted to her husband, the viceroy.
He was seventeen, and received me seated upon an easy chair at a
bow-window. I had to thank my character of authoress, that a chair
was placed ready for me. The walls of the large room were panelled
with wood, and ornamented with several mirrors, gilt-work, and oil-
paintings of heads and flowers. In the middle of the saloon stood
two large empty bedsteads.
The prince wore a European dress: trousers of fine white cloth,
with broad gold lace; a dark blue coat, the collar, facings, and
corners of which were richly embroidered with gold; white silk
gloves and stockings. His head was covered by a Persian fur cap
nearly a yard high. This is not, however, his ordinary dress; he is
said to change his mode of dressing oftener than his wife, and
sometimes to wear the Persian costume, sometimes to envelop himself
in cashmere shawls, as his fancy may be.
I should have supposed that he was at least twenty-two. He has a
pale, tawny complexion, and, altogether, no attractive, amiable, or
intellectual expression; never looks straightforward and openly at
you, and his glance is savage and repulsive. I pitied, in my mind,
all those who were his subjects. I would rather be the wife of a
poor peasant than his favourite princess.
The prince put several questions to me, which Dr. Cassolani, who
stood a few paces from us, interpreted. They were nothing
remarkable, chiefly common-places about my journey. The prince can
read and write in his mother tongue, and has, as I was told, some
idea of geography and history. He receives a few European
newspapers and periodicals from which the interpreter has to make
extracts, and read to him. His opinion of the great revolutions of
the time was, that the European monarchs might have been very good,
but they were most remarkably stupid to allow themselves to be so
easily driven from the throne. He considered that the result would
have been very different if they had had plenty of people strangled.
As far as regards execution and punishment, he far exceeds his
father; and, unfortunately, has no controlling minister at his side.
His government is said to be that of a child; one moment he orders
something to be done, and an hour afterwards countermands it. But
what can be expected from a youth of seventeen, who has received
little or no education; was married at fifteen, and, two years
afterwards, takes the unlimited control of a large province with a
revenue of a million tomans (500,000 pounds), and with every means
of gratifying his desires.
The prince has at present only one regular wife, although he is
allowed to have four; however, he has no scarcity of handsome female
friends. It is the custom in Persia, that when the king, or the
successor to the throne, hears that any one of his subjects has a
handsome daughter or sister, he demands her. The parents or
relations are greatly rejoiced at this command, for if the girl is
really handsome, she is, in any case, well provided for. If, after
some time, she no longer pleases the king or prince, she is married
to some minister or rich man; but, if she has a child, she is
immediately considered as the king's or prince's acknowledged wife,
and remains permanently at court. When, on the contrary, a girl
does not please the regent at first sight, her family are very much
disappointed, and consider themselves unfortunate. She is, in this
case, sent home again immediately, her reputation for beauty is
lost, and she has not, after this, much chance of making a good
match.
The princess is already a mother, but, unfortunately, only of a
daughter. She is, for the present, the chief wife of the prince,
because no other female has given birth to a son; but whoever brings
the first son into the world will then take her place: she will be
honoured as the mother of the heir to the throne. In consequence of
this custom, the children are unfortunately liable to the danger of
being poisoned; for any woman who has a child excites the envy of
all those who are childless; and this is more particularly the case
when the child is a boy. When the princess accompanied her husband
to Tebris, she left her little daughter behind, under the protection
of its grandfather, the Schach of Persia, in order to secure it from
her rivals.
When the viceroy rides out, he is preceded by several hundred
soldiers. They are followed by servants with large sticks, who call
upon the people to bow before the powerful ruler. The prince is
surrounded by officers, military, and servants, and the procession
is closed by more soldiers. The prince only is mounted, all the
rest are on foot.
The prince's wives are also permitted to ride out at times, but they
are obliged to be thickly veiled, and entirely surrounded by
eunuchs, several of whom hasten on before, to tell the people that
the wives of the monarch are on the road. Every one must then leave
the streets, and retire into the houses and bye-lanes.
The wives of the banished prince, Behmen, who were left behind,
learnt, through Dr. Cassolani, that I thought of going to Tiflis.
They requested me to visit them, that I might be able to tell the
prince that I had seen them and left them well. The doctor
conducted me into their presence. He had been the friend and
physician of the prince, who was not one of the fanatic class, and
allowed him the entree to the females.
Nothing very worthy of notice took place at this visit. The house
and garden were plain, and the women had wrapped themselves in large
mantles, as the doctor was present, some, indeed, covered a part of
their faces while speaking with him. Several of them were young,
although they all appeared older than they really were. One, who
was twenty-two, I should have taken to be at least thirty. A rather
plump dark beauty of sixteen was also introduced to me as the latest
addition to the harem. She had been bought at Constantinople only a
short time since. The women appeared to treat her with great good-
nature; they told me that they took considerable pains to teach her
Persian.
Among the children there was a remarkably beautiful girl of six,
whose pure and delicate countenance was fortunately not yet
disfigured by paint. This child, as well as the others, was dressed
in the same way as the women; and I remarked that the Persian dress
was really, as I had been told, rather indecorous. The corset fell
back at every quick movement; the silk or gauze chemise, which
scarcely reached over the breast, dragged up so high that the whole
body might be seen as far as the loins. I observed the same with
the female servants, who were engaged in making tea or other
occupations; every motion disarranged their dress.
My visit to Haggi-Chefa-Hanoum, one of the principal and most-
cultivated women in Tebris, was far more interesting. Even at the
entrance of the court-yard and house, the presence of a well-
regulating mind might be perceived. I had never seen so much
cleanliness and taste in any Oriental house. I should have taken
the court-yard for the garden, if I had not afterwards seen the
latter from the windows. The gardens here are, indeed, inferior to
ours, but are magnificent when compared with those at Baghdad. They
have flowers, rows of vines and shrubs, and between the fruit-trees
pleasant basins of water and luxuriant grass-plots.
The reception-room was very large and lofty; the front and back (of
which the former looked out into the court-yard, the latter into the
garden), consisted of windows, the panes of which were in very small
six and eight-sided pieces, framed in gilded wood; on the door-posts
there was also some gilding. The floor was covered with carpeting;
and at the place where the mistress of the house sat, another piece
of rich carpet was laid over. In Persia, there are no divans, but
only thick round pillows for leaning upon.
Intimation had previously been given of my visit. I found a large
party of women and young girls assembled, who had probably been
attracted here by their curiosity to see a European woman. Their
dress was costly, like that of the princess, but there was a
difference in the jewellery. Several among them were very handsome,
although they had rather broad foreheads, and too prominent cheek-
bones. The most charming features of the Persians are their eyes,
which are remarkable, as well for their size as their beautiful form
and animated expression. Of course, there was no want of paint on
their skins and eye-brows.
This party of women was the most agreeable and unconstrained that I
ever found in Oriental houses. I was able to converse in French
with the mistress of the house, by the help of her son, of about
eighteen, who had received an excellent education in Constantinople.
Not only the son, but also the mother and the other women, were read
and well-informed. Dr. Cassolani, moreover, assured me that the
girls of rich families could nearly all read and write. They are,
in this respect, far in advance of the Turks.
The mistress of the house, her son, and myself, sat upon chairs, the
rest squatted down on carpets round us. A table, the first that I
had seen in a Persian house, was covered with a handsome cloth, and
set out with the most magnificent fruits, sherbets, and various
delicacies, which had been prepared by my host herself; among the
sweetmeats were sugared almonds and fruits, which not only appeared
inviting, but tasted deliciously.
The sweet melons and peaches were just in their prime during my stay
at Tebris. They were so delicious, that it may well be said Persia
is their native country. The melons have more frequently a whitish,
or greenish, than a yellow pulp. They may be eaten entirely, with
the exception of the outermost thin rind; and, if it were possible
for anything to exceed sugar in sweetness, it would be these melons.
The peaches are also juicy, sweet, and aromatic.
Before leaving Tebris, I must say a few words about the people. The
complexion of the common men is rather more than sunburnt; among the
upper classes, white is the prevailing colour of the skin. They all
have black hair and eyes. Their figures are tall and powerful, the
features very marked--especially the nose--and the look rather wild.
The women, both of the upper and lower classes, are uncommonly
thickly veiled when they go out. The better-dressed men wear, out
of doors, a very long mantle of dark cloth with slashed sleeves,
which reach to the ground; a girdle or shawl surrounds their waist,
and their head-dress consists of a pointed black fur cap more than a
foot high, which is made of the skins of unborn sheep. The women of
the labouring class do not appear to have much to do; during my
journey, I saw only a few at work in the fields, and I noticed also
in the town that all the hard work is done by the men.
In Tebris, as well as throughout the whole of Persia, the Jews,
semi-Mahomedans, and Christians, are intolerably hated. Three
months since, the Jews and Christians in Tebris were in great
danger. Several crowds of people gathered together and marched
through the quarter where these people dwelt, when they commenced
plundering and destroying the houses, threatening the inhabitants
with death, and, in some cases, even putting their threats into
execution. Fortunately, this horrible proceeding was immediately
made known to the governor of the town; and he, being a brave and
determined man, lost not a moment's time even to throw his kaftan
over his house-dress, but hastened out into the midst of the crowd,
and succeeded, by means of a powerful speech, in dispersing the
people.
On arriving at Tebris, I expressed my desire to continue my journey
from here to Tiflis by way of Natschivan and Erivan. It appeared at
first that there was not much hope of its possibility, as, since the
late political disturbances in Europe, the Russian government, like
the Chinese, had strictly prohibited the entrance of any foreigners;
however, Mr. Stevens promised to make use of all his power with the
Russian consul, Mr. Anitschow, in my favour. I was indebted to
this, together with my sex and age, for being made an exception. I
received from the Russian consul not only the permission, but also
several kind letters of introduction to people at Natschivan,
Erivan, and Tiflis.
I was advised to ride from Tebris to Natschivan with post-horses,
and to take a servant with me as far as that place. I did so, and
commenced my journey at 9 o'clock in the morning of the 11th of
August. Several gentlemen, whose acquaintance I had made in Tebris,
accompanied me about a mile out of the town, and we encamped on the
bank of a beautiful little river, and partook of a cold breakfast.
Then I began my journey alone, indeed, but composedly and with good
courage, for now I thought I was entering a Christian country,
beneath the sceptre of a civilized, European, law and order-loving
monarch.