answer, varied by an occasional divergence on her part into an
animated talk with Mirza Yusuf. Among the many questions asked were
these: at what age our women marry? how many wives the Agha has? how
long our women are allowed to keep their boys with them? why I do not
dye my hair? if I know of anything to take away wrinkles? to whiten
teeth? etc., if our men divorce their wives when they are forty? why
Mr. ---- had refused a Bakhtiari wife? if I am travelling to collect
herbs? if I am looking for the plant which if found would turn the
base metals into gold? etc.
She said they had very dull lives, and knew nothing of any customs but
their own; that they would like to see the Agha, who, they heard, was
a head taller than their tallest men; that they hoped I should be at
Chigakhor when they were there, as it would be less dull, and she
apologised for not offering tea or sweetmeats, as it is the fast of
the Ramazan, which they observe very strictly. I told them that the
Agha wished to take their photographs, and the Hadji Ilkhani along
with them. They were quite delighted, but it occurred to them that
they must first get the Ilkhani's consent. This was refused, and one
of his sons, whose wife is very handsome, said, "We cannot allow
pictures to be made of our women. It is not our custom. We cannot
allow pictures of our women to be in strange hands. No good women have
their pictures taken. Among the tribes you may find women base enough
to be photographed." The chief wife offered to make me a present of
her grandson, to whom I am giving a tonic, if I can make him strong
and cure his deafness. He is a pale precocious child of ten, with
hazel eyes and hair made artificially auburn.
When the remarkably frivolous conversation flagged, they brought
children afflicted with such maladies as ophthalmia, scabies, and sore
eyes to be cured, but rejected my dictum that a copious use of soap
and water must precede all remedies. Among the adults headaches, loss
of appetite, and dyspepsia seem the prevailing ailments. Love potions
were asked for, and charms to bring back lost love, with special
earnestness, and the woful looks assumed when I told the applicants
that I could do nothing for them were sadly suggestive. There could
not have been fewer than sixty women and children in the room, many,
indeed most of them, fearfully dirty in dress and person. Among them
were several negro and mulatto slaves. When I came away the balconies
and arches of the Ilkhani's house were full of men, anxious to have a
good view of the Feringhi woman, but there was no rudeness there, or
in the village, which I walked through afterwards with a courtesy
escort of several dismounted horsemen.
After this the Ilkhani asked me to go to see a man who is very ill,
and sent two of his retainers with me. It must be understood that
Mirza Yusuf goes with me everywhere as attendant and interpreter. The
house was a dark room, with a shed outside, in a filthy yard, in which
children, goats, and dogs were rolling over each other in a foot of
powdered mud. Crowds of men were standing in and about the shed. I
made my way through them, moving them to right and left with my hands,
with the recognised supremacy of a _Hak[=i]m_! There were some wadded
quilts on the ground, and another covered a form of which nothing was
visible but two feet, deadly cold. The only account that the
bystanders could give of the illness was, that four days ago the man
fainted, and that since he had not been able to eat, speak, or move.
The face was covered with several folds of a very dirty _chadar_. On
removing it I was startled by seeing, not a sick man, but the open
mouth, gasping respiration, and glassy eyes of a dying man. His
nostrils had been stuffed with moist mud and a chopped aromatic herb.
The feet were uncovered, and the limbs were quite cold. There was no
cruelty in this. The men about him were most kind, but _absolutely
ignorant_.
I told them that he could hardly survive the night, and that all I
could do was to help him to die comfortably. They said with one
clamorous voice that they would do whatever I told them, and in the
remaining hours they kept their word. I bade them cleanse the mud from
his nostrils, wrap the feet and legs in warm cloths, give him air, and
not crowd round him. Under less solemn circumstances I should have
been amused with the absolute docility with which these big
savage-looking men obeyed me. I cut up a blanket, and when they had
heated some water in their poor fashion, showed them how to prepare
fomentations, put on the first myself, and bathed his face and hands.
He was clothed in rags of felt and cotton, evidently never changed
since the day they were put on, though he was what they call
"rich,"--a great owner of mares, flocks, and herds,--and the skin was
scaly with decades of dirt. I ventured to pour a little sal-volatile
and water down his throat, and the glassy eyeballs moved a little. I
asked the bystanders if, as Moslems, they would object to his taking
some spirits medicinally? They were willing, but said there was no
_arak_ in the Bakhtiari country, a happy exemption! The Agha's
kindness supplied some whisky, of which from that time the dying man
took a teaspoonful, much diluted, every two hours, tossed down his
throat with a spoon, Allah being always invoked. There was no woman's
gentleness to soothe his last hours. A wife in the dark den inside was
weaving, and once came out and looked carelessly at him, but men did
for him all that he required with a tenderness and kindness which were
very pleasing. Before I left they asked for directions over again, and
one of the Ilkhani's retainers wrote them down.
At night the Ilkhani sent to say that the man was much better and he
hoped I would go and see him. The scene was yet more weird than in the
daytime. A crowd of men were sitting and standing round a fire outside
the shed, and four were watching the dying man. The whisky had revived
him, his pulse was better, the fomentation had relieved the pain, and
when it was reapplied he had uttered the word "good." I tried to make
them understand it was only a last flicker of life, but they thought
he would recover, and the Ilkhani sent to know what food he should
have.
At dawn "death music," wild and sweet, rang out on the still air; he
died painlessly at midnight, and was carried to the grave twelve hours
later.
When people are very ill their friends give them food and medicine (if
a _Hak[=i]m_ be attainable), till, in their judgment, the case is
hopeless. Then they send for a _mollah_; who reads the Koran in a very
loud sing-song tone till death ensues, the last thirst being
alleviated meantime by _sharbat_ dropped into the mouth. Camphor and
other sweet spices are burned at the grave. If they burn well and all
is pure afterwards, they say that the deceased person has gone to
heaven; if they burn feebly and smokily, and there is any
unpleasantness from the grave, they say that the spirit is in
perdition. A Bakhtiari grave is a very shallow trench.
The watchers were kind, and carried out my directions faithfully. I
give these minute details to show how much even simple nursing can do
to mitigate suffering among a people so extremely ignorant as the
Bakhtiaris are not only of the way to tend the sick, but of the
virtues of the medicinal plants which grow in abundance around them. A
medical man itinerating among their camps with a light hospital tent
and some simple instruments and medicines could do a great deal of
healing, and much also to break down the strong prejudice which exists
against Christianity. Here, as elsewhere, the _Hak[=i]m_ is respected.
Going in that capacity I found the people docile, respectful, and even
grateful. Had I gone among them in any other, a Christian Feringhi
woman would certainly have encountered rudeness and worse.
The Ilkhani, who has not been in a hurry to call, made a formal visit
to-day with his brother, Reza Kuli Khan, his eldest son Lutf, another
son, Ghulam, with bad eyes, and a crowd of retainers. The Hadji
Ilkhani,--Imam Kuli Khan, the great feudal chief of the Bakhtiari
tribes, is a quiet-looking middle-aged man with a short black beard, a
parchment-coloured complexion, and a face somewhat lined, with a
slightly sinister expression at times. He wore a white felt cap, a
blue full-skirted coat lined with green, another of fine buff
kerseymere under it, with a girdle, and very wide black silk trousers.
He is a man of some dignity of deportment, and his usual expression is
somewhat kindly and courteous. He is a devout Moslem, and has a
finely-illuminated copy of the Koran, which he spends much time in
reading. He is not generally regarded as a very capable or powerful
man, and is at variance with the Ilbegi, who, though nominally second
chief, practically shares his power. In fact, at this time serious
intrigues are going on, and some say that the adherents of the two
chiefs would not be unwilling to come to open war.
[Illustration: IMAM KULI KHAN.]
The greatest men who in this century have filled the office of Ilkhani
both perished miserably. The fate of Sir H. Layard's friend, Mehemet
Taki Khan, is well known to all readers of the _Early Recollections_,
but it was possibly less unexpected than that of Hussein Kuli Khan,
brother of the present Ilkhani, and father of the Ilbegi Isfandyar
Khan. This man was evidently an enlightened and able ruler; he
suppressed brigandage with a firm hand, and desired to see the
Mohammerah-Shuster-Isfahan route fairly opened to trade. He went so
far as to promise Mr. Mackenzie, of one of the leading Persian Gulf
firms, in writing, that he would hold himself personally responsible
for the safety of caravans in their passage through his territory, and
would repay any losses by robbery. He agreed to take a third share of
the cost of the necessary steamers on the Karun, and to furnish 100
mules for land transport between Shuster and Isfahan.[51]
It appears that Persian jealousy was excited by his enterprising
spirit; he fell under the displeasure of the Zil-es-Sultan, and in
1882 was put to death by poison while on his annual visit of homage.
The present Ilkhani, who succeeded him, warned possibly by his
brother's fate, is said to show little, if any, interest in commercial
enterprise, and to have made the somewhat shrewd remark that the
English "under the dress of the merchant often conceal the uniform of
the soldier."
In 1888 the Shah relented towards Hussein Kuli Khan's sons, the eldest
of whom, Isfandyar Khan, had been in prison for seven years, and they
with their uncle, Reza Kuli Khan, descended with their followers and a
small Persian army upon the plain of Chigakhor, where they surprised
and defeated the Hadji Ilkhani. His brother, Reza, was thereupon
recognised by the Shah as Ilkhani, and Isfandyar as Ilbegi, with the
substance of power. Another turn of the wheel of fortune, and the
brothers became respectively Ilkhani and Governor of the Chahar
Mahals, and their nephew is reinstated as Ilbegi.[52]
The Ilkhani's word is law, within broad limits, among the numerous
tribes of Bakhtiari Lurs who have consented to recognise him as their
feudal head, and it has been estimated that in a popular quarrel he
could bring from 8000 to 10,000 armed horsemen into the field. He is
judge as well as ruler, but in certain cases there is a possible
appeal to Tihran from his decisions. He is appointed by the Shah, with
a salary of 1000 _tumans_ a year, but a strong man in his position
could be practically independent.
It can scarcely be supposed that the present Ilkhani will long retain
his uneasy seat against the intrigues at the Persian court, and with a
powerful and popular rival close at hand. It is manifestly the
interest of the Shah's government to weaken the tribal power, and
extinguish the authority and independence of the principal chiefs, and
the Oriental method of attaining this end is by plots and intrigues at
the capital, by creating and fomenting local quarrels, and by
oppressive taxation. It is not wonderful, therefore, that many of the
principal Khans, whose immemorial freedom has been encroached upon in
many recent years by the Tihran Government, should look forward to a
day when one of the Western powers will occupy south-west Persia, and
give them security.
The _Hadji_ Ilkhani, for the people always prefix the religious title,
discussed the proposed journey, promised me an escort of a horseman
and a _tufangchi_, or foot-soldier, begged us to consider ourselves
here and everywhere as his guests, and to ask for all we want, here
and elsewhere. His brother, Reza Kuli Khan, who has played an
important part in tribal affairs, resembles him, but the sinister look
is more persistent on his face. He was much depressed by the fear that
he was going blind, but on trying my glasses he found he could see.
The surprise of the old-sighted people when they find that spectacles
renew their youth is most interesting.
Another visitor has been the Ilbegi, Isfandyar Khan. Though not tall,
he is very good-looking, and has beautiful hands and feet. He is able,
powerful, and ambitious, inspires his adherents with great personal
devotion, and is regarded by many as the "coming man." He was in
Tihran when I was in Julfa, and hearing from one of the Ministers that
I was about to visit the Bakhtiari country, he wrote to a general of
cavalry in Isfahan, asking him to provide me with an escort if I
needed it. I was glad to thank him for his courtesy in this matter,
and for more substantial help. Before his visit, his retainer, Mansur,
brought me the money of which I had been robbed in Kahva Rukh! This
man absolutely refused a present, saying that his liege lord would
nearly kill him if he took one. Isfandyar Khan welcomed me kindly,
regretting much that my first night under Bakhtiari rule should have
been marked by a robbery. He said that before his day the tribesmen
not only robbed, but killed, and that he had reduced them to such
order that he was surprised as well as shocked at this occurrence. I
replied that it occurred in a Persian village, and that in many
countries one might be robbed, but in none that I knew of would such
quick restitution be made.
In cases of robbery, the Ilkhani sends round to the _ketchudas_ or
headmen of the camps or villages of the offending district, to replace
the money, as in my case, or the value of the thing taken, after which
the thief must be caught if possible. When caught, the headmen consult
as to his punishment, which may be the cutting off of a hand or nose,
or to be severely branded. In any case he must be for the future a
marked man. I gather that the most severe penalties are rarely
inflicted. I hope the fine of 800 _krans_ levied on Kahva Rukh may
stimulate the people to surrender the thief. I agreed to forego 200
_krans_, as Isfandyar Khan says that his men raised all they could,
and the remaining sum would have to be paid by himself.
After a good deal of earnest conversation he became frivolous! He
asked the Agha his age, and guessed it at thirty-five. On being
enlightened he asked if he dyed his hair, and if his teeth were his
own. Then he said that he dyed his own hair, and wore artificial
teeth. He also asked my age. He and Lutf and Ghulam, the Ilkhani's
sons, who accompanied him, possess superb watches, with two dials, and
an arrangement for showing the phases of the moon.
Having accepted an invitation from the Ilbegi to visit him at Naghun,
a village ten miles from Ardal, accompanied by Lutf and Ghulam, we
were ready at seven, the hour appointed, as the day promised to be
very hot. Eight o'clock came, nine o'clock, half-past nine, and on
sending to see if the young Khans were coming, the servants replied
that they had "no orders to wake them." So we Europeans broiled three
hours in the sun at the pleasure of "barbarians"!
During the Ramazan these people revel from sunset to sunrise, with
feasting, music, singing, and merriment, and then they lie in bed till
noon or later, to abridge the long hours of the fast. "Is it such a
fast that I have chosen?" may well be asked.
The noise during the night in the Ilkhani's palace is tremendous. The
festivities begin soon after sunset and go on till an hour before
dawn. Odours agreeable to Bakhtiari noses are wafted down to my tent,
but I do not find them appetising. An eatable called _zalabi_ is in
great request during the Ramazan. It is made by mixing sugar and
starch with oil of sesamum, and is poured on ready heated copper
trays, and frizzled into fritters. Masses of eggs mixed with rice,
clarified butter, and jams, concealing balls of highly-spiced
mincemeat, _kabobs_, and mutton stewed with preserved lemon juice and
onions are favourite dishes at the Ilkhani's.
Besides the music and singing, the "Court" entertains itself nightly
with performing monkeys and dancing men, besides story-tellers, and
reciters of the poetry of Hafiz. It is satisfactory to know that the
uproarious merriment which drifts down to my tent along with odours of
perpetual frying, owes none of its inspiration to alcohol, coffee and
_sharbat_ being the drinks consumed.
We rode without a guide down the Ardal valley, took the worst road
through some deep and blazing gulches, found the sun fierce, and the
treelessness irksome, saw much ploughing, made a long ascent, and
stopped short of the village of Naghun at a large walled garden on the
arid hillside, which irrigation has turned into a shady paradise of
pear, apricot, and walnut trees, with a luxurious undergrowth of roses
and pomegranates. The young Khans galloped up just as we did, laughing
heartily at having slept so late. All the village men were gathered to
see the Feringhis, and the Ilbegi and his brothers received us at the
garden gate, all shaking hands. Certainly this Khan has much power in
his face, and his dignified and easy manner is that of a leader of
men. His dress was becoming, a handsome dark blue cloak lined with
scarlet, and with a deep fur collar, over his ordinary costume.
So much has been said and written about the Bakhtiaris being "savages"
or "semi-savages," that the entertainment which followed was quite a
surprise to me. Two fine canopy tents were pitched in the shade, and
handsome carpets were laid in them, and under a spreading walnut tree
a _karsi_, or fire cover, covered with a rug, served as a table, and
cigarettes, a bowl of ice, a glass jug of _sharbat_, and some tumblers
were neatly arranged upon it. Iron chairs were provided for the
European guests, and the Ilbegi, his brothers, the Ilkhani's sons, and
others sat round the border of the carpet on which they were placed.
There were fully fifty attendants. Into the midst of this masculine
crowd, a male nurse brought the Ilbegi's youngest child, a dark,
quiet, pale, wistful little girl of four years old, a daintily-dressed
little creature, with a crimson velvet cap, and a green and crimson
velvet frock. She was gentle and confiding, and liked to remain with
me.
After a long conversation on subjects more or less worth speaking
upon, our hosts retired, to sleep under the trees, leaving us to eat,
and a number of servants brought in a large _karsi_ covered with food.
Several yards of blanket bread, or "flapjacks," served as a
table-cloth, and another for the dish-cover of a huge _pillau_ in the
centre. Cruets, plates, knives and forks, iced water, Russian
lemonade, and tumblers were all provided. The dinner consisted of
_pillau_, lamb cutlets, a curried fowl, celery with sour sauce,
clotted cream, and sour milk. The food was well cooked and clean, and
the servants, rough as they looked, were dexterous and attentive.
After dinner, by the Ilbegi's wish, I paid a visit to the ladies of
his _haram_. Naghun rivals the other villages of the tribes in
containing the meanest and worst permanent habitations I have ever
seen. Isfandyar Khan's house is a mud building surrounding a
courtyard, through which the visitor passes into another, round which
are the women's apartments. Both yards were forlorn, uneven, and
malodorous, from the heaps of offal and rubbish lying under the hot
sun. I was received by fifteen ladies in a pleasant, clean,
whitewashed apartment, with bright rugs and silk-covered pillows on
the floor, and glass bottles and other ornaments in the _takchahs_.
At the top of the room I was welcomed, not by the principal wife, but
by a portly middle-aged woman, the Khan's sister, and evidently the
duenna of the _haram_, as not one of the other women ventured to
speak, or to offer any courtesies. A chair was provided for me with a
_karsi_ in front of it, covered with trays of _gaz_ and other
sweetmeats. Mirza and a male attendant stood in the doorway, and
outside shoals of women and children on tip-toe were struggling for a
glance into the room. Several slaves were present, coal-black,
woolly-headed, huge-mouthed negresses. The fifteen ladies held their
gay _chadars_ to their faces so as to show only one eye, so I sent
Mirza behind a curtain and asked for the pleasure of seeing their
faces, when they all unveiled with shrieks of laughter.
The result was disappointing. The women were all young, or youngish,
but only one was really handsome. The wives are brunettes with long
chins. They wore gay _chadars_ of muslin, short gold-embroidered
jackets, gauze chemises, and bright-coloured balloon trousers. Three
of the others wore black satin balloon trousers, black silk jackets,
yellow gauze vests, and black _chadars_ spotted with white. These
three were literally moon-faced, like the representations of the moon
on old clocks, a type I have not yet seen. All wear the hair brought
to the front, where it hangs in wavy masses on each side of the face.
They wore black silk gold-embroidered skull-caps, set back on their
heads, and long chains of gold coins from the back to the ear, with
two, three, or four long necklaces of the same in which the coins were
very large and handsome. One wife, a young creature, was poorly
dressed, very dejected-looking, and destitute of ornaments. Her mother
has since pleaded for something "to bring back her husband's love."
The eyebrows were painted with indigo and were made to meet in a point
on the bridge of the nose. Each had one stained or tattooed star on
her forehead, three on her chin, and a galaxy on the back of each
hand.
Before Mirza reappeared they huddled themselves up in their _chadars_
and sat motionless against the wall as before. After tea I had quite a
lively conversation with the Khan's sister, who has been to Basrah,
Baghdad, and Mecca.
Besides the usual questions as to my age, dyeing my hair, painting my
face, etc., with suggestions on the improvement which their methods
would make on my eyes and eyebrows, she asked a little about my
journeys, about the marriage customs of England, about divorce, the
position of women with us, their freedom, horsemanship, and
amusements. She said, "We don't ride, we sit on horses." Dancing for
amusement she could not understand. "Our servants dance for us," she
said. The dancing of men and women together, and the evening dress of
Englishwomen, she thought contrary to the elementary principles of
morality. I wanted them to have their photographs taken, but they
said, "It is not the custom of our country; no good women have their
pictures taken, we should have many things said against us if we were
made into pictures."
They wanted to give me presents, but I made my usual excuse, that I
have made a rule not to receive presents in travelling; then they said
that they would go and see me in my tent at Chigakhor, their summer
quarters, and that I could not refuse what they took in their own
hands. They greatly desired to see the Agha, of whose imposing
_physique_ they had heard, but they said that the Khan would not like
them to go to the garden, and that their wish must remain ungratified.
"We lead such dull lives," the Khan's sister exclaimed; "we never see
any one or go anywhere." It seems that the slightest development of
intellect awakens them to the consciousness of this deplorable
dulness, of which, fortunately, the unawakened intelligence is
unaware. As a fact, two of the ladies have not been out of the Ardal
valley, and are looking forward to the migration to the Chigakhor
valley as to a great gaiety.