Is this country mentioned in the Bible? Yes; we read of Cyrus, the king
of Persia. Isaiah spoke of him before he was born, and called him by his
name. See chapter xlv.
Persia is now a Mahomedan country. The Turks, you remember, are
Mahomedans too. Perhaps you think those two nations, the Turks and the
Persians, must agree well together, as they are of the same religion. Far
from it. No nations hate one another more than Turks and Persians do; and
the reason is, that though they both believe in Mahomet, they disagree
about his son-in law, Ali. The Persians are very fond of him, and keep a
day of mourning in memory of his death; whereas the Turks do not care for
Ali at all.
But is this a reason why they should hate one another so much?
Even in their common customs the Persians differ from the Turks. The
Turks sit cross-legged on the ground; the Persians sit upon their heels.
Which way of sitting should you prefer? I think you would find it more
comfortable to sit like a Turk.
The Turks sit on sofas and lean against cushions; the Persians sit on
carpets and lean against the wall. I know you would prefer the Turkish
fashion. The Turks drink coffee without either milk or sugar; the
Persians drink tea with sugar, though without milk. The Turks wear
turbans; the Persians wear high caps of black lamb's-wool.
Not only are their _customs_ different; but their _characters_. The Turks
are grave and the Persians lively. The Turks are silent, the Persians
talkative. The Turks are rude, the Persians polite. Now I am sure you
like the Persians better than the Turks. But wait a little--the Turks are
very proud; the Persians are very deceitful. An old Persian was heard to
say, "We all tell lies whenever we can." The Persians are not even
ashamed when their falsehoods are found out. When they sell they ask too
much; when they make promises they break them. In short, it is impossible
to trust a Persian.
The Turks obey Mahomet's laws; they pray five times a day, and drink no
wine. But the Persians seldom repeat their prayers, and they do drink
wine, though Mahomet has forbidden it. In short, the Persian seems to
have no idea of right and wrong. The judges do not give right judgment,
but take bribes. The soldiers live by robbing the poor people, for the
king pays them no wages, but leaves them to get food as they can; and so
the poor people often build their cottages in little nooks in the
valleys, where they hope the soldiers will not see them.
THE COUNTRY.--Persia is a high country and a dry country. There are high
mountains and wide plains; but there are very few rivers and running
brooks, because there is so little rain. However, in some places the
Persians have cut canals, and planted willow-trees by their side. Rice
will not grow well in such a dry country, but sheep find it very pleasant
and wholesome. The hills are covered over with flocks, and the shepherds
may be seen leading their sheep and carrying the very young lambs in
their arms. This is a sight which reminds us of the good Shepherd: for it
is written of Jesus, "He gathered the lambs in his arms."
The sweetest of all flowers grows abundantly in Persia--I mean the rose.
The air is filled with its fragrance. The people pluck the rose leaves
and dry them in the sun, as we dry hay. How pleasant it must be for
children in the spring to play among the heaps of rose-leaves. Once a
traveller went to breakfast with a Persian Prince, and he found the
company seated upon a heap of rose-leaves, with a carpet spread over it.
Afterwards the rose-leaves were sent to the distillers, to be made into
rose-water.
Persian cats are beautiful creatures, with fur as soft as silk.
The best melons in the world grow in Persia.
The three chief materials for making clothes are all to be found there in
abundance. I mean wool, cotton, and silk. You have heard already of the
Persian sheep; so you see there is wool. Cotton trees also abound. Women
and children may be been picking the nuts which contain the little pieces
of cotton. There are mulberry-trees also to feed the numerous silk worms.
POOR PEOPLE.--The villages where the poor live are miserable places. The
houses are of mud, not placed in rows, but straggling, with dirty narrow
paths winding between them.
In summer the poor people sleep on the roofs; for the roofs are flat, and
covered with earth, with low walls on every side to prevent the sleepers
falling off. Here the Persians spread their carpets to lie upon at night.
Winter does not last long in Persia, yet while it lasts it is cold. Then
the poor, instead of sleeping on their roofs, sleep in a very curious
warm bed. In the middle of each cottage there is a round hole in the
floor, where the fire burns. In the evening the fire goes out, but the
hot cinders remain. The Persians place over it a low round table, and
then throw a large coverlid over the table, and all round about. Under
this coverlid the family lie at night, their heads peeping out, and their
feet against the warm fire-place underneath. This the Persians call a
comfortable bed.
The poor wear dirty and ragged clothes, and the children may be seen
crawling about in the dust, and looking like little pigs. Yet in one
respect the Persians are very clean; they bathe often. In every village
there is a large bath.
The poor people have animals of various kinds--a few sheep, or goats, or
cows. In the day one man takes them all out to feed. In the evening he
brings them back to the village, and the animals of their own accord go
home to their own stables. Each cow and each sheep knows where she will
get food and a place to sleep in. The prophet Isaiah said truly, "The ass
knoweth his owner, and the ox his master's crib; but Israel doth not
know, my people doth not consider."
THE PERSIAN LADIES.--They wrap themselves up in a large dark blue
wrapper, and in this dress they walk out where they please. No one who
meets them can tell who they are.
And where do these women go? Chiefly to the bath, where they spend much
of their time drinking coffee and smoking. There too they try to make
themselves handsome by blackening their eyebrows and dyeing their hair.
Sometimes the ladies walk to the burial-grounds, and wander about for
hours among the graves. When they are at home they employ themselves in
making pillau and sherbet. Pillau is made of rice and butter; sherbet is
made of juice mixed with water.
The ladies have a sitting-room to themselves. One side of it is all
lattice-work, and this makes it cool. At night they spread their carpets
on the floor to sleep upon, and in the day they keep them in a
lumber-room.
PERSIAN INNS.--They are very uncomfortable places. There are a great many
small cells made of mud, built all round a large court. These cells are
quite empty, and paved with stone. The only comfortable room is over the
door-way of the court, and the first travellers who arrive are sure to
settle in the room over the door-way.
Once an English traveller arrived at a Persian inn with his two servants.
All three were very ill and in great pain, from having travelled far over
burning plains and steep mountains.
But as the room over the door-way was occupied, they were forced to go
into a little cold damp cell. As there was no door to the cell, they hung
up a rag to keep out the chilling night air, and they placed a pan of
coals in the midst. Many Persians came and peeped into the cell; and
seeing the sick men looking miserable as they lay on their carpets, the
unfeeling creatures laughed at them, and no one would help them or give
them anything to eat. The travellers bought some bread and grapes at the
bazaar, but these were not fit food for sick men, but it was all they
could get. At last a Persian merchant heard of their distress; and he
came to see them every day, bringing them warm milk and wholesome food:
when they were well enough to be moved, he took them to his own house,
and nursed them with the greatest care.
Who was this kind merchant? Not a Mahomedan, but of the religion of the
fire worshippers, or Parsees. Was he not like the good Samaritan of whom
we read in the New Testament? O that Bahram, the merchant, might know the
true God!
PILGRIMS AND BEGGARS.--Very often you may see a large company of Pilgrims
some on foot, and some mounted on camels, horses, and asses. They are
returning from Mecca, the birth-place of Mahomet. What good have they got
by their pilgrimage? None at all. They think they are grown very holy,
but they make such an uproar at the inns by quarrelling and fighting when
they are travelling home, that no one can bear to be near them.
There is a set of beggars called dervishes. They call themselves very
holy, and think people are bound to give money to such holy men. They are
so bold that sometimes they refuse to leave a place till some money has
been given.
Once a dervish stopped a long while before the house of the English
ambassador, and refused to go away. But a plan was thought of to _make_
him go away.
The dervish was sitting in a little niche in the wall. The ambassador
ordered his servants to build up bricks to shut the dervish in. The men
began to build, yet the dervish would not stir, till the bricks came up
as high as his chin: then he began to be frightened, and said he would
rather go away.
THE KING OF PERSIA.--He is called King of Kings. What a name for a man!
It is the title of God alone. The king sits on a marble throne, and his
garments sparkle with jewels of dazzling brightness. The walls of his
state-chamber are covered with looking-glasses. One side of the room
opens into a court adorned with flowers and fountains. Great part of his
time is spent in amusements, such as hunting and shooting, writing
verses, and hearing stories. He keeps a man called a story-teller, and he
will never hear the same story repeated twice. It gives the man a great
deal of trouble to find new stories every day. The king keeps jesters,
who make jokes; and he has mimics, who play antics to make him laugh. He
dines at eight in the evening from dishes of pure gold. No one is allowed
to dine with him; but two of his little boys wait upon him, and his
physician stands by to advise him not to eat too much.
Do you think he is happy in all his grandeur? Judge for yourself.
All his golden dishes come up covered and sealed. Why? For fear of
poison. There is a chief officer in the kitchen who watches the cook, to
see that he puts no poison into the food: and he seals up the dishes
before they are taken to the king, in order that the servants may not put
in poison as they are carrying them along. In what fear this great king
lives! He cannot trust his own servants.
TEHERAN.--This is the royal city. It is built in a barren plain, and is
exceedingly hot, as the hills around keep off the air. It is a mean
city, for it is chiefly built of mud huts.
The king's palace is called the "Ark," and is a very strong as well as
grand place.[5]
[5] Extracted chiefly from Southgate's Travels.