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BEHIND THE VEIL IN PERSIA AND TURKISH ARABIA
An Account of an Englishwoman's Eight Years' Residence Amongst the
Women of the East
By
M. E. HUME-GRIFFITH
With Narratives of Experiences in Both Countries
By
A. Hume-Griffith, M.D., D.P.H.
With 37 Illustrations and a Map
Philadelphia
J. B. Lippincott Company
London: Seeley & Co. Ltd.
1909
I DEDICATE
THIS BOOK
TO
MY HUSBAND
IN LOVING REMEMBRANCE OF
EIGHT HAPPY YEARS
1900-1908
PREFACE
I have endeavoured in this book to give some account of that inner life
of the East of which a traveller, however keen-sighted and intelligent,
seldom gains more than a passing glimpse. In a residence of eight years
in Persia and Turkish Arabia I have become intimate with a large circle
of friends whose life is passed behind the veil, and as the wife of
a medical missionary I have had unusual opportunities of winning
their confidence and becoming acquainted with their thoughts. Of
direct missionary effort I have said very little, but I hope that
the picture I have given may arouse interest in lives spent amongst
surroundings so different from our own.
It is impossible for any one, however unversed in politics, who has
lived so long in Mesopotamia, not to be deeply interested in the future
of the country. While all Europe has been filled with astonishment at
the bloodless revolution in Turkey, we who have become familiar with
its inner life are touched with a feeling of admiration and something
akin to awe. Whatever misgivings there may be as to the permanence
of this reformation we hope and trust that it will endure.
Of one imminent change the effect is likely to be far-reaching. The
new government has secured the services of Sir William Wilcox as
their adviser in great irrigation schemes. Irrigation in Mesopotamia
will change the whole face of the country; vast stretches of desert
will be transformed into a garden, ruined villages will be restored,
a new kingdom may be born, and Babylon possibly rebuilt. Mosul,
practically on the site of ancient Nineveh, will become easy of
access from Europe by means of the Baghdad railway and the restored
navigation of the Tigris. Its waste places may be filled with corn,
and the city be crowned once more with some of its ancient glory.
I should like to take this opportunity of thanking all those who
have kindly allowed me to use their photographs, amongst them the
Rev. C. H. Stileman, Dr. Saati of Mosul, and the Publishing Department
of the Church Missionary Society.
I am indebted to Professor Brown's valuable book entitled "A Year
amongst the Persians" for information on the Babi religion, and to
Sir A. H. Layard's classical work on the excavations of Nineveh,
which I have frequently had occasion to consult.
M. E. H.-G.
CONTENTS
Part I
Chapter I
Early Impressions
Page
Start for Persia--Arrival at Isphahan--Departure for
Kerman--The Land of the Lion and the Sun--A rainy day and its
effects--Eclipse--Locusts--Sand-storms--Land of cats--Modes of
conveyance--Inhabitants 17
Chapter II
Kerman
Short history of Kerman--Its overthrow--City of beggars--Story
of the fort--The jackal's "tale of woe" 30
Chapter III
Persian Industries
Carpet-making--How to tell a good carpet--How
to make a carpet--The cry of the children--Shawl
manufactures--Calico-printing--Brass-work--Agricultural
industries--Water disputes--Kanats--Poppy crops--Wheat and
corn--Tobacco-growing 40
Chapter IV
The Climate of Persia
Resht, Teheran, Isphahan--Dryness of atmosphere--Cellars--Roof
life--Children attacked by jackals--Chequered history of work in
Kerman 50
Chapter V
Holidays in Persia
How to ensure a prosperous journey--Natanz--Astonishment of natives
at sight of hairpins--Pulivagoon--Mahoon--Aliabad--Prince under
canvas--Visit from a Persian princess--A Persian deer hunt 59
Chapter VI
Social Life in Persia
Kerman--House-hunting and building--White ants--Housekeeping
in Kerman--Servant question--Truth v. falsehood--Abdul
Fateh--Bagi--Recreations--Some exciting rides--Persian
etiquette--Dinner at the governor's 71
Chapter VII
The Women of Persia
Home Life--Anderoon, women's quarters--Jealousy in
the anderoon--Anderoon of Khan Baba Khan--Two days in an
anderoon--H.R.H. Princess Hamadane Sultane--Visit to the anderoon
of H.R.H. the Zil-es-Sultan 84
Chapter VIII
More About Persian Women
Costumes--Wedding festivities--Wedding dinner--Kindness of Persian
husbands--Story of brutality--Divorce--Aids to beauty--Degradation
and cruelty of women 95
Chapter IX
Some Points in the Moslem Faith
Fasts and feasts--Seyyids, Dervishes, Mullahs--Legends of the
drowning mullah, and the yard-square hole 106
Chapter X
Other Religious Sects
The Bab and Babism--Short sketch of life of the Bab--His
imprisonment and execution--Parsees, or Zoroastrians--Persecutions
of Parsees in seventh century--Sacred writings of Parsees,
Zendavesta--Fire-worshipping--Fire temples--Holy fire--Parsee
wedding--Costume of women--Death customs--Burial customs 116
Chapter XI
Desert Delights
Songs of the desert--Sunsets, sunrises, mirages--Illness in the
desert--Mehman khanehs, caravanserais--Chappa khanehs--Lost in
the desert--Its cruelties and sadness 130
Chapter XII
Persian Medical Missions
The need of them--Work in Isphahan--The "little devil" transformed
into a boy--Amputation--Brothers in adversity--H.R.H. Zil-es-Sultan
as a patient--Fanaticism overcome 140
Chapter XIII
Pioneer Medical Mission Work in Kerman
Waiting for drugs and instruments--Native assistant proves
a broken reed--First operation in Kerman--An anxious
moment--Success--Doctrine of "savab" convenient to the
Moslem--Fanaticism tempered with prudence--Opium slaves--Persian
therapeutics--Persian quacks and their methods--Sure way of curing
cancer--Hysteria 151
Chapter XIV
Medical Mission Work in Yezd
A hospital--A friendly governor--A suspicious
case--Superstition--The opium habit--A case of cataract--We return
to England 164
Part II
Chapter I
The City of Nineveh
The fast of Jonah--The bridge of boats--Traditions as
to ancient history of Mosul--Elkos, birthplace of Nahum
the prophet--Shurgat--Climate of Mosul--Cultivation and
industries--Importance of Mosul 173
Chapter II
The People of Mosul
Population--Moslems--Christians--Chaldeans--Nestorians--Jacobites
--Arabs--Kurds--Jews--Yezidees--Recreations--Warfare
of the slingers--Hammam Ali--The recreation ground of Mosul men
and women 186
Chapter III
The River Tigris
Ancient historical interest--Garden of Eden--Origin of name
unknown--Swiftness--Sources--Navigation--Keleqs--Bathing, fishing,
washing--Crossing rivers 198
Chapter IV
The Children of Mosul
Spoiling process--Despair of the parents--The "god" of the
hareem--Death by burning--Festivities at birth of boy--Cradles
and cradle songs--School life--Feast in honour of a boy having
read the Koran through--"Only a girl"--Girl life--Girl victims
of Naseeb--Marriage 208
Chapter V
The Moslem Women of Mosul
Beauty behind the veil--Types of beauty--My dear old friend of 110
years of age--Aids to beauty described--Pretty children--Beauty
tainted with sin--Imprisonment of women--Peeps into some
hareems--Warm receptions--A visit from the ladies of a select
hareem--Love the magic key to open hearts 219
Chapter VI
Moslem Family Life
No home life--Women equal with the beasts--Evils
of divorce--Naseeb--The will of God--Truth and
falsehood--Honesty prevalent--A thief caught--Swearing and
anti-swearing--Fighting--Hair-tearing and biting--Hammam, the
ladies' club 231
Chapter VII
Customs of Mosul
Wedding ceremonies--Great expense to parents--Method of
procedure--Funeral customs--Customs at birth--Some other customs
244
Chapter VIII
Dreams and Visions
Ezekiel's vision by the river Chebar--Our vision by the river
Khabour--Rivers identical--"A wheel within a wheel"--Babylonish
emblem of divinity--Origin of the cherubim--Dream of a woman
suffering from cataract--Effect of dream on her character--Watch
and chain recovered by means of a "faked" dream--Illustration
of the doctrine of Kismet or Naseeb--"Ghosts" in our
compound--Atmosphere of ghosts bad for fowls 257
Chapter IX
Manners and Superstitions in Mosul
Characteristics of inhabitants of Mosul--Social habits--Love of
drink--An effectual cure--Gambling--Tel Kaif: a story of Uncle
Goro--The Angel of Death, and other titles--Difficulties over
name and age--Some superstitions--Effect of scent on women--Birds
of good omen--Thieves--Sheep-killing--Sheikh Matti--An angel's
visit--Medical superstitions--Cure for hydrophobia 269
Chapter X
The Yezidees
Gratitude to the English--Persecutions--"Devil-worshippers"--Sun
and fire worship--Priesthood--A visit to Sheikh Adi--Peacock
wands--A sacred shrine 284
Chapter XI
Travelling in the Desert
Monotony of desert travelling--A puppy and a kitten
tragedy--Accident by the river Euphrates--Riots in Mosul--Robberies
and murder excited by love of gold 294
Chapter XII
The Pleasures of Desert Travelling
Desert blossoms as a rose--Flowers of the desert--Arabs, their
occupation and women--Arab dancing--Robbers of the desert--An
army of 10,000--Five hundred armed men--False alarms--Lost in
the desert--Delights and disturbances of travelling 307
Chapter XIII
Pioneer Medical Mission Work in Mosul (Nineveh)
Winning the confidence of the people--Native surgery--Difficulties
to be overcome--Backward patients--Encouraging work--Prevalent
diseases--Lunatics--Possible future of Mesopotamia 317
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Page
The Author and her Husband in Bakhtian Costume Frontispiece
Persian Conveyances 26
A Halt for Lunch 26
A Novel Drying Ground 46
Persian Mode of Irrigation 46
A "Chimney" of Yezd 54
A Korsi Or Heating Contrivance 54
House-building in Persia 72
Persian Shops 72
Scene from the Roof of our House at Kerman 76
A Street in Kerman 76
The Mosque Gate, City of Kerman 86
A Mountain Pass 132
A Caravanserai 132
A Very Ancient Bridge 142
A Typical Street in Baghdad 142
Using the X Rays in Julfa Hospital 148
A Ward in the Julfa Hospital 148
Opium Making 158
The Rich Beggar 158
Types of Persian Jews 166
The Water Square 166
Our Home in Nineveh 174
A Bridge of Boats 176
The Bridge of Boats Over the Frozen Tigris 180
A Picnic Party 188
Mutrar Paulus, Syrian Roman Catholic Bishop 192
Dr. Hume-Griffith's Study in Mosul 210
Our Drawing-room in Julfa 210
A Group of Persian Girls 216
The Camera in Mosul 222
Tired of Play at a Picnic 222
An Itinerant Cook preparing Kabobs 224
Bread-making 240
A Mosul Bride 246
A Wonderful Vision 259
Travelling in Winter 296
PART I
"So, after the sore torments of the route,
Toothache and headache, and the ache of mind,
And huddled sleep and smarting wakefulness,
And night and day, and hunger sick at food,
And twenty-fold relays, and packages
To be unlocked, and passports to be found,
And heavy well-kept landscape--we are glad
Because we entered (Persia) in the Sun."
D. G. Rossetti.
BEHIND THE VEIL IN PERSIA AND TURKISH ARABIA
CHAPTER I
EARLY IMPRESSIONS
Start for Persia--Arrival at Isphahan--Departure for
Kerman--The Land of the Lion and the Sun--A rainy day and its
effects--Eclipse--Locusts--Sand-storms--Land of cats--Modes of
conveyance--Inhabitants.
"'Tis the sight of a lifetime to behold
The great shorn sun as you see it now
Across eight miles of undulant gold
That widens landward, weltered and rolled
With patches of shadow and crimson stains."
Lowell.
"Shadow maker, shadow slayer, arrowing light from clime to clime."
Lord Tennyson.
Our life in Persia extended over a period of three years, dating from
the spring of 1900 to that of 1903.
It was with great joy I heard the news, early in February of 1900,
that my husband had been appointed by the Church Missionary Society
to open medical work in Kerman, and that we were to start almost at
once. Within a month we were married, had bought our outfit, bid
sorrowful farewells to our relations and friends, and started for
the romantic land of Persia. From London to Isphahan took us just
nine weeks, as we were delayed by illness for some weeks both in
Russia and in the Persian Desert. However, on 9th May we entered the
beautiful city of Isphahan, to find a warm welcome awaiting us from
friends there. This place will always have a very warm corner in my
heart, for it was there we made our first home. The doctor in charge
of the work at Julfa (the Christian quarter of Isphahan) having left
on furlough, my husband was asked to remain there till his return,
which he accordingly did. It was not till the following spring that
we left for Kerman. Thus our first impressions of this land of light
and darkness were gathered from Isphahan and its neighbourhood. There
is no after time so full of interest to those who live abroad as the
first year spent in a new life and country, gleaning fresh ideas,
seeing new sights, gaining experiences often dearly bought, but which
must be purchased ere the newcomer can settle down to life in the
East with any comfort or peace of mind.
The native servants love to obtain posts with fresh comers, knowing
that for the first few months, at any rate, they will have an
exceedingly good time, being able to make a huge medaqal (profit)
from the unsuspecting Feringhi. I sigh to think of the many ways in
which we were cheated those first few months of our life in Persia,
but no one breathed a word to us, realising that our eyes would be
opened only too soon, and that experience was the most effectual
teacher. It is a strange fact that all housekeepers new to the land
think their servants are perfect till they find out, perhaps when
too late, their foolish delusion.
From the very first my heart went out in affection to the dear Moslem
women, and now, after eight years spent amongst them, I can truly
say that my love has deepened, and my sympathies become enlarged,
for these charming but, alas, too often unhappy followers of Mohammed.
Our knowledge of Persia extends especially to three cities, in each of
which we spent a year. Isphahan, as we have seen, was our first home,
then came a year at Kerman, a distance of some 500 miles separating
the two cities. Finally we spent a very happy year at Yezd, that
City of Sand, situated midway between Isphahan and Kerman. Of each
of these cities we shall hear more in other chapters.
Persia has well been called the Land of the Lion and the Sun. Certainly
the latter name is well deserved, for the sun is almost always shining,
and without the brilliant sunshine we should hardly recognise it as
the land of Persia.
The symbol of the Lion and the Sun originated in the days when the
Zoroastrians were the inhabitants of the land. The Sun, being the
emblem of the Fire Worshippers, was taken as their national badge. The
Lion was added later because Ali, the grandson of Mohammed, was called
"The Lion of God." The woman's face in the Sun was inserted some years
later by one of the Persian kings as a tribute to his favourite wife.
The sunshine of Persia forms one of its greatest attractions. Even in
winter the dull, cloudy days are few and far between. When by chance
a rainy day does come, the people are so surprised and taken aback
that they seem paralysed for the time being, and are unable to go
about their usual business.
The remembrance of our first experience of a rainy day still lingers
in my memory. We had awakened one morning much later than usual to
find the sky clouded over and the rain coming down in torrents. I was
surprised to find that we had not been called as usual, but imagined
the servants had forgotten to do so. Upon entering the dining-room,
what was my surprise to find no preparations for a meal. Calling the
servant, I asked him why breakfast was not ready. At this he seemed
quite hurt, as he answered, "But, Khanum (lady), it is raining!" This
fact was to his mind quite sufficient reason for everything. As long
as the rain lasted the servants could be prevailed upon to do nothing
except crouch over the fire and shiver! The moment the rain ceased
and the sun once more shone out they resumed their normal state.
This constant sunshine is a great boon to the beggars and poor, helping
to make life endurable for them; they need very little clothing,
as a rule, to enable them to keep warm. So long as they can lie and
bask in the sunshine, picking up bread enough to sustain life, they
trouble very little about working or earning money.
There is only one place where there is very little sunshine, and that
is in the hearts and lives of the people. Especially, perhaps, is this
true in the case of the women of the land, as we shall see presently.
A Persian gentleman once visited England, and on his return to his
native country was questioned by his friends as to which was the
better land to live in. His reply was to the effect that in England
the houses were grander, the scenery more beautiful, but that there
was no sunshine! This lack, to his mind, far outweighed all the other
advantages which might belong to England, and his friends decided that,
after all, Persia was the better country to live in.
When there happens to be a cloudy day or night in summer, the result
is anything but cooling, for the air becomes terribly oppressive,
it is almost impossible to breathe, and during the night it is quite
useless to think of or hope for sleep till the clouds have rolled away.
The natives are very much alarmed when an eclipse of the sun
takes place, as they are afraid they are going to lose their
benefactor. Once, while we were in Yezd, the sun was eclipsed. Suddenly
hundreds of guns and cannons were fired off from all parts of
the town. We ran out to see what had happened, and were met by our
frightened servants carrying their guns, who told us that an enormous
fish was trying to swallow the sun, and that they hoped, by making a
terrific noise, to frighten it away! Great was their joy and relief
when the shadow began to pass from the sun.
Sand-storms are terrible trials in Persia. Quite suddenly, without
any warning, the light disappears, clouds upon clouds of dust come
rushing in. Before you have time to shut all the doors and windows,
everything in the house is covered with a fine white dust. Sand-storms
are disagreeable and trying to the patience when they find you in
the house, but when you are caught in a heavy sand-storm out in the
desert, it is often a source of great danger. If riding, the only
possible thing to do is to dismount, cover your head and face as well
as possible, turn your back to the storm, and hope for the best.
At other times the light is obliterated in the daytime by a swarm of
locusts passing overhead. Till I saw this myself I could hardly believe
it was possible for these little insects to obscure the light of the
sun as they did. One day in Kerman we were just ready to set off for
a ride, when suddenly the light vanished, and I thought a fearful
thunderstorm was about to burst upon us. On looking up we saw what
appeared to be a huge black cloud hovering overhead: presently this
descended and resolved itself into myriads of flying insects. As some
fell to the earth we found them to be locusts from two to three inches
long. The natives were dreadfully alarmed lest they should settle on
their fields, as it was springtime, and the ground was already green
with promise of harvest. Had the locusts settled, it would have meant
ruin and starvation to many. Fortunately, they passed over that time.
We have seen that Persia is a land of sunshine, we must not forget
that it is also a land of cats.
I was amused the other day to see how differently two people can see
the same thing. In the course of a conversation with a friend who was
for some years in Persia, I asked him if he did not admire the Persian
cats very much. "Never saw one," was his answer, and he maintained
that the whole time he was in Persia he never saw a long-haired
cat. My experience was quite the reverse, for I hardly remember ever
seeing an ordinary short-haired one during the three years we were in
Persia. We had some beautiful white ones, but they were very delicate,
and generally came to an untimely end. We tried to take one to Kerman,
but it met with a sad death when only half way there.
Cats are exported on quite a large scale to India and other
places. They are taken to the coast by horse-dealers, who tether them
in much the same way as they do their horses.
One of the late Shahs is said to have been very devoted to cats,
and always took one with him when he travelled, a special baggage
animal being reserved for the cage of this favourite pet.
There are many ways of journeying in Persia, and the would-be
traveller can take his choice according to his own ideas of comfort
and convenience. To my mind the most pleasant way of all is to have
your own horses for riding, and thus be able to set your own pace and
not have to be bound down to the slow, wearying, never-changing rate
of the caravan.
For those who do not care for, or are not strong enough for riding,
there are many conveyances. Here, again, the traveller has quite a
large choice of good things. First of all there is the "kajavah." This
consists of two cage-like boxes, suspended one on each side of the
animal: the interior of these boxes sometimes boasts of a little
low seat, but as a rule is innocent of any such luxury. Two people
of about the same weight must sit on each side, or the result is
disastrous. I remember once being with a large caravan. In one of
these kajavahs was travelling a Government official and his wife. He
was very tiny, she was quite the reverse, the result being that the
little man was generally up in the air while the opposite side of the
kajavah was weighed down nearly to the ground. They tried all manner
of experiments in their endeavour to strike the balance, gathering
stones and depositing them in the lighter side, tying bags of fuel,
&c., to the outside of the kajavah, but all of no avail. At last,
in disgust and anger, the woman jumped out without giving her husband
any warning: the result to onlookers was ludicrous! The wife refused
all that day again to enter the kajavah, preferring to walk, till
one of the muleteers offered her a seat on the top of one of the
baggage mules. The little man was soon balanced with stones picked
up by the wayside, and travelled for the rest of that day in peace
and comfort. At the end of the stage, however, his wife would not
speak to him or cook his dinner for him! and the man (who was quite
the reverse of an ordinary Moslem man) came to one of my husband's
assistants, begging him to act as mediator. In this case the man and
woman seem to have exchanged places as regards character, the wife
being decidedly the master, and he, poor man, looked as if he hardly
dared call his soul his own. Even amongst Moslems there doubtless
are some strong-minded women.
I have travelled many miles in one of these kajavahs, finding them
very comfortable and restful, after riding for hours. My husband had a
pair specially made for me, with seats inside, and nicely cushioned:
these always went with us on our journeys in Persia, so that, when
I tired of riding, I could rest awhile. While I was not using them
our servants had to take my place, a favour they did not always
appreciate. When travelling by night, I have slept for hours at a
stretch in one of these kajavahs, the steady measured walk of the
mule favouring slumber. Sometimes, however, the monotony is broken
by the mule suddenly dropping on to its front knees, and you find
yourself deposited on the ground, shot out like an arrow from its bow.
If this form of conveyance does not appeal to the traveller then there
is the "takhtiravan." This is a most luxurious mode of conveyance, and
is, as a rule, only used by invalids or high-class Moslem ladies. It
consists of a box, with doors and windows, measuring about six or seven
feet by four in length and five in height. The top is covered with
heavy felt or some material which will keep out the sun or the rain,
according to which season of the year you are travelling in. Inside
is placed a mattress with plenty of cushions: the whole is built
on shafts which are slung between two mules, one in front and one
behind. The motion is rather like that of a rolling ship, and, unless
the occupant is a good sailor, the experience is not always a pleasant
one. I once travelled for a week in one of these conveyances, and on
arriving at our destination found my back was a mass of bruises. The
takhtiravan is very good for night travelling, as you can lie flat
down and sleep, provided the animals keep in step and the road is
good. On an uneven road the sensation is not too comfortable.
We once had a never-to-be-forgotten week of torture in a springless
wagon; it really was too terrible. Oh, the jolting, the jarring,
and the bone shaking! Each day the misery increased, till every bone
in our bodies was bruised and aching, and every nerve racked to its
utmost. I should not recommend this mode of conveyance to any one
contemplating a journey in Persia. When we first went to the Land of
the Lion and the Sun, carriages were very scarce and very expensive
south of Teheran. Now they are becoming much more generally used,
at any rate as far as Isphahan. When we left Kerman in 1902 we drove
to Yezd in a carriage kindly lent to us by one of the Kerman native
gentlemen. Albeit the wheels came off occasionally and various other
accidents took place, still it was a very luxurious way of travelling,
comparatively speaking. Then, when we finally left Persia in 1903,
we drove from Isphahan to Teheran in a private carriage belonging to
a friend who lent it to us for the journey; so that I fully expect
by now that travelling by carriage has become quite the ordinary mode
of journeying in Persia.
The last part of that drive into Teheran has left a vivid remembrance
on my mind. It was a Saturday, and we were very desirous of reaching
Teheran that night, otherwise it meant spending Sunday at a village
near the city, as we did not like travelling on that day. So we
determined to push on at all costs. To add to our difficulties it began
to pour with rain soon after starting in the morning, and continued
a steady drench the whole day. Long before we reached the end of our
stage we were both wet through to the skin. Sunset found us still some
twenty miles out of Teheran, and, the horses beginning to show signs of
fatigue, we perforce had to rest them for a while. When we were within
five miles or so of the city, we found the road all flooded, and it
was difficult to know where the road ended and the ditch began which
ran parallel to the road on both sides. It was by then pitch dark, so
there was nothing to be done but let the horses take their own way,
hoping their instincts would lead them and us safely. All went well
till we were within sight of the lights of Teheran, when suddenly smash
went the carriage, and down fell the horses into a deep ditch. One poor
horse (our own, which we were taking to Teheran to sell) never moved,
and we thought he was dead. I jumped down from the dogcart and landed
in the ditch nearly up to my waist in water! The lamps had gone out,
and we were in total darkness. We called and called for help but no
one came, so my husband and I walked on a little to see if we could
find any one to help, leaving the horses and carriage in charge of
the driver, who was half beside himself with fear.
Presently we came across a little wayside coffee-house, and found
some men who were willing to go and help extricate the poor horses
from their dangerous position, while we walked on to the gate of
the city and waited in the porter's lodge. After about an hour the
carriage came along, the horses looking none the worse for their
escapade. Our kind friends of the American Mission were waiting up,
and had prepared hot baths and hot drinks for us, knowing that if we
did arrive that night at all we should be in a terrible plight. Thanks
to their kindness and thoughtfulness, we suffered no harm from our
damp and adventurous drive.
The inhabitants of Persia are: Moslems, the Persians of to-day;
Zoroastrians (Parsees), the Persians of yesterday; Armenians, and
Jews. Of the two former I will not speak now, as we shall make their
acquaintance a little later. A few words will suffice for Armenians
and Jews. The former were brought from Julfa in Armenia many years ago
by some former Shah on account of their industry and workmanship. He
gave them a suburb of Isphahan to live in, and very soon a large
Armenian settlement sprang up. Julfa of Persia is about three miles
from Isphahan. Here all the Armenians live, and until quite lately
the Europeans also, as it was not considered safe for them to reside
in Isphahan. However, of late years this is all changed, most of the
Europeans now having houses in Isphahan.
The Armenians are very clever workmen in all crafts and trades. Also to
their shame be it said that they are the wine and spirit makers for the
Isphahanis. A true Moslem is not allowed to make or drink wine. Thanks
to the Armenians, however, the temptation is ever at hand ready for
him, with plenty of opportunities afforded him of indulging in secret.
The Armenians make very good assistants for hospital work, some
of them turning out quite good doctors. One young fellow was with
my husband for two years. After we left he went to India, where he
took a medical course, and is now a fully qualified doctor practising
in India. They have plenty of "push" in them, and once they make up
their minds to get on, no obstacle is too great for them to overcome.
The Jews of Persia are a miserably poor, degraded class of
people. Their lot is a very hard one; despised and oppressed by the
Moslems, hated and cursed by all, their life is not enviable. They
are to be found everywhere, in Isphahan, Yezd, Kerman, and many other
cities. My heart often ached for these poor, wretched people as they
flocked to the dispensaries. Fortunately for them, there is a Mission
amongst the Jews in Persia which helps in no small way to brighten
the lives of the poor, downtrodden people.
We have taken a fleeting glance at the Land of the Lion and the Sun;
we must now try and become more intimately acquainted with some of
its towns and their inhabitants.