Persia

per'shi-a, a kingdom of modern Asia. It lies between the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf. It borders on the north with Russia, on the east with Afghanistan and Baluchistan, and on the west with Asiatic Turkey. In shape it is exceedingly irregular. Its greatest length from north to south is about 700 miles, and from east to west about 900 miles. The area is 628,000 square miles. A large part of this area is an absolute desert. Other portions are scantily inhabited. The total population is about nine and one-half millions. The capital is Teheran, situated about one hundred miles south of the Caspian Sea. It has a population estimated at 280,000 people. Other cities are Tabriz, with 200,000, and Ispahan, with 70,000. There are a dozen other cities having from 30,000 to 50,000 people each. Of the total population, nearly 9,000,000 are Mohammedans. There are in addition about 9,000 Parsees, descendants of the ancient Persian fire worshippers, 35,000 Jews, 45,000 Armenians, and 25,000 Nestorians.

GOVERNMENT. The government of the country resembles that of Turkey. The shah, as the ruler is called, is regarded as the vicegerent of Mohammed. The laws of the country are based on the precepts of the Koran. The country is divided into thirty-three provinces, each under a governor-general. The shah is assisted by a score of ministers, half a dozen of whom form a confidential cabinet. Justice is administered or maladministered, we may say, summarily. Trials are practically a farce. The only hope of mercy lies in the inclination of the presiding officer. From his decision there is no escape. Taxes are levied upon each community by royal assessors, always as large an amount as is deemed practicable to extort. It is only fair to say that a mild form of representation in Parliament was granted in 1906.

PRODUCTS. The principal productions of the country are wheat, barley, rice, sugarcane, fruit, gums, silk, opium, tobacco, cotton, wool, and tea. Persia is noted for roses. Immense fields are cultivated for the production of the celebrated perfume known as attar of roses. Other popular flowers are the narcissus, lily, hyacinth, tuberose, tulip, and the chrysanthemum. The pearl fisheries of the Persian Gulf are valuable.

MINERALS. There are mines of lead and copper in nearly all provinces. Many of these mines have been worked from the greatest antiquity. Tin, antimony, nickel, cobalt, zinc, manganese, borax, and ochre are found. There is coal of good quality near Teheran. Enormous deposits of iron ore are as yet unworked. There are also valuable salt pits and deposits of sulphur and alum. Northern Persia is expected some day to develop as a valuable oil-producing region. The chief precious stone is the turquoise.

TRANSPORTATION, ETC. The country is traversed by numerous caravan routes. There are but a few hundred miles of wagon roads in the kingdom. The chief of these leads from Teheran, the capital, to the Caspian Sea. A Belgian company has opened a railroad six miles in length leading from the capital to a suburb. There are several thousand miles of telegraphs, however, under English and Russian management. A regular postal service between the principal cities was established in 1877. Foreign service with the capital is maintained by way of Russia. In the lack of roads, commerce is carried on largely by means of caravans.

ANIMALS. The camel of the country is a stouter, rougher animal than the camel of Arabia. It is not only able to endure a great degree of cold, but it carries a burden nearly twice as heavy. Horses, oxen, and mules are used also for domestic purposes. The lion is still found in Persia, as well as the tiger, the leopard, wild ass, wolf, mountain sheep, wild goat, and deer.

HISTORICAL. The history of Persia is a long story. Persia and Media were fused into one country about 546. A few years later the Persians subdued the civilization of the Tigris-Euphrates Valley. Under Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes, in short, until conquered by Alexander the Great, the Persians were the dominant military power in western Asia.

The history of Persia from the conquest by Macedonia to the present time is a tangled web of dynasties and revolutions. There were incessant invasions of Roman territory by the Persians and of Persian territory by the Romans. Saracen and Mongol, Haroun-al-Raschid and Tamerlane, have borne sway at various times. Turkey and Russia have taken advantage of internal dissensions to seize the nearest Persian provinces. Chronic difficulties have arisen also between Persia and her neighbors on the east. Through it all, however, the country has preserved its independence and is yet a nation. In 1906 the shah granted a constitution. The first national council met in 1907, but early in 1908 it was dissolved by the shah. In 1909 new promises were made.

The present civilization is essentially Turkish. Babylonian influences are very evident in the early architecture. Medieval Persia was noted for its pottery and for handwork in the various metals. Persian swords had a reputation scarce inferior to those of Damascus. Persian smiths produced beautiful steel armor inlaid with precious metals. In fact the Persians were one of the latest people to lay aside armor for the accoutrements of the modern soldier. At present Persia is noted for shawls, scimiters, daggers, silver tableware, enamel, woodcarving, portrait painting, tapestries, brocades, velvets, embroideries, and silken rugs. A large number of the celebrated oriental rugs sold in this country have been imported from the homes and temples of Persia. The weaving of silk rugs, a work performed entirely by hand, is still a leading industry.

See Teheran; Parsees; Persepolis; Ararat; Caravan; Camel