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Five Years in a Persian Town

Chapter 10: FOOTNOTES
By Napier Malcolm
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About This Book

An extended residence in a central Persian town records detailed observations of landscape, water systems, architecture, and domestic life and explains how environment shapes local character. It surveys social groups and sects, legal and political relations, and examines Islamic beliefs, Shia‑Sunni distinctions, and the rise of the Babi and Bahaʾi movements alongside popular superstitions and ritual practices. The author profiles common traits of townspeople, considers obstacles faced by missionaries in language, argument, and conversion, and outlines practical approaches such as schooling, medical aid, and visiting. Chapters combine ethnographic description, religious analysis, and practical reflections on missionary strategy and daily civic arrangements.

FOOTNOTES

[1] The author has, with a few exceptions, accentuated native words only where they first occur in the book.

[2] The dates given with regard to this persecution are approximately correct; but, although reasonable care has been taken to find the exact year in which the changes of restriction were made, the absolute accuracy of some of these dates cannot be guaranteed.

[3] The Yezdi realises the link of a common language, but by this he means a common dialect. Consequently I have included this idea in fellow-townsmanship; it in no way takes the place of the bond of country.

[4] I was informed, however, by Dr Griffith that the Mussulmans of Kirman welcomed his coming and the work of the medical mission on the ground that his savabs, being the savabs of an infidel, would be credited not to him but to the account of the Mohammedans of the town, who stood rather sorely in need of them.

[5] This only refers to visits of ceremony. When people found that they could come to my house without notice, I often had a continual succession of visitors throughout the day.

[6] Certainly the Light also operates inside Islam. During the Babi massacre a number of women who had been horrified by the sights in the streets said to my wife, “They say that we can’t be Mussulmans if we mind these things, but cannot these things sicken even Mohammedans?”

[7] The opinion that Persia is changing its religion, or at least its form of Mohammedanism, is not confined to missionary circles.

GLOSSARY

Aivān A kind of portico, or roofed recess.
Anjuman Assembly, committee.
Arkhālūq Under-coat.
Bābī Follower of the Bāb.
Bād-gīr Air-shaft.
Bāgh Enclosed cultivation.
Behāī Follower of Behāu’llah.
Chādar Sheet; especially the cotton shawl worn over the head and whole body by the women.
Chārvādār Muleteer, or donkey caravan driver.
Dastūr Parsi priest.
Dīv Demon.
Farrāsh Literally a carpet-sweeper. Really a servant, chiefly outdoor.
Ferangī Frank, European.
Firmān Government order.
Islām Resignation to God. The name given by Mohammed to his religion.
Jazīya Poll tax levied by Mohammedans on non-Mohammedan monotheists living in their country.
Jin Genius; a being composed of fire.
Kajāva A kind of wooden pannier with a hood.
Khān A hereditary title.
Krān A coin worth about 4½d., the tenth part of a tomān.
Kursī Wooden stool. Especially one used over a pan of charcoal to support a quilt.
Lāla A spring candlestick with a globe.
Lūtī A rough; a bad character.
Man’ A weight varying in different towns. In Yezd it is about 13 lbs.
Manzil Halting-place.
Mazra’ A piece of cultivated land.
Mirzā Clerk, secretary.
Muballigh A missionary. The word is generally used of the Behāī missionaries in Yezd.
Mujtahid The highest class of the Mohammedan clergy.
Mullā A word very like our term “clerk.” It is generally used of the clergy, but it is sometimes a mere courtesy title, and sometimes means a man who can read.
Mussulmān, Muslim A believer in Islam. One who is resigned to God.
Nakhl A religious implement.
Nijāsat Ceremonial uncleanness.
Paighambar Message bearer, prophet.
Paighambarī Prophethood.
Qabā Outer coat.
Qalāntar Head-man. The title is used in Yezd for the head-man of the Parsis.
Qaliān Persian hookah.
Qan’āt Underground water-channel.
Raiyat Agriculturist, a tenant farmer who pays rent in kind. It also means a subject.
Rūza khānī Religious recitation.
Saughāt A traveller’s present.
Savāb Work of merit.
Seyid A descendant of Mohammed.
Shiah Nonconformist. However, there is a Shiah sect held orthodox in Persia.
Sunnat Ancient traditions and Commentary on the Quran accepted by the Sunnis.
Sunnī A member of the Mohammedan sect accepting the Sunnat, who are considered orthodox in Turkey, India, and Africa, as opposed to the Shiahs of Persia and elsewhere.
Taqdīr Predestination.
Taqīya Concealment of faith by denial in times of danger.
Tauhīd Assertion of the Divine Unity.
Tomān A sum of money, 10,000 dinars, equivalent to about 3s. 8d.
Yailāq Summer quarters, generally a village in the hills.
Zardūshtī Follower of Zardūsht or Zoroaster, the Parsi prophet.

INDEX

  • Abbās, 67
  • Abu Jahl, 67
  • Abu Tālib, Mohammed’s uncle, 67
  • Aīvan, 18
  • Ali, Imam, 75-77
  • Ali Mohammed (Bab), 90, 91
  • Anjuman, 49
  • Arbāb Jamshīd, a wealthy Parsi at Tehran, 51
  • Arches, 16
  • Arkhālūq, 45
  • Armenian Christians, 58, 107
  • Aryan Parsis, 62
  • Atmosphere, absence of moisture in, 13
  • Bāb, gate of knowledge, 73
  • ——, first book-bearer of the Behāīs, founder of the Babi sect, 90, 91
  • Babis, the, 79, 86, 88, 91, 94, 108, 177, 187, 193, 212;
  • massacre of, 104, 155-157, 186;
  • martyrs, 138, 139
  • Bād-gīr, 14, 15, 46
  • Bāgh, 9-11
  • Bazaars, 11
  • Behāīs, the, 61, 81;
  • massacre of, 44, 52, 87-89, 104;
  • tenets of, 86, 90, 92-96, 104, 114
  • Behaū’llah, first book-bearer of the Behāīs, 81, 87, 89, 90, 92, 95, 193
  • Bigotry, in Yezd, 44
  • Bird, Miss, 260
  • Boyland, Mr, 261
  • Brighty, Miss, 261
  • Browne, Professor E. G., translator of the Tārīkhi Jadīd, 91
  • Bruce, Canon, 58, 59
  • Carpenters, of Yezd, 23
  • Carpets, 22
  • Caspian Sea, 2
  • Chādar, 122
  • Chairs, 24
  • Church Missionary Intelligencer, 95
  • Church Missionary Society, 55, 230, 232
  • Cleanliness, of Yezdis, 26
  • Converts, problem of, 196-198, 212-215
  • Crime, indifference to, 184
  • Curtains, 21
  • Deserts, salt and sandy, 2, 3
  • Dīnyār, Qalāntar of the Parsi Committee, 49
  • Divorce, 178
  • Dīvs, 121, 122
  • Doors, 19, 20
  • Etiquette and Manners, of the Yezdis, 158
  • European colony, in Yezd, 55
  • Evil Eye, 122
  • Fanaticism, of Yezdis, 54
  • Farrāsh, 47
  • Fireplaces, 21
  • Fittings of houses, 21
  • Flower-beds, 33, 34
  • Forgiveness of sins, Mohammed’s teaching on the, 98
  • Furniture, 21-26
  • Gardens, 9
  • Griffith, Dr, 100, 260
  • Gudarz, Mr, a prominent Parsi merchant of Yezd, 261
  • Gypsum, 17
  • Hakim Khānum, lady doctor, 102
  • Hanifs, reformers, 65, 66, 68, 70
  • Hasan, Imam, 133, 134
  • Heaven and Hell, Mussulman idea of, 98, 99
  • Hill villages, 31, 32
  • Hookahs, Persian, 25
  • Houses, 13-33; built for heat, 29, 30
  • Husain, Imam, 133, 134
  • Huts, mud, 28
  • Ibn Ishāk, the biographer, 68
  • Ibrāhīm Qalīl Khān, 50
  • Imam Ali, 75-77
  • —— Hasan, 133, 134
  • —— Husain, 133, 134
  • Imams, the, 73, 76, 77
  • Industrial missions—a suggestion, 197-201
  • Infidels, Persian attitude towards, 130
  • Insularity, of Yezd, 36
  • Isaiah, quoted, 95
  • Isfahan, 36
  • Isfahanis, and Yezdis, 38
  • Isfandiār, a Parsi schoolmaster at Taft, 51
  • Islām, doctrine of, 64, 65, 80-82, 96, 97, 110, 132, 133;
  • has ruined Persia, 112
  • Isolation, of Yezd, 36
  • Jadīd, a convert from Parsiism, 62
  • Jalālu’d Daula, the, 52, 183
  • Jazīya, 47, 49
  • Jews, in Yezd, 44, 52;
  • Mohammed’s dealings with, 71
  • Jins, 121, 122
  • Julfa, a suburb of Isfahan, 58
  • Jus Paternum, in Yezd, 181
  • Ka’aba, a heathen temple of the Meccans, 65
  • Kāshān, 7, 43
  • Khadīja, wife of Mohammed, 66
  • Khalīfs, the, 72, 76
  • Khauf u jizā, fear of hell and expectation of heaven, 98
  • Kirmān, 7, 36
  • Koelle, Life of Mohammed, 67, 68, 71
  • Kūcha Biyuk, village, 49
  • Kursī, 22, 30
  • Lāla, 25
  • Lamps, 25
  • Language, Persian, 152
  • Lāristān, 43
  • Lattices, 19
  • Ledges, 16
  • Looking-glasses, 21
  • Lūtīs, 51, 58
  • Mahdi, or Mehdi, the last of the Imams, 72, 73, 75
  • Mānukjī Limjī, Parsi representative in Tehran, 48, 50
  • Manzil, 34
  • Marriages, Persian, 178
  • Mazra’, 4, 5
  • Mecca, 63, 65, 69, 70
  • Medical Missions, in Yezd, 55, 229, 248-254
  • Medina, 63, 70, 71
  • Mihraban, a Parsi, 64
  • Miracle play, Muharram, 126, 134
  • Missionary in Persia, the, his difficulties, 188-216;
  • the problem of converts, 196-198, 212-215;
  • his tasks and duties, 217-255;
  • philanthropic work, 229-232;
  • poor relief, 232-239;
  • school and medical work, 239-254
  • Missions, Christian, tolerated in Yezd, 55, 56;
  • industrial, 197-201
  • Mohammed, 63-72, 84, 85, 90, 91, 96, 97, 112, 113, 128, 130;
  • his birth, 65;
  • his wife, 66;
  • head of the Hanif movement, 67;
  • his admiration of the Jews, 124
  • Mohammedanism, Persian, 60, 64-114;
  • aspects in Yezd of, 115-135
  • Monogamy, 177, 178
  • Mountain streams, 5
  • Muballigh, teacher and missionary, 88, 89
  • Mud, use of, 12;
  • huts of, 28
  • Muhammad Hasan Khan, Governor of Yezd, 48
  • Muharram, 133
  • Mujtahid, 46-48, 56, 58, 73-75, 88
  • Mulla Bahrām of Khuramshār, a Parsi, 48
  • Munāfiqīn, hypocrites, 80
  • Mushīru’l Mamālik, the, 51
  • Mussulman v. Armenian morality, 118
  • Muzaffaru’d Dīn, Shah, 49
  • Nakhl, 134
  • Nāsiru’d Dīn, Shah, 48
  • Nāsiru’d Dīn, Mulla, and his mule, story of, 149
  • Nijāsat, 132
  • Non-conformity in Persia, 61
  • Oasis, 3, 4
  • Omar, Khalīf, 76, 135
  • Opium trade, 170
  • Ornamentation, of houses, 17
  • Paighambarī, 84, 85, 96, 110, 127
  • Parsis in Yezd, oppression and persecution of, 44-52
  • Pilgrimages, Mussulman, 118, 128
  • Plain, a typical Persian, 7
  • Polygamy, 177
  • Poor relief, 232-239
  • Postal arrangements, in Yezd, 36
  • Qabā, 45, 48
  • Qalāntar, 49
  • Qaliān, 25
  • Qum, 119
  • Qurān, the, 73, 74, 76, 77, 92, 93, 105, 107-109, 119, 120, 124, 130
  • Rainfall, 6, 29
  • Ramazān, Mohammedan Fast, 78
  • Rasht, 43, 233
  • Rice, Rev. W. A., 95
  • Rustami Ardishīri Dīnyār, a Parsi, 49
  • Rūza khānī, 126, 196
  • Sahāmu’l Mulk, 51
  • Sāhibi kitāb, a book-bearer, Mohammed regarded as the last, 72
  • Salāmat, a Parsi, 51
  • Salt and sandy deserts, 2, 3
  • Saughāts, 162
  • Savābs, 98-105
  • School work, in Yezd, 239-248
  • Seyid, a descendant of Mohammed, 50, 101, 102
  • Shaikhi sect, the, 91
  • Shahr, a town, 39
  • Shiahs, or nonconformists, 60, 73-78, 86, 87, 93-98, 103, 105-109, 124, 128, 134, 177, 212
  • Shīrāz, 36, 43
  • Silkworms, 233
  • Soldiers, Persian, 156
  • Streams, mountain, 5
  • Subhi Azal, second book-bearer of the Behāīs, 90, 92
  • Sufis, sect of the, 86, 108
  • Summer buildings, 15, 29
  • Sunnat, 73, 74
  • Sunnis, and their creed, 63, 72, 74, 77, 80, 94, 106
  • Superstition, 121-123
  • Tables, 23, 24
  • Taft village, 51, 134
  • Tālār, summer portico, 14, 15
  • Tāqchas, ledges, 16, 24-26
  • Taqdīr, 97
  • Taqiya, 212
  • Tārīkhi Jadīd, 91
  • Tauhid, 127
  • Taylor, Dr Elsie, 260
  • Teheran, 2
  • Telegraph line, native, 37
  • Tīrandāz, a Parsi, 49
  • Tomān, 47
  • Trinket boxes, 26
  • Turners, of Yezd, 23
  • Uncleanness, degrees of, 130-132
  • Untruthfulness of Persians, 116, 142
  • Vatan, home-district, 39
  • Villages, 8;
  • hill-, 31, 32
  • Walls, house-, 16
  • Waraka ibn Nawfal, a prominent Hanif, 66
  • Water system, 6
  • White, Dr Henry, 204, 260, 261
  • Windows, 19, 20
  • Winter rooms, 18
  • Yailāq, 31
  • Yazīd, 134
  • Yezd district, houses in, 1-35;
  • its isolation and insularity, 36
  • Yezdis, and Isfahanis, 38;
  • their religion, 111, 120-126;
  • character of the, 136-187;
  • systematised inconsistency, 137;
  • loyalty, 138;
  • sense of shame, 147;
  • humour, 148;
  • their disregard of time, 150;
  • difficulties of their language, 152;
  • lack of initiative, 154;
  • their courage, 155;
  • etiquette and manners of, 158;
  • their triviality, 160;
  • pride, 165, 166;
  • kindliness, cruelty, 166;
  • dishonesty, 142, 168;
  • lack of business habits, 171;
  • fatalism, 173;
  • latent strength, 176;
  • their family ties, 177;
  • jus paternum, 181;
  • religious liberty, 181-183;
  • indifference to crime, 184;
  • open-handness, 184
  • Zaid, 71
  • Zaid ibn Amr, 66
  • Zainab, 71
  • Zardūshtī (Zoroastrian), 50
  • Zillu’s Sultān, 50, 52
  • Zoroastrians, in Yezd, 46-53, 113

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