VersionsKarah Kaplan ; or The Koordish Chief I [English, London, 1842]
Karah Kaplan ; or The Koordish Chief II [English, London, 1842]
Karah Kaplan ; or The Koordish Chief III [English, London, ]
KARAH KAPLAN or THE KOORDISH CHIEF
A TALE OF PERSIA AND KOORDISTAN
VOL. 1
The morn had broken with all the delicious freshness peculiar to a Persian spring, upon the bazaars (l) of Hamadan,(2) which presented the bustling and crowded appearance usual in an oriental town at that hour. Many and various were the sounds audible throughout this division of the city: in one part reverberated the heavy strokes from the hammers of the armourers as they fell with loud clang upon the anvils; from another rose the buzzing noise proceeding from the looms of the weavers and the bows of the cotton pickers, while at the same time the overpowering din was increased by the jingling of the bells attached to the necks of the camels and mules that were threading the bazars in long strings, and the shrill cries of the muleteers, uttered both as warnings to the crowd, and a spur to the animals to quicken their speed.... PREFACE
One of the first observations likely to be made by any one who takes up this work, on perusing the title page, will be, what is the meaning of Karah Kaplan? In anticipation of this question, I have written a few lines concerning the name I have given to my story. It consists of two Turkish words, Karah, black, and Kaplan, a tiger, and is pronounced by laying the accent strongly on the first and last syllables, for instance Karah Kaplan. It is the surname of a Koordish Chief, who plays a most conspicuous part in the narrative.
This tale is founded on fact, and some celebrated and well known characters make their appearance in its pages, among whom may be noticed the late Shah Fath Ali.
It was originally my intention to have written a very short story, of a few pages, (the circumstances giving rise to it appearing in the second volume. Chapter XIII., the leading events of which really took place not long before the death of the late King; but the work grew so upon my hands, that at length it wove itself into its present shape.
As no one can dislike reading long prefaces more than myself, I shall do as I would be done by, and bring these few necessary remarks to a conclusion. Hoping that Karah Kaplan will meet with indulgent readers; I leave it to its fate; if it should meet with approbation, the public will perhaps again hear from their sincere well-wisher,
THE AUTHOR KARAH KAPLAN
OR
THE KOORDISH CHIEF
A TALE OF PERSIA AND KOORDISTAN
BY
THE HON. CHARLES STUART SAVILE
IN THREE VOLUMES
VOL. I
LONDON:
RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET.
1842. | 
