Glimpses of Life and Manners in Persia
Lady Mary Leonora Woulfe Sheil
NYT - Arno Press
This book offers a glimpse into the rich tapestry of Persian life during a period of significant global change. The author, a woman who resided in Persia for nearly four years, provides a unique and intimate perspective on the country’s manners, social customs, and the emotional tenor of society. Her insights are particularly valuable for their focus on the lives of Persian women, a subject often obscured for Western audiences. Drawing on her personal experiences, the author delves into the intricacies of Persian society, painting vivid portraits of daily life and its cultural nuances. The text reveals the complexities of travel, the influence of religion on daily life, the societal norms of dress and behavior, and the complexities of relationships between different social classes. Readers will find themselves swept away by the author’s detailed descriptions of her encounters with Persian personalities, including the Shah and his family, along with insightful observations on Persian customs, such as the ceremonial Nowrooz celebration and the intricacies of the Persian legal system. Her journey through the Caucasus and Russia offers an additional layer of cultural context, providing a broader understanding of the region's political and social dynamics. Ultimately, this book presents a compelling and nuanced exploration of Persian culture, providing valuable insights into a world both familiar and foreign. (4e de couverture d'une édition ultérieure)
Contents
Chapter I.
Motive for writing this book — Our party — Progress to Berlin — Enoounter with the police — Russian railroads — Arrival in Warsaw — General Lamoricifere — Death of the Grand Duke Miohael — Etiquette in the Emperor's Park — Theatre at Warsaw — Masourka — Audience with the Emperor Nicholas — Jews in Warsaw / 1
Chapter II
Departure from Warsaw — Feldt Yager — Russian post-houses — Gytomir — Kief — St. Sophia — Baptism in the Dnieper — Suspen¬sion-bridge over the Dnieper — Progress to Odessa — Appearance of the people — Jewish Synagogue — Odessa — Prinoe Woronrow / 15
Chapter III.
Russian steamboat — Our fellow-passengers — Russian resources for passing the time — * Mes M&noires' — Sebastopol — Balaclava — Crimean scenery — Yalta — Aloupka — Wine-making in the Crimea — Russian ladies in distress — Tartar bandit — Jews in the Crimea — Simpheropol — Kaffa — Kertch — Museum — Pass¬age to Taman 25
Chapter IV.
Passage to Taman — Russian hospitals — Line of the Kuban — Russian sentinels perched on platforms — Cossacks of the line — Ekaterinodar — Stavropol — Our Armenian hostess — Novel mode of ablution — Giorgesk — Caucasian watering-place — Vladikaf kas, the key of the Caucasus — Curious mode of conversion to Christianity among the Ossets — Shamil — Across the Caucasus to Tiflis / 40
Chapter V.
Tiflis racked by the Persians — Prince Woronzow’s improvements — Georgian drinking parties — Armenian Patriarch — Gookcha Lake — Supper at Erivan — Etchmiatrin — Nakhshewan — Our host and hostess — Night at the Aras — Crossing the frontier — Fare¬well to Russia Page / 61
Chapter VI.
Arrival in Persia — Aspect of the country — Want of population — Warlike ooetume — The unfortunate cow — Maraud — The Aran —i Our entrance to Tabreez — First impression of a Persian city — Frequent earthquakes — The Ark — Kajar's coffee — Climate of Tabreez — The angel Gabriel’s address to Adam in Turkish — Languages in use in Persia 75
Chapter VII.
Mode of travelling — Village houses — Economical fires — Mephitic springs — Savalandagh — Shrine of a prophet — Toorkomanchaee — Snow drift — Journeys of the couriers — Struggles through the snow — The " Leopard’s Pass ” — Tribe of Shaheesevens migrating — Sagacious donkeys and hideous old women — Sultaneeya and its dome — Iljaetoo Khan — Mode of irrigation in Persia — Kasveen — Our host — The Old Man of the Mountain — Alamoot — Hunting seat of Fetteh Ali Shah — Innumerable family of that monarch — Hall of Audience — Agha Mahommed Khan Kajjar — Plucking out of 70,000 pairs of eyes — Waiting for good luck — My entry into Tehran — Entry of Colonel Sheil / 98
Chapter VIII,
Dulness of the life in Tehran — Gardening — The Persian language — The Moharrem — Dramatic representation — Fighting among the women — Extraordinary overflow of grief at the representation — Visit to the Shah’s mother and wives — Interior of the haram — Thin oostume / 122
Chapter IX.
Qebr fire-worshippers — Curious mode oi interment — Mission garden taken possession of by the Persian ladies — Persian music Musical masons—The anniversary of Omar’s assassination — How oelebrated — Difference between Turks and Persians — Persian tolerance — Debts — Marriage —Condition of Persian women / 135
Chapter X.
Approach of Nowrooa — Dunning derveeshes — Ceremonial of the Nowrooa — Her Majesty’s birthday — Entertainment to Persians — Wines of Sheeraa and Ispahan — Dinner on a large scale — Migration to the hills — Value of water — Our encampment — The mission village — Sanctuary — Miraculous cow — Refugees in the mlsslnns — Civil and criminal law / 151
Chapter XI.
Intense heat — Excursion up the mountains — Frightful torrent — Welcome new moon — Rigorous Mussulman fast — Rebellion — BSbeeism or socialism — Curious incident at the execution of Bib — A socialist king — Bsbee executions — Insurrection at Zeijan / 171
Chapter XII.
RuinB of Rei — Massacre of Russian mission — The camel artillery — Excursion to Verameen — Extraordinary ruin — Rages — The Salt Desert — Wild asses — Tame asses / 182
Chapter XIII.
New Year’s Day — Wool I Wool! — Various kinds of derveeshes, and their ceremonies — Freedom of religious opinions — Custom of sending corpses to Kerbella — Disagreeable companions — Ali- Illahism — Visit to the Shah’s palace — Conjugal present — The Shah's sister — The deserted camel / 192
Chapter XIV.
Toorkoman hostages — The banks of the Qoorgan — Toorkoman horses — Easter — ChaMwan bishop — Mistaken ideas of seclusion among Persian women — Dosing of Persian doctors — Ashoorada — Suc-cessful foray of Toorkomans against the Russians — Journey to Ispahan — Dreadful heat — Kouderood — Persian beggar — The unlawful lamb — Persian pigs / 207
Chapter XV.
Plain of Gilpaegan — Melori-fields — Various travellers in Looristan — The mannam of the Loors — Derveeeh Ali — Khousar — Ispahan — Former Bplendour and general decay — Shah Abbas's Hall of Audience — Persian frescoes — Felicity of the pigeons — The Arme-nians of Julfa / 222
Chapter XVI.
Mussulman nurses — Three various modes of counting time in Persia — Retribution for the Russian festivities on Easter Sunday at Ashoorada — Partial abolition of the importation of slaves— Negroes in Persia — Condition of slaves in Persia — Return to Tehran — Bastinado .— Punishment of a general for being defeated . 238
Chapter XVII.
A night alarm — The new Vezeer — The old Vezeer — His wife — Manner of his execution — Return and marriage of his widow — Armenian wedding — The Elchees from Arabia, Khiva, and Afghan¬istan — Refugee Afghan Khans — Excursion to Demawend — The “Sublime Well" — Defile and Eelyats — Town of Ask — Hot springs — Mountain chiefs — Hl-advised change of residence — Lareejanee women — Lareejanee lady governor — Persian break- frat — Jonas Hanway’s account of Mazenderan — Return to the “Sublime Well” / 248
Chapter XVIII.
Return to Goolohek — Attempt to murder the Shah — General flight into town — Fate of the conspirators — Strange punishments — Arrival of the Turkish ambassador — Farewell breakfast with the Grand Vezeeris wife / 273
Chapter XIX.
Quit Tehran—Journey to Tabreez — Lake of Ooroomeeya — Farewell to Persia — Oppression of the Armenians by the Koords — Our lodgings in Turkish Armenia — Erzeroom — Road and journey from Erzeroom to Trebizond — Pass of Kara Kappan — Jevezlik — Trebizond — Quarantine — Lazes — Constantinople / 286
Additional Notes.
Note (A). / 39.
Russian Military Influence in the East
General Macintosh’s plan for conducting the siege of Sebastopol — Our share in its fall — Suggestion for making military servioe oom- pulsory — Our next battle-field against Russia : prospects if in Georgia — Inactivity of Shamil and the mountain tribes during the late war — The Russian army in Georgia, its pay and mortality — Caucasian tribes — Power of Russia south of the Caucasus Page / 301
Note (B). Page 67.
The Ruined City of Ani
Ancient history of Armenia — Excursion to, and description of, Ani — Account of the fortress of Gumri — Advantage of the war to the Turks — Oppression of Armenians by Mahommedans / 307
Note (C). / 101
The Koords And Koordistan
“ Eels ” — Sheghagheo battalion — Estimation of English offloen — Inhospitality— Misoonduct and punishment of native officers—Pac-tion fights — Niametees and Hyderees — Mode of fighting — An odd petition — Ardebil: the governor’s son — Drunkenness — Shrine of Shah Ismael — Marble-pits — Maragha —A Persian gentle¬man — Quail-hawking — The Koords — Koordistan mountains — The Afehars — March in pursuit of plunderers — Koordish cavalry —Death of a colonel — Character of Persians — Drinking-bouts— Anecdotes illustrative of Persian character and manners / 317
Note (D). / 103
Toobkomans
Treaty of Toorkoman Chaee — Encroaohmente of Russia — Russian “protection ” — Occupation of Ashoorada — Repression of Toorko-man inoursions — Russian naval strength in the Caspian / 344
Illustrations
Kurds Charging, With Kettle-Drummers Leading Persian Lady Receiving a European Lady / 131
Persian Lady in Walking Costume / 145
Camel Artillery / 185
Caravan of Pilgrims, With Corpses, Going to Kerbella / 197
Nasr ood-deen, the Shah of Persia / 203
Persian Women seated on a carpet gossiping outside the Doctor’s door / 213
PREFACE
Sir John Malcolm, Sir John M‘Donald, Sir Robert Porter, Mr. Morier, and Mr. Fraser, have nearly ex¬hausted the subject of Persia. The histories, the travels, and the novels of these distinguished writers have made the world acquainted with the literature, the geography, the commerce, and the antiquities of that country. The present volume is simply an attempt to describe the manners and the tone of feeling and society at the present day. There seemed at one moment a prospect that Persia would hold, as friend or foe, a prominent position before the English public. This anticipation led first to the production of these pages. Even now the altered aspect of political affairs may not perchance have deprived them of all interest.
The Notes attached to this volume are written by my husband. There are in Persia many subjects not ac¬cessible to female inquiry; yet the absence of all allusion to them, even in a trifling production like this, would ren¬der these pages more incomplete than, it may be feared, they actually are.
Glimpses of Life and Manners in Persia.
Chapter I.
Motive for writing this book — Our party — Progress to Berlin — Encounter with the police — Russian railroads — Arrival in Warsaw — General Lamoriciire — Death of the Grand Duke Michael — Etiquette in the Emperor's Park — Theatre at Warsaw — Masourka — Audience with the Emperor Nicholas — Jews in Warsaw.
A FEW years ago it fell to my lot to make a journey to Persia, and to reside there nearly four years. At this moment, when public attention is so much directed to the East, I have thought my recollections of the scenes I have visited may not be without interest to a few readers. One advantage I enjoyed over many preceding travellers in Persia. I have been able to see the anderoons or harams of the Shah and some of the principal personages of his Court; and to judge, to a certain extent, with my own eyes, of the condition of women in that portion of the East.
Circumstances over which we had no control forced us to pursue the distant route of Poland and Russia, which, however, was to me rather a matter of rejoicing than otherwise, notwithstanding the fatigue and the prospect of climbing the Caucasus, perhaps in winter, as I knew that in all probability our return to England would be by …
Lady Mary Leonora Woulfe Sheil
Glimpses of Life and Manners in Persia
NYT
NYT - Arno Press
Glimpses of Life and Manners in Persia
Lady Mary Leonora Woulfe Sheil
Lady [Mary] Sheil
Arno Press
A New York Times Company
New York—1973
Reprint Edition 1973 by Arno Press Inc.
Reprinted from a copy in
The Princeton University Library
The Middle East Collection
ISBN for complete set: 0-405-0S130-X
See last pages of this volume for titles.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging la Publication Data
Shell, Mary Leonora (Woulfe) Lady.
Glimpses of life and manners in Persia.
(The Middle East collection)
Reprint of the 1856 ed. published by J. Murray,
London.
1. Iran—Description and travel. 2. Iran—
Social life and customs. I. Title. II. Series.
DS258.S54 / 1973 / 915.5'O4’4 / 73-6299
ISBN 0-405-05356-8
Glimpses of Life and Manners in Persia
By Lady Sheil
With Notes on Russia, Koords, Toorkomans,
Nestorians, Khiva, And Persia.
With Illustrations
London:
John Murray, Albemarle Street.
1856.
The right of Translation is reserved.
London: Printed by William Clowes and Sons,
Stamford Street, and Charing Cross.
