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Luristan: Pish-i-Kuh and Bala Gariveh

1922; Wiley; Volume: 59; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/1780610

1475-4959

C. J. Edmonds,

African history and culture analysis

The names in this paper are for the most part as spelled by the author and have not been assimilated to the system of the P.C.G.N.The sketch-map shows the principal names only.LURISTAN is the country of the Lurs, and was divided by the ancient geographers into two parts : the Greater Lur, extending from the confines of Fars on the east to the Diz river on the west and comprising the country of the Bakhtiari, the Kuhgalu, and the Mamasenni; and the Lesser Dur, the modern Luristan, bounded on the north by the Kermanshah and Burujird provinces, on the east by the Diz river, on the south LURISTAN: PISH-I-KUH AND BALA GARIVEH siderable length of the 'Iraq border.His official title is Vali of Luristan, but it is now many years since a Vali attempted to vindicate his authority outside his own Pusht-i-Kuh, where his power is absolute and perfect law and order prevail.Indeed another chieftain has in recent years been given the title of Vali of Pish-i-Kuh, much to Pusht-i-Kuh's annoyance.Pish-i-Kuh and Bala Gariveh, which form the subject of this paper, in contrast, have been in a chronic state of anarchy, certainly during the last century and probably throughout their history, with only brief intervals of comparative order under an occasional strong governor.Lord Curzon quotes Quintus Curtius and Pliny, who described how the tribes of Elam " set at nought the authority of the Medes and Persians, defied Alexander, and provoked Antiochus."Local tradition states that the ancient city of Khurramabad was destroyed by Chingiz as a reprisal for a series of treacherous attacks in his rear.In more recent times the Lurs have set at nought the authority of the Persian Government.For some years past no Persian Governor has been able to penetrate from Burujird to Khur? ramabad.The last to attempt it was the powerful Nizam-us-Sultaneh, whose army, including a large force of Swedish trained gendarmerie, was completely defeated at Khurramabad in 1915.This same grandee was actually captured by the Lurs on the occasion of his previous appointment in 1907.The last governor really to establish his authority south of Khurramabad to Dizful was 'Ain-ud-Dauleh in 1899.As a consequence European or even educated Persian travellers to this country have been few and far between.Luristan is of particular interest and importance because by far the shortest route from the Persian Gulf to the main commercial distributing centres of the plateau runs from Mohammerah vid Ahvaz, Dizful, and Khurramabad to Burujird, whence Kermanshah, Hamadan, and Isfahan are all easily accessible.The country moreover ofFers no insuperable physical obstacles to the construction of a railway or a chausse'e road.LURISTAN: PISH-I-KUH AND BALA GARIVEH 339 i-Kuh or Bala Gariveh before 1835.Of travellers in the nineteenth century seven have described their journeys : (1) The Russian Baron De Bode (1835), who travelled from Dizful to Qilab and thence by route IVa vid Jaidar and Madian Rud to Khur? ramabad and thence vid route VI, the Bairanavand road, to Burujird.It will be recollected that near Behbahan De Bode met Layard, who had been obliged to give up his original idea of crossing Luristan from north to south and had come down further east through Bakhtiari.While in 'Arabistan, however, Layard collected a great deal of information regarding Luristan, which appears in the y.R.G.S., vol.12, (2) Rawlinson (1836), whose very complete notes appear in the y.R.G.S., vol.9. From Pusht-i-Kuh he crossed the Saimarreh with his Persian regiment at the Gamashan Bridge, marched to Dizful, and thence by route II, the Qalavand road, to Khurramabad and on by route VII vid Alishtar to Bisitun.