Norwich bulletin., 1916-12-01
THE WAR PRIMER By National Geographic Society

SuItanabad The National Geo graphic Society issues the following war geography bulletin concerning Suitanabad, capital of the Persian
 province of Irak, in the vicinity of which the Russians are reported to have administered defeat to con- siderable Turkish force:
 'iSultanabad is the infant city of
 Persia, having been founded only a
 little more than hundred years ago,
 whereas most of the places of more than 5000 inhabitants in this an- cient kingdom have histories ante dating the Christian era by centuries,
 The town owes it's importance to the fact that it IS in the center of one of the greatest rng-making districts of the Near East. It forms with Ham adam, Tabriz, and Herman, the big four of the Persian carpet world.
 The hand-woven carpets of Persia kali, pr rugs having piles and cut like plush; the nimads, or felt weaves which are seldom exported, and the gilin1, with smooth surfaces much in demand for hangings, draperies and couch covers. Sultanabad is noted especially for it's kali, and before the war the value of these goods export ed from here and Ferahan amounted to half million dollars annually. A British company is established in Su1tanabad to handle this business.
 There are only five or six roads in Persia which are sufficiently wide and well-graded to make vehicular traf- through Sultanabad. The importance of this fact cannot be fully appre- c1ated unless &one recalls that this country, which has an area two. thirds as large as all the States east of the
 Mississippi, boasts of but one rail TaH a ic long running between Teheran and a mosque just beyond the capitals city limits.
 'HThe SultaEabad highway runs to Rum, 68 miles to the northeast and thence north tc Teheran, ar addition al s2 miles. The part of tiae road from Teheran to Kun was built in 1883 at @ cost of $S0,o0 but had to be rebuilt by the Imperial Bank of Per sia, which expended S275, 5000 On the enterprise. Tie second section of the highway, from Kun to Sultanabad, was built to connect the capital with Avhaz (AhWaz), at the head of navi- gation of the Karun River, from which point a fortnightiy steamer ser vice to the head of the Persian Gulf is operated, aided by subsidy from the British government.
 Strangely enough, Sultanabad owes its existence 10 Napoleon Bonaparte. In an effort to induce Persia to at- tack Great Eritain's possessions in Indian in exchange for French help against the Russians then invading Georgia, the emperor despatched Gen. Claude Gardane to the court of Te- heran to effect the alliance. But by
 the time the diplomat could complete
 his dangerous overland journey The treaty Of Tilsit (JuIy, 1S07) had been in existence five months, and his mis- sion was thereby rendered useless for the time being. The envoy remained in Persia for more than a year, how ever, and during that time attempted to reorganize the native army. A recruiting center for several battal- ions was established Tn the midst of the rug-malSi2g villages of Irak, and thus began Sultanabad, which today has population of 5000. Gardane returned to France in 1909, was made a count and took part in the disas- trous campaign in Portugal under Massena- His reyerses cost him the favor which he had won with the em- peror by his tactfu1 handling of the delicate Persian mission. His sub l<x<,r x.p.~