Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-10-28

1t is not surprising that Khora-
san. the wild eas of Persia, should
be affected by banditry because, re-
mote as 1t is from the Western
Front. the World War profoundly
disturbed Its peculiar government
and social SYSTEM" says a bulletin
| from the National Geographic So
ciety concerning dispatches telling
| of the surrender of Khorasan insur-
rectionists and the death of their
| outlaw leader.
Khorasan is world famous among
connoisseurs of rugs, carpets and
silks; beyond that fact to many it is
| but a name. Yet this least known
of Persia's five great provinces suf-
fered from the alliance of Great
| Britain and Russia, 1t sustained a
severe shock when Russia fell I'M
der Soviet sway. and 1t experienced
some of the most Grass forms of
German intrigue.
Rulers PrOtean Politicians
Through a long distance polit-
ical lens the craftsmanship of the
governors of Kahn, Khorasan sub
province and rug making center,
commands high admiration. Their
ooStNeoAOh "oS Doh ~
line held sway neither by right of
blood nor ancient tribel choice.
They ruled by force of leadership.
First of all they had to please a
populace many of whom were not
more than a generation or two re-
moved from nomadism. They had
not only to be ward politicians but
international diplomats. Their
problem vas to play Russia, which
reached out to their northern bor-
ders through Turkestan, against
Great Britain. whose influence
touched their eastern boundary
through Afghanistan. And even be-
fore 1914 the ;nsidious activities of
Germany had to be taken into ac-
count. In addition an y had to be
kept on Teheran.
For a time. but for a time only.
during the World War, Amir Shou-
kat ul Mulk vas deposed, and his
successor rode into Birjand, kissing
the Koran, suspended across the
roadway at the gates of the city,
and thousands of his followers did
likewise. The occidental observer
might he particularly impressed
with the hygiene of that ceremony,
and he usually is distraught when
he finds that etiquette demands he
accept from a host a cigarette
which that host has lighted in his
own mouth. II a number OF guests
are present the host is likely to
insert one for each guest, apply
ing one light to all and getting all
started with one prodigious puff.
Annoying TO the other extreme,
however, is the meticulous care of
the servant who always must stop
to cleanse his hands before answer
ing the summons of his employer.
On Main Camel Line
"Birjand lay on the main trade
route of the camel and mule borne
commerce between Russia and In
dia. Before Russia broke down eco
nomically Thousands of tons of wool
were sent there from Khorasan
along with shawls and rugs. and
much of this ultimately reached
Marseilles. The animal transports
brought from India yarn and dyes,
raw material for carpet making.
and also coffee. tea and spices.
!, Both the disturbances in India
!, and chaos of Russia have hampered
Khorasan.
THE name, Khorasan. is apt,
/ meaning land of the SUM- Former
| ly II applied to a larger region,
| The province Of that name nearly
} as large as CdLIoTnid, now eteariy
delimited. is furrowed by mountain
/ ridges. the Asiatic end of a system
> that binds eastern Europe. physi-
, cally, TO central Asia. The Elburz
range, which rises in northwestern
: Persia to form the Persian Olympus
Mount Demavend, divides the coun-
. try into two climatic zones. since on
: its northern side is the Caspian ba-
sin, below sea level. and on its
ls~couthern a plateau which averages
some 1000 feet above the sea.
' Great Salt Desert
THE most noteworthy physical
: feature Of Khorasan is the Great
? Kavir. a saline desert considered