The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-08-16
prepared by the National Geographic
Society. Washington. ID. c.

TERSLA, long practically railroad
- less, has laid down more than
l. 200 scattered miles of rails since
the World war, and is now con-
StruCting a real trunk line from the
Persian gulf in the south to the Cas-
plan sea in the north. Persia's awak-
ening, in the matter of communion
tiOnS as well as in other senses, can
be aScribed in large part to the World
war. The higher price of silver that
followed the conflict doubled Persia's
capital, and the world sought her raw
materials and so removed her from
comparative isolation to place of i'm
pOrtance among commercial nations.
Persia is one of the oldest empires
in existence. 1t has been a kingdom
for % centurieS-ever since Cyrus the
Great, about $50 b. c., conquered
Media and united that country to his
under the name of Persia. 1t has had
many glorious episodes in it's long
history; has produced the great teach
er. ZOrOaSter; such wOrld-famOuS
poets as Firdawsi, Omar Khayyam,
Saadi and Hafiz, and such great SOL
diers and rulers as Darius |, Shapur /
and Shah Abbas.
Again and again the empire has
been a prey to anarchy; again and
again cOnquering hosts have swept
through the country, Alexander the
Great having many a successor, the
most destructive cOnquerOr being
GenghiS Khan with his hordes of saw
age Mongolia leader who boosted
that he had slain 30,000.O00 of his fell
low creatures
The center of the country is a great
plateau, rising from 1000 to 5000 feet,
and crossed by frequent chains of
mountains, while a lofty mountain
barrier bounds it on the north and
south.
In the whole Persian empire there
were in 1910 only six miles of rail
way; fact which casts the progress
of the last few years into strong re-
lief. There is only one navigable
river, the Karun 1t flows into the
head of the Persian gulf, and on this
open roadsteads, at which cargo can
not be landed in stormy weather.
The merchandise of Persia is even
largely carried on the backs of CAM
els, mules and donkeys; a slow and
expensive mode of transport, and the
traveller usually rides through the
country following the tracks made by
the passage of caravans during the
centuries.
Persians Are Handsome Aryans.
The Persian is of Aryan stock, and
has the same words as ourselves for
father, mother. brother and daughter
(pidar, madar, bradar and dukhtar),
and the construction of his language
is like that of English.
He is a handsome, well-built man,
with regular features and fine black
eyes, his complexion being no darker
than that of an Italian. In manner he
is most courteous; he is quick, alert,
fond of conversation and discussion,
and has rightly been called the
Frenchman Of the East.
Persia is the home of many re-
ligions, beginning with the Zoroastrian
now represented by the Parsees, and
several sects of Christians down to
Mohammedanism in its many di-
visions, Shiite MOhammedanism being
the state religion of the country. The
Shiites have their own traditions, the
most marked being an inordnate re-
nj q Wy
of the Prophet and probably his first
male convert. They believe that the
angel Gabriel visited MOhammed on
his last pilgrimage to Mecca and in
Structed him to proclaim Ali his sue
ceSSOr.
So thoroughly are they convinced
that the caliphate belongs to the
hO1Se of MOhammed alone, that to the
confession, There is no God but God
and MOhammed is His ambassador"
they add, land Ali is the viceregent
of God" But Ali while on earth had
some powerful enemies, chief among
whom was AyeSha, the favorite wife
of MOhammed and the only one of his
harem who had never been married
before, and they succeeded in putting
him aside and choosing three caliphs
before him. He finally succeeded in
obtaining the caliphate, but was muir
dered in the mosque of Kufa after
he had served only four years.
Fabulous are the stories which have
grown up about his name. In fact, he
is said TO have Out-Joshuaed Joshua in
the following manner: One day while
in Kufa he was so busy that he did
not have time to say his prayers. Just
as he finished his chores the sun dis
appeared behind the horizon, so he
raised his hands toward the sky, made
a sign, and the sun retracted its steps
to the position it should occupy at the
moment of prayer and waited while
the great man offered up his petition.
Persian professions impress the