The names of every one of such men, the names of their fathers, and other particulars of their family, are all registered in the Defter Khona at the seat of government; and at the feast of the Norooz, they attend the King to inquire whether their services for that year are required: if required, they wait the encampment of his Majesty; if not, they are permitted to return, but in either case they receive a stated pay. This is one of the oldest customs in Persia, recorded in their histories from time immemorial. Each tribe has its chief, who is always a Khan, and one of their own race. He generally remains with his people, and has a Vakeel at the capital, who attends daily at the Der-a-Khonéh, and transacts all the business of his principal. He would be the Baron of feudal times, if he were not liable to lose his post at the will of the King. Mr. Bruce informed me that there still exists in Persia an ancient custom, in cases of emergency, of requiring from every mill (the wheel of which is turned by water) a man and horse armed and accoutred for the field; and of these they reckon one hundred thousand. The reason assigned for the King’s never requiring the attendance of the Failees on his military expeditions is, that in time of old (some say the reign of the famous King Caioum) the Failees fled and lost the battle; and incurred upon themselves and their posterity this interdiction of military service for ever. The people of Ispahan and of Kashan, who either urged or joined the flight of the Failees, were included in the same prohibition; and to this day bear the epithet of arrant cowards, more happy perhaps to live a quiet life at home, than to attempt to regain the reputation of brave men by fighting abroad.
The supplies which are sent receive pay from the King, as well as arms and horses; and when in actual service are fed at the King’s expence. When he no longer wants them they are dismissed to their own homes. The tribes compose the whole military force of the kingdom, except the King’s body-guards, who are never disbanded, and form the standing army of the country. Each Prince Governor of the provinces has also his body-guard, which, in like manner, is never disbanded.
The provinces of Aderbigian, Khorassan, Fars, Kerman, part of Irauk towards Irauk Arabi, are all governed by the King’s sons. The Prince of Aderbigian, it is said, can raise from his different tribes fifty thousand horse and foot, over which the King has no direct controul; but which, in case of war, He can call into action by requiring the attendance of his son with all his forces.
In the same manner the Prince Governor of Khorassan can raise from his tribes twenty thousand horse and foot. The Prince of Fars has likewise a similar command; but his troops have never been summoned to assist the King in his wars, as they are always left for the protection of the Southern parts of Persia. The province of Mazanderan sends twenty thousand horse and foot to the King. As the Qujars or Cadjars, the King’s own tribe, are resident in this province, He looks upon this force as his particular safeguard. This tribe is considered the most ancient and honoured in Persia: they reckon among themselves four Kings—Fath Ali Shah, who was killed by Shah Thamas; Hassan Khan, who was killed by Kerim Khan; Aga Mahomed; and the present King, his nephew and successor. Of this tribe there are two races; the first is the Yokaree Bash, of which the King’s family and that of the mother of the Heir apparent are both sprung; the second is the Asheea Bash. The nobility of the King’s progeny varies much according to that of the mothers.
The two great tribes are the Baktiari and the Failee. They consist of one hundred thousand families each, which, at five persons in a family, makes two totals of five hundred thousand souls. The Baktiars, of all the tribes, send the most troops to the King’s service. The King’s body-guard consists of twelve thousand men, half of whom are disciplined in the European manner, and are called Jan-baz, in contra-distinction to those raised and disciplined by the Princes, (and particularly Abbas Mirza, Governor of Aderbigian,) who are called Ser-baz. “Jan-baz” means one who plays away his soul; “Ser-baz” means one who plays away his head only.
The Twelve thousand who form the King’s body-guard are taken indiscriminately from the tribes, or from the population of the cities, but principally from Mazanderan and the tribes connected with the King’s own race. They have their families and homes at Teheran, and in the neighbouring villages, and are ready at every call. They are divided into bodies of three thousand men and do duty by turns in the King’s palace, called the Ark. They are called Kechekchees or Guards, and every such body has a Ser Kechekchee, or Head of the Guard, who always attends when his corps is on duty; and on the relief of the guard a Mirza belonging to the corps reads over every man’s name, and in case of non-attendance the defaulter receives punishment. These Ser Kechekchees are men of so much family and distinction, that one of the King’s own sons enjoys the dignity. The Kechekchees are distributed in all parts of the palace, and are always seen on guard on the the towers of the Ark. Their watch-word is “hazir, or ready,” which they continually pass from one to the other. They are a distinct body from the Kechekchees of the city, who are solely attached to the police office, and do the duty of our watchmen, with this difference, that they have a right to ascend the tops of the houses in their midnight rounds.
Besides this body-guard of twelve thousand, the King has three thousand Goulams or slaves, who are horsemen and always attend him when he makes an excursion. All these people, both horse and foot, are paid, fed, clothed, armed and mounted at the King’s expence. Goulam (slave) is here figuratively used to express their devotion to the King’s service; for they are not in reality entered into a state of servitude by actual purchase: on the contrary, they are particularly honoured by the King, and his own favourite Ismael Beg is their commander. This chief is one of those who still exercise the noose with great skill; it is called kummund, and there are some instances of its being still used in their engagements.
DRESS.
The dress of the Persians is much changed since the time of Chardin. It never possessed the dignity and solidity of the Turkish dress, and much less now than ever. So materially indeed have their fashions altered, that in comparing with the modes of the present day, the pictures and descriptions in Chardin and Le Brun, we can recognize no longer the same people. It is extraordinary that an Asiatic nation, so much charmed by show and brilliancy, (as the Persians have always been supposed to be), should have adopted for their apparel the dark and sombre colours, which are now universal among all ranks. In the reign of the Zund Family indeed, light colours were much in vogue; but the present Race, perhaps from a spirit of opposition, cherish dark ones. A Persian therefore looks a most melancholy personage, and resembles much some of the Armenian Priests and Holy Men, whom I have seen in Turkey. Browns, dark olives, bottle greens, and dark blues, are the colours mostly worn. Red they dislike; and it is singular that this is a hue, which fashion seems to have discarded even in the countries far beyond the Northern and Eastern confines of Persia; for the merchants of Bokhara, who come down annually to Bushire to buy cloths, totally disregard scarlets, and for that colour will not give any thing like the price, which they will pay for others.
Although the climate requires full as much clothing as that of Turkey, I did not find in my stay among them, that the Persians clothed themselves by any means so warmly as the Turks. As the cold increases, the Turk increases the number of his pelisses, till in the progress of the winter I have frequently seen a small and puny man expand into a very robust and athletic figure: but the Persian’s wardrobe does not thus extend over him as the season advances.