The march of Azerbaijan
regiments to Yazd and Kerman
In
the beginning of the autumn of 1830, while the province of Azerbaijan was still
suffering, in common with a great part of Persia, from that most dreadful
scourge, the plague ― by which many villages, and even some of the larger towns
and cities, had been nearly depopulated, the king’s eldest son, ‘Abbas Mirza,
received orders from his father, Fat-h ‘Ali Shah, to assemble his army without
delay, and march towards Yezd and Kirman, in order, if possible, to restore
order and security to those devoted provinces, which were then suffering under
the accumulated horrors of civil war, pestilence and famine; and to reduce the
prince, Hasan ‘Ali Mirza, governor of Kirman, who was in a state of open rebellion,
to obedience.
I
shall not stop to give an account of the many difficulties which were
encountered and overcome, ere the troops could be assembled at such a
disastrous period ― suffice it to say, that the non-commissioned officers of
the British Detachment marched down, with the different corps to which they
were attached, to Khemseh, where the force was concentrated and placed under
the temporary command of Mohammed Mirza. Here our commandant joined us, and we
left the camp and proceeded to Teheran, to await the orders of the British
Ambassador as to whether we were to accompany the army to Kashan or not. We
advanced by the usual route, viz., the high road to Isfahan; but as that route
is well known, and in order to avoid a detail of occurrences on the march, a
mere statement of the route, general direction, towns, villages,
watering-places, &c. &c., will, for the most part, be given, and I
shall begin the present extract from my journal with our departure from the
thriving city of Kashan, celebrated throughout Persia for the industry of its
inhabitants.
April 5th. ― To Kirman, 20 miles E.
A
good caravanserai and streamlet at 12 miles. At 16 miles, we passed a small
village with a few gardens and an Imam-zadah. Approaching Kirman, the plain
gradually narrows to a valley. The city, which is about 3 miles and a half in
circuit, is walled. It is situated at the foot of a high range of mountains,
whose summits were now covered with snow.
Hasan
‘Ali Mirza had been taken without a struggle, and was then a captive in the
camp. He was a few days afterwards sent a prisoner to Teheran. The inhabitants,
knowing the city to be incapable of defence, had forced him to surrender to
‘Abbas Mirza.
The
bazaars were, at this time at least, but poorly stocked, though extensive; and
there were many ruinous buildings to be seen within the town.
The
principal manufactures of this place are shawls and namads; the former of
various descriptions and patterns, made from the hair of a goat, considerably
smaller than the common sort, and covered with a thick coat of long white hair,
frequently sweeping the ground; the latter the best made in Persia. Lead is
brought from the mountains towards Beluchistan.
About
1 mile to the S. are the ruins of a former town, girding a hill, which is crested
by the remains of a fortress, once apparently of considerable strength, and
completely commanding the present city.
The
Prince ‘Abbas Mirza’s camp, which we here joined, was pitched about 
a mile from the town. The force here under his
immediate command consisted of about 5000 cavalry, twenty-four guns, and the
Khasseh, 2nd Tabriz, Maraghah, Kara-tagh, Khoi, Afshar, Hamadan and
Khemseh regiments, averaging 800 men each corps. Rations were at this time
distributed pretty regularly; but the soldiers were already beginning to murmur
about their arrears of pay.
a mile from the town. The force here under his
immediate command consisted of about 5000 cavalry, twenty-four guns, and the
Khasseh, 2nd Tabriz, Maraghah, Kara-tagh, Khoi, Afshar, Hamadan and
Khemseh regiments, averaging 800 men each corps. Rations were at this time
distributed pretty regularly; but the soldiers were already beginning to murmur
about their arrears of pay.
A
son of Hasan ‘Ali Mirza having shut himself up in the fortress of Shehri-Babek,
it was judged expedient to send a division in that direction, as well to reduce
him, as to quell any insurrectionary movements in that quarter. A force,
composed of three regiments, five guns, a howitzer and a thousand horse, under
the command of Mohammed Mirza, and accompanied by the British detachment, was
accordingly dispatched for this purpose.
We
marched on the 10th of April to Bakin, 20 miles W., which I have
already described.
Richard Gibbons — Routes in Kirmán, Jebál, and
Khorásán, in the Years 1831 and 1832 (1841)
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