PERSIA. 
<594 
It is applied alike to the lawyer, the phyfician, and the 
fon of the king: its pofition before or after the name 
conftitutes its value. The princes alone can fubjoin it 
to their proper names, as Abbas Mirza, Hufl'eyn Mirza: 
but as a prefix to the name, it may be afl'umed by, or con¬ 
ferred on, any perfon. It is right, however, to obferve, 
that none but well-educated men, or luch as follow re* 
fpedtable profeffions, or hold honourable polls, take the 
title of mirza. 
The title of Khan was formerly given to the governors 
of provinces only. It is of Tartar origin, and very an¬ 
cient. Quintus Curtius mentions feveral princes con¬ 
quered by Alexander, who bore it, as Portican, Oxi can, 
Mofwn, which (hows that it was fubjoined to the name 
in thofe times as at prefent. The number of Perfians 
now honoured with the title of khan is very great. It is 
conferred by the king either on his own fubje&s to re¬ 
ward their fervices, or on foreigners as a mark of honour 
and eileem. Feth Ali bellowed it by letters patent on 
fome of the members of the French embafly fent to Perfia 
under Gen. Gardanne. So much is certain, that it ought 
to be borne exclufively by military men, and that thofe 
who have obtained it by martial achievements defpife 
others who are indebted for it folely to the favour of the 
prince. The ceremony attending the creation of a khan 
is very fimple. The king fends a khilaut, or robe of ho¬ 
nour, to the perfon whom he honours with this title, ac¬ 
companied with a firman, or two letters, the one relating 
to the prelent of the khilaut, and the other conferring the 
title. This firman the receiver mull wear three days at¬ 
tached to the top of his turban. 
The king’s houfehold confilts, like that of European 
monarchs, of a great number of officers, each having his 
particular duties and fundlions. The chief of thefe is the 
high chamberlain, who is fuperintendant of the king’s 
finances, manager of all the royal domains, andinfpe&or 
of all the other officers. On him all the perfons engaged 
in the arts and fciences at the expenfe of the royal ex¬ 
chequer are dependent; and to him fuch perfons as come 
to Perfia on commercial bufinefs have to addrefs them- 
felves. It is his duty alfo to make fuitable provifion for 
ambafladors, to afiign them quarters, and to fupply all 
their wants. Hence fome idea may be formed of the in¬ 
fluence attached to this dignity. 
The fecond officer is the Ichic-Agafee Bafhee, whom 
Morier calls the mafier of ilie ceremonies: he fuperintends 
the porters, ulhers, door- keepers, and other officers of that 
clafs belonging to the palace. Before him is borne a gold 
Hick covered with precious Hones, which is the mark of 
his dignity: and, when the king quits his feraglio, he 
takes it in his hand, Handing at fome diffance from his 
majeffy’s perfon, and endeavouring to anticipate his 
commands from his looks. As foon as the king looks at 
him, he advances, takes his orders, lays down his Hick, 
caul'es the orders to be executed, refumes his Hick, and 
returns to his place. He receives all petitions prefented 
to the king, delivers them into his hand, and either reads 
or reports the fubHance of them to his majefiy. His 
office by right requires him to lie every night at the door 
of the palace ; but, inHead of performing this fervice in 
perfon, he places guards there. The annexed engraving 
reprefents the collume of the mafier of the ceremonies, 
from Jourdain, tom. iii. 
The Yefaools and the Yefaools-fohbet are immediately 
dependent on the Ichic-Agalee-Balhee. The former are 
a kind of meffengers who carry the orders of the king; 
the latter are a fort of affiffants to the mailer of the cere¬ 
monies : they form a body compofed of the fons of nobles. 
When on duty they carry painted and gilt Hicks,and impofe 
filence and keep order wherever the king may be. When 
the king gives audience to ambafladors, they go to the 
entrance of the palace to meet them, introduce them, and 
lay their prefents before his majefiy. 
The Meer-akhor, or chief equerry, and the Chikkiar- 
Baflsee, or chief huntfman, come next. They have each 
fubordinate officers, as the Djeladar-Balhee, chief of the 
grooms ; the Zindartlhee-Baffiee, chief of the faddlers ; 
the Oozengoo-coortlhidjy-Baffiee, or chief of the ltirrup- 
holders ; the Taoos-Kaneh Agafee, head-keeper of the 
birds of prey ; the Sekban-Baffiee, keeper of the hounds. 
Next in importance are the Hakim-Baffiee, or chief 
phyfician ; and the Monaddjem-Baffiee, or chief aftrologer. 
The reader need not be furprifed to meet with fuch an 
officer as the latter in a country where the fway of aftro- 
logy is omnipotent among all claffes. Such are the places 
which confer the right of fitting in the prefence of the 
king. The chief of thofe to which this privilege is not 
attached is the poll of Melheldar-Baffiee, or chief torch- 
bearer, who rides before the king, carrying a golden 
torch in his hand, and fuperintends the flambeaux for 
lighting the interior of the palace. Thefe torches are 
brafs cups fixed to the end of rods of the fame metal, 
which are filled with oil, and in the middle of which is 
burned a cotton wick. The Perfians feldom make ufe of 
wax, and never of tallow or rofin. In Chardin’s time the 
Melheldar-Baffiee had the fuperintendence of taverns, 
public prollitutes, muficians, and buffoons of all kinds. 
The Mehmandar-Baffiee comes next; he is the chief of 
the officers whofe duty it is to go out of the city to meet 
ambafladors, to condufl them to the quarters prepared 
for them, and to accompany them in their journey: for 
every foreigner of diftindtion, on entering the Perfian ter¬ 
ritory, is furniffied with an officer whofe duty it is to at¬ 
tend him, to protedl him from infult, and to procure for 
him whatever he wants. 
The poll of Mihtur, or chamberlain, is always filled by 
a white eunuch : it is confidered as one of the moll im¬ 
portant in the royal houfehold. In Perfia, as in Turkey, 
there are two forts of eunuchs, black and white. The 
latter are very rarely, if ever, admitted among the women; 
whereas the former never quit the palace. The chamber- 
lain has not a right to enter the women’s apartments, 
unlefs he be fent for; but he feldom leaves the king. 
He waits upon him at table on his knees, and taftes the 
diffies ; he drefles and undrefles him ; and is entrufted 
with the care of the jewels and precious ftones commonly 
worn by the fovereign. In Europe, gold keys or wands 
form the charadleriftic infignia of the office of chamber- 
lain: in Perfia, the Mihtur wears fufpended from his waift 
a fmall gold box in the ffiape of a gondola, enriched with 
precious ftones, and containing two or three exquifitely- 
fine white handkerchiefs, opium, perfumes, and cordials. 
Of the Seraglio. —We apply, in our language, the 
term feraglio to that part of the oriental palaces which is 
inhabited by the women, and to which the prince alone 
has accefs. The idea attached to this term does not pre- 
cifely agree with its meaning: ferail, or ferai, fignifies 
merely “a houfe.” Thus the public buildings at which 
caravans flop are called caravan-ferais. The fpot which 
we call feraglio, the orientals denominate harem; that is, 
“ the facred place,” the place to which accefs is forbidden. 
The harem is in general the moll magnificent portion of 
the palaces of Perfia and the eall, for here the princes 
fpend the greateft part of their time. All that here pafles 
is enveloped in profound myftery: the harem is the 
theatre of pleafure, intrigues, and crimes; and there, 
too, the moil important matters are irrevocably decided 
upon. Chardin, that minute and faithful obferver, not¬ 
withstanding his familiarity with the great, could not 
gain much information concerning the harem. The 
lame offices and places exift there as at court; but they 
are filled by women. The king has his chief and under 
equerry who carry his arms, the captain of the gate, the 
captain of the guards, ulhers, and gentlemen, all of whom 
are females : while others read public prayers and perform 
the rites of religion. Thefe follow profeffions ufeful in 
common life; thofe practice medicine; and others inter 
the dead : for a harem contains a mofque, a cemetery, in 
ffiort, all that is to be found in a city ; in faft, it is a co¬ 
lony of Amazons. 
3 
In 
