Behind the Veil in Persia and Turkish Arabia: An Account of an Englishwoman's Eight Years' Residence Amongst the Women of the East — David Hume — John Shaqi
Behind the Veil in Persia and Turkish Arabia: An Account of an Englishwoman's Eight Years' Residence Amongst the Women of the East
David Hume · en
The social life of Europeans in Persia differs very much according to
the town lived in. In some parts much life and gaiety are to be found,
and in others this element is conspicuous by its absence. In Teheran,
where we have our Legation, of course social life is at its height. At
Isphahan, too, there is quite a large European community. When we were
there in 1900 and 1903 there must have been at least fifty Europeans,
and very happily and sociably all lived together. From Isphahan we
went to Kerman, where for some five or six months we were the only
foreigners, but in spite of having none of our own countrymen to call
upon or visit, we were very happy. After a time a British consul was
appointed, and we felt quite gay, and I at once started a European
"at home" day, and every Wednesday our consul was a most regular
visitor. He was always very homesick, and liked anything that helped
to remind him of dear Old England.
On one occasion we actually mustered four Englishmen to dinner,
as two travellers happened to be passing through at the same time,
one of whom was Mr. Savage Landor, who entertained us with most
harrowing accounts of his time amongst the Thibetans. Just before
we left two English ladies arrived, so the social life at Kerman
began to grow, and to-day it boasts of quite a number of Europeans,
consisting of consuls of various nations, as well as missionaries,
bank and telegraph employees.
When we arrived at Kerman we found great difficulty in choosing and
leasing a house. Many were only too anxious to show us their houses,
and to assure us that all their property belonged to us, to do what we
liked with; but when it came to making definite arrangements it was
quite a different matter. So long as it was only "talk" the various
would-be landlords were willing to promise everything and anything,
but it was quite another question when suggestions were made as to
the desirability of committing those promises to paper. At last we
settled on a house outside the town, which possessed a nice large
garden, but the house itself only consisted of about two rooms,
and these were in a very tumble-down and filthy condition.
The landlord (a Parsee) promised to build according to our plans,
and to spend the whole of the first three years' rent in making
improvements and additions to the house. The consequence of this
delightful arrangement was that during the greater part of our time
in Kerman building operations were going on, and only just as we were
leaving was the work completed and the house made inhabitable. But
in the end a very fairly comfortable house was built, and has been
occupied ever since, I believe, by our C.M.S. missionaries.