Page 678 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

POLITICAL RESIDENCY FOR 1911.
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he succeeded in entering his seat of Government at Burujird. Once there he
quickly took steps to establish order throughout the country, appointed
capable revenue officials and re-opened the postal and caravan roads.
In August, the news of the ex-Shah’s attempt to regain the throne again
threw the country into disorder, the trouble being aggravated by letters
addressed to the Luristan tribal Chiefs by the Salar-ed-Dowleh calling on
them to support him and promising liberal rewards to all who joined his
standard.
Shortly afterwards the Amir himself received orders from the Central
Government to march against the Salar-ed-Dowleh and crush him. He left
for this purpose, was defeated by the Salar and returned to his property at
Kamareh.
On his departure there was no responsible Governor of Luristan, but
.Nazar Ali (Fath-es-Sultan, Sardar Abram), the Chief of the Amrai, carried
on the government on behalf of the Salar-ed-Dowleh. On the Salar’s advance
towards Saweh, Nazar Ali accompanied him and, when defeated, the two
returned to Nazar Ali’s property at Tehran.
With Nazar Ali’s help the Salar raised another force of Lurs and occu­
pied Burujird without resistance. In December, he was defeated and ex­
pelled from that town by the Bakhtiari force sent against him by the Central,
Government under the command of Salar Muvaed (Fatha Ali Khan), the son
of Amir Mufakham.
Salar Muvaed soon left Luristan and the country was again left without
any controlling authority until the close of the year.
Throughout the year the Samsam-es-Sultaneh has been Ilkhaui and
Sardar Lluhtesham Ilbcgi of the Bakh-
Bakhtiari.
tiaris. The former, however, has been
absent from the tribal country throughout the year, and his place has been
filled by the Sardar Bahadur, son of Sardar Assad. The commencement of
the year found the acting Ilkbani and the Ilbegi en route to their country
from Tehran, and they reached Malamir early in March to transact the usual
tribal business in the low country. In May they returned to Malamir where
Tumours of trouble in their highlands necessitated their hurried return to
Dch Kurd. The Chahar Lang highlanders (Mahmud Salehi) had risen
against the Chiefs’ authority and persuaded the Zargham-es-Sultaneh (Riza
Kuli Khan branch) to place himself at their head promising that they would
recognise him as their Chief in the event of their succeeding in throwing off
the Bakhtiari Chiefs’ authority and obtaining independence as a separate
tribe. ^ The Zargham was at Padumba and sent his son Ali Reza Khan to
lead the rebellion. The malcontents under Ali Reza seized Feraidun, but at
this juncture (30th May) the Ilbegi and acting Ilkhani reached the high
country with a large force of sowars learning which Ali Reza Khan fled to
his father. The Sardar Muhtesham then sent a small force to punish the
Chahar Lang (Mahmud Salihi) and a skirmish took place on the 9th June at
Pui-i-Zaman Khan in which the Sardar Muhtesharn’s followers suffered a
reverse. A large Haftlang force was then collected and marched against the
rAels from the Zaman Khan direction while a second Bakhtiari detachment
with two guns was raised in Ispahan and directed against them from the
^ The rebels, realizing that further resistance was useless, sent in their
submission to the Khans and peace was made.
In July, the news of the return of the ex-Shah to Persia was received,
and the Ilkhani and Ilbegi were ordered to raise as large a force as possible
and proceed to Tehran. They, left the tribal territory in August and
appointed Muntazim-ed-Dowleh and Salar-i-Ashraf acting Ilkhani and
Ilbegi respectively during their absence. Thanks to the tribal territory
being practically denuded of all tufangchis and arms, the remainder of the
year passed quietly and there were no further inter-tribal quarrels of any
sort within Bakhtiari territory.
The marches and counter-marches of the Bakhtiari forces nnder their
various chiefs and their engagements with the forces of the ex-Shah and
Salar-ed-Dowleh hardly come within the purview of this Consulate.