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THE ANCIENT HISTORY OF PERSIA.

According to the poet, Firdusi, in his Shah Nomeh, the history of Persia begins some thousands of years before the Christian era. Professor Yooseph of Oroomiah College one of Persia's most scholarly men holds that as early as the time of Abraham there was here an organized government. The first king was the Chedolaomer of the Bible, King of Elam (Gen. 14:1). This opinion is confirmed by the fact that the name Elam is in reality the name of Persia. Persians call their country Ajam. Thus it can be seen that the Hebrew letter j has been changed to l. However there is stronger proof of this theory in the accounts of Greek historians. The northwest part of ancient Persia, called Media, was known to the Greeks as a part of the Assyrian Empire. But the Medes under Dejoce in 708 B.C. threw off the yoke of Assyria and gained the dominance over the other tribes of Persia. In 538 Cyrus of Persia rebelled against the Medes, led an army to victory over them, and extended the Persian Empire as far east as the Oxus and Indus and over Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine and Mesopotania. He was succeeded by his son Cambyses (529–522) and the latter by Darius (522–521). This dynasty ruled till Darius III. (336–329). He was compelled to yield his throne to Alexander the Great, who conquered all Persia. Under the leadership of the tribe of Arsocide Persia became independent in 246 B.C. But the dynasty of Arsocide came to an end at the hand of Ardasher Babajan, who managed to gain possession of more than half of the entire country, i.e., of the provinces of Fars, Kerman and the whole of Irakiston. Then in 218 this valiant warrior conquered the whole nation and was crowned "King of Kings" (in Persian, Shah in Shah) with Ardasher begin the famous dynasty of the Sassanidae who brought Persia to an unprecedented eminence of power and prosperity. Their last king succumbed to the Arabs in 636 A.D. and the latter ruled till 750 A.D. The tribe of the Abbossides went to the throne at this time but were soon in turn overthrown. Persia was then divided into different provinces until in 1253 it was conquered by the Mongols under Genghis-Khan and his grandson Khula-kun-Khan. The former was a Christian. During his reign Moryaw-Alaha was the Nestorian patriarch and under him the church was very successful. The Mongol dynasty lasted until 1335.

A new dynasty arose in western Persia in 1500. The first prince of this line was Ismael, the descendant of an ancient family of devotees and saints. He was held in the highest esteem by his followers, who revered him not only on account of his own valor but for the high standing of his family. Having become the leader of a number of tribes, he overthrew the power of the Turkoman and made Azerbijon their Capital. He then rapidly subdued western Persia and in 1511 took Kurason and Balkh from the Uzbeks. In the year 1514 he encountered a far more formidable enemy in the mighty Salim, sultan of Turkey, whose zeal for conquest was fanned by religious hatred of the Shiites, who were followers of Ismael, and who in turn were fiercely inflamed against a sect called Sunites. In the ensuing conflict Ismael was defeated but Salim did not gain greatly by his victory. The son of Ismael, Shah Tah-masip who reigned from 1523–1576 subdued all the Uzbeks of Khorason and frequently defeated the Turks without suffering the loss of a single battle. He takes rank as a prudent and spirited ruler.

Shah Abbos I, the great, who was one of the most glorious of Persia's modern kings ascended the throne in 1585 and ruled until 1628. He restored internal tranquillity and repelled the invasions of the Uzbeks and Turks. In the year 1605 he gave the Turks such a terrific drubbing that they made no more trouble during his long reign. He also restored to his kingdom Kurdiston-Mosul and Diarbekir which had long been separated from Persia. Abbos' government was strict, but just and equitable. Roads, bridges, caravansaries, and other conveniences for trade were constructed at great cost, and the improvement and ornamentation of the towns were not neglected. Many of his large caravansaries which bear his name remain to this day. Isphahan, his capital, in a brief period of his reign, doubled its population. His tolerance was remarkable, considering the character of his ancestors and subjects, for he encouraged the Armenian Christians to settle in the country, well knowing that their peaceable industrious habits would enhance the prosperity of his kingdom. His successors were Shah Sufi (1628–41), Shah Abbos II, (1641–66), and Shah Soliman (1666–94). During the reign of Shah Sultan Hussein (1694–1722), a weak and foolish prince, priests and slaves were elevated to high offices and the Sunnites suffered sore persecution. The result was that Afghan besieged the king in Isphahan. Hussein abdicated the throne in favor of his conqueror, who ultimately became insane and suffered deposition in 1725 at the hands of his brother, Ashrab. The atrocious tyranny of Ashrab was suddenly checked by the celebrated Nadir-Shah. Hussein and Ashrab belonged to the dynasty of Syydes, a holy sect, descendants of their prophet, Mohammed. Nadir-Shah was one of the greatest warriors of Persia. He raised Tah-Masip (1729–82) and his son Abbos III (1732–36), of the Suffivian race, to the throne and then on some frivolous pretext, deposed Abbos III, and seized the scepter himself (1736–47). Nadir was assassinated by Imam-Kuli-­Khan, of Oroomiah, whose descendants now live very near our Mission Station in Oroomiah. Again after the murder of Nadir, Persia was divided into many independent states and became a field of blood. Bloogistan and Afghaniston became independent till 1755 when a Kurd, Karim Khan (1755–79), abolished this state of affairs, reestablished peace and unity in western Persia, and by his justice, wisdom, and warlike talents acquired both the esteem of his subjects and the respect of the neighboring states. He received the title, "Father of Persia." Karim Khan was succeeded in 1784 by Al-Murad, then by Jaafor and the latter by Lutf-Ali-Merza.

KING KARIM KHAN KURD.

During Lutf-Ali's reign, Mazandaron became independent under Agha Mohammed Khan a Turkoman. Lutf-Ali-Merza rushed on Mazandaron and killed all the relations of Mohammed Khan who were ruling there, and took captive Agha Mohammed Khan a boy only six years old, making him a eunuch. This boy was of Kojor race. When he was in the harem of Lutf-Ali, he kept thinking how his cruel master murdered his father and all his relations. When he sat on the royal rugs, he would take his revenge by cutting them. When he was of full age, twenty or twenty-five years old, he ran away to his own country, Mazandaron, and joined himself to his relations. He frequently attacked Lutf-Ali and defeated him in 1795. He was then able to establish his throne in the southern part of Mazandaron. This great Eunuch king founded the dynasty which rules to-day, restored the kingdom as it was under Karim-Kurd and conquered Georgia and Kharason. But he was assassinated May 14, 1797. His nephew Futten-Ali-Shah (1797–1834) engaged in three wars with Russia and was defeated each time. As a result he lost his territory in Armenia, and a great part of Persia, namely from the Caucassian mountains to the river, Aras, which now fixed the boundary between Russia and Persia. Futteh-Ali in his last war with Russia in 1826 was entirely defeated. Beside losing some part of his territory he paid the sum of 1,800,000,000 rubles ($9,000,000) to Russia. The death of the Crown Prince, Abbos Mirza, in 1833 seemed to give the final blow to the declining fortune of Persia, as he was the only man who seriously attempted to raise his country from the state of abasement into which it had fallen. Futteh-Ali had seven sons. One of them Johon-Suz-Mirza lives to-day. Seven years ago he was governor in the author's city; and came to visit the college of Oroomiah with a hundred princes and counts with him. He is a very ostentatious man. After the death of the Crown Prince each of the seven sons claimed to be inheritor of the throne, while the father was still living. At the same time the Crown Prince Abbas-Mirza had a son named Mohammed. Futteh-Ali when quite old and near to death, by the aid of Russia made Mohammed, his grandson, king (1834–1848). Nayib-Al-Saltana acted as regent during the boyhood of Mohammed. When he came to power for himself he conceived the idea of restoring Bloogistan, Afghanistan, and a great part of Turkoman to Persian dominion. He was especially anxious to take Herat, the key to India, but was resisted by England. The war was terminated in 1838.

FOUNDER OF THE PRESENT DYNASTY.

Nasiruddin (defender of his religion), the late Shah who was assassinated May 1, 1896, a young man eighteen years old and very energetic succeeded to the throne of his father in 1848. Following his father's example the new Shah tried to restore Afghaniston and Bloogiston but was compelled by England to sign an agreement on Jan. 25, 1858 by which he was bound not to interfere further in the internal affairs of Herat.

In 1856 he violated this treaty and took the city of Herat. After a severe war with England in 1857 in which his loss was 20,000 soldiers he relinquished Herat but he added to Persia many provinces in the western part of Afghaniston and Bloogiston, and also some states in Turkoman. He was one of the best kings of Persia. He visited Europe three times, once in 1873. He had European ideas and was a well-educated man. He started a good system of postal-telegraph and had trained after the European discipline 30,000 soldiers. Above all he founded a beautiful college in Teheran which is called in Persian Daralfnoon (or the place of science). The present Shah, Mozuffur-uddin was born March 25, 1853 and succeeded to the throne of his father May 1, 1896. In 1892 the author saw him at Oroomiah College. He came with a large retinue to visit being entertained at the home of Dr. Cochran. The work of the college pleased him and he made it a gift of thirty pounds. He is a very kind and liberal man, especially toward the poorer of his subjects. We believe God will make him to be good to the oppressed Christians.

The list of kings who have reigned over Persia as regular kings make a total of 255.