The Shah's Treasures.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13596, 16 May 1908, Page 1 (Supplement)

The Shah's Treasures.

There is no court, that combines splendor and kuikruptcv in the same degree as that of Persia. The palace which Shah Mohammed Ali inhabits is stored with treaMirts of incalculable value. Yet the Shah finds himself nowadays almost without the means of paying his current expenses. Under his predecessors the palace expenses were the iirst lien on whatever revenue the country produced. But nowadays there is a Parliament, and the appropriation made for the Shah and his household for the curi-ent year is only £IOO,OOO. Though money goes a good way in Persia, this sum is not one-fifth enough to maintain the establishment on its present scale. All the officeholders stormed and the harem of Nasr-ed-Din, : grandfather of the present Shah, went in carriages to the Palace of Baharistan to remonstrate. But the Parliament stood pat, and when the Shah contemplated dissolving it and withdrawing the new constitution he found he would have too much trouble on his hands. Just how he will deal with the expense account remains to be seen; he certainly has done nothing to reduce it. The train of servants and attendants, high and low, still numbers more than louO men, and there are more than 1000 'women in the anderoun, or harem, with their number rather increasing rather than diminishing. The Shah's palace is situated in' the oldest quarter of Teheran, called the Ask. It consists of a number of houses and pavilions built at various times and located haphazard among beautiful gardens. The buildings used by the Shah himself are 'called the biroun. There the staff of court dignitaries are'on duty all day. They number altogether from 600 to 700 mem. Across the glustan or gardens, in the most remote part of the enclosure, the KadjeBashi or chief of the eunichg holds sway with his regiment of dusky guardians of the anderoun. The gardens are divided into the men's enclosure and the women's, into which no man hut the master may ever enter. The- walls are lined Avith encaustic tiles, rippling brooks intersect green lawns and gorgeous flower beds. Shade trees hang over deep pools that cool the air. Songbirds in vast aviaries concealed by shrubries animate the scene with their carolling, and hidden musicans play in the summer houses all day and late into the night, a fashion borrowed, it is said from India.

The women of the anderoun have* a double heirachy. There are in the first place the official authorities. There is also the purely social heirarchy, at the top of which are the princesses of the Kadjar line, the Shah's own family, who h;ive born sons of rank to succeed to the throne. All women of the Kadjar race have undisputed precedence. Next come the favourites of noble family, and after them beauties of lower rank. Beneath these are the hundreds of attendants and companions, down to the; kitchen maids. The system is much more aristocratic than the Sultan's seraglio, but any woman may secure a certain elevation by winning the notice of the Shah. ,

Some ,of the, great princesses have pavilions all to* themselves, with suites of attendants and servants. The other favourites live in groups with their households in lormon. The dress of the women consists of a jacket or bolero, called the yal, which is sleeveless and fastened across th* breast with frogs of gold lace. Beneath it is the diaphanous undergarment called pirahen. A skirt not much longer than «. ballet dancer's, and sometimes fluffed oui in the same way with stiffened underskirts, is called zirjoume. It only reach;:'; 'to the knee. There are slippers for the feet, and a square fichu is worn on the head and knotted under the chin. From under it the hair falls-in luxurious curls to the shoulders.

All the- women of the anderoun wear the same costume, though of course- there are vast differences in material. The servants wear coarse liner.s and heavy .mohairs; ■ tlu« ■■pKiidisrw; .cn4---f:«VUJ3-te3.-;diy>.w : v not. only on the marts of Asia, but thcise of Europe nowadays for,their choicest, fabrics. Gorgeous ornaments of gold and precious stones are worn by the favourites and their favourites. The rig is enchanting on young women, but the few Occidental women and a doctor or two who have had a peep into the anderoun speak with, shuddering of the appearance of the old and middle aged wpmen—especially as they say the Persian women when she gets old alwavs grows fat. The Shah spends only his nights in the anderoun. He leaves it every morning at early prayer time. He spends his day in hunting, sleeping and eating, with occasional conferences with his Ministers or receptions to foreign representatives. The rooms of the biroun, the equivalent of the Turkish selamlik, are all decorated' with glass. The floors are tiled but the tiles are hidden under priceless carpets. The walls are panelled with mirrors or with moulded and engraved glass. Festoons of crystals hang from the ceilings. The present Shah is indolent and Oriental in bis habits. Sometimes he will spend half the day smoking and dozing. Capriciously he will start off for one of his five hunting lodges near the capital, where he can find any sort of game from panthers down to a quail. He takes his meals wherever he happens to be when the desire seizes him. His kitchens are always on the alert; there are 800 cooks and scullions in them. The dishes are passed from these to a grade of attendants who may be said to correspond with our footmen. These .pass them along to the chamberlains, who may serve them if no higher dignitary is on hand, but the highest official of the court who happens to be pre-, sent has the right to present them to the Shah. All the courses are served together. The staple dishes are rice with saffron, chicken fricasse, venison, and roast mutton cut in chunks, served en, brocbette and called kebab. Besides these a vast number of sweet creams, lusicious pastries and delicious fruit are served. The Shah gorges himself with sweetmeats as all Persoans do, men and women alike. If the Shah cares to fall back on tha treasures of his palace he can keep the wolf from the door for many a year. Nobody knows the wealth stored up in it. In the building called the museum there are said to be bins full of emeralds, topazes, rubies, diamonds and pearls which have been accumulating for generations. There are besides priceless articles of potteiy and metal work, Japanese and' Chinese, Indian, Sevres, Dresden china, gold, solver and steel work from all parte of the Orient, The collection of ancient arms and armor is worth perhaps a million dollars. . Then there are .gorgeous articles ot barbaric sjjlendour which make up the regalia. When the Shah appears in State he wears.a tiara of brilliants, surmounted with an aigrette of precious stones. On his forehead shimmers the famous, diamond known as the Mountain of Light. His' epaulets are studded with emeralds, sapphires and topazes. His belt glitters with diamonds and his sword handle and scabbard are incrusted with rubies The terrestrial globe made by his grandfather s order shows all the continents and sens in precious stones, Persia-being in diamonds. The celebrated peacock throne consists of a great square pedestral over which branches of foliage creep, all made of emeralds, with flowers in rubies and pearls The chair is of gold, and seems to be splashed with blood, but it is only patches of rubies. Above the back shines a sun of diamonds, so set. on wires That they tremble, with the motion of the occupant of the chair, sending flashes ot lio-ht in all directions like the sun itself This throne has been appraised as high as £8,000,000. Besides his palace and hifc hunting lodges the Shah has several country houses with beautiful gardens, whither lie goes to escape the heat, taking sections of the anderoun and regiments or servants with him. The present Shah has added automobiling to his pleasures.