Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 21, ROT-Siam

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Tatars. Instead of flat earthen roofs, as in most other
towns of Transcaucasia, the houses have very high steen
roofs, covered with shingle. The streets are sinuous, and
are intersected by ravines. Shusha was formerly the
capital of the khanate of Karabagh. The town is locally
renowned for its carpet manufactures, and the district for
its excellent breed of Karabagh horses
The fortress formed in 1789 by Pana Khan, has a wall on one
side, and is defended naturally on the other three sides In 1795
Shusha successfully withstood a siege by Agha Mohammed of Persia
but was constrained to surrender two years afterwards. In 1805
Ibrahim Khan of Karabagh invoked the protection of Russia
but the annexation was completed only in 1822. The nresent
district of Shusha (2934 square miles) forms only a part1 of the
former khanate of Karabagh. In 1873 it had (exclusive of Shusha)
a population of 80,913 (males 45,163, females 35,750), Armenians
minibcnng 43,562 and Tatars 37,351. Agriculture and cattle-
breeding are almost the sole occupations of the inhabitants. Gen¬
eral culture is very low ; there is no enterprise, and but inadequate
security for life and property. 1
SHUSTAR, orSiiusTAR, Siiushtar (Arab. Tostar), once
a flourishing provincial capital of Persia, is now a compara¬
tively unimportant town of 6000 inhabitants,—exclusive
however, of the Bakhtidris, who during the winter months
encamp with their flocks and herds in the immediate
vicinity. It is situated (32° 3' 30" N. lat. and 48° 52' E.
long.) at the foot of an offshoot of the Bakhtidri Mountains
m the north-west of Khuzistdn, and just below the point
m the Kdrun (Dojail or Little Tigris) where—the main
stream running westwards—a cutting of 70 feet deep has
been made through the natural rock for an easterly branch.
I hence the two streams, enclosing a wide alluvial tract, of
which Shustar is the crown, follow independent courses
until they reunite some 40 miles to the south. According
to Lieutenant Selby, I.N, who ascended the Kanin from
Muhamrah (Mohammera) in 1842 by the Shutait (or main
stream on the west) to within 6 miles, and further tested
the navigation of the Ab-i-Gargar (or eastern channel) to
withml mile, of Shustar, the town is built on a small
hill which rises gradually from the south-west and increases
m elevation to the citadel, which presents on the north¬
eastern side an abrupt face of about 150 feet in length
having the river immediately beneath. Mr Loftus, who
visited Shustar some eight years after Lieutenant Selby
gives an account of the two great dams thrown across the
“ Band-i-Mizan ” over the natural course, the
Band-i-Kaisar ” over the artificially diverted branch.
About a mile below the latter is a similar work of more
recent and more solid and substantial construction, called
the. Pul, or bridge of Belaiti. Legend ascribes these
ancient works to Shdpiir I. and his captive the emperor
Valerian. In 1875, and again in 1878, Mr Mackenzie
visited Shustar; he speaks of the town as being in a
wretchedly decayed and filthy condition. The houses are
of stone, some few good, with underground rooms (sarddbs
oi zir zamin) excavated to a depth of two stories below
the ground level. In these relief is obtained from the
intense summer heat. The traffic of the bazaar, which is
a poor one, seemed to depend chiefly on the Iliydts or
v andering tribes. The inhabitants—for the most part
Arabs and Sdiyids—have a reputation for hospitality.
Some writer8 hav6 identified Shiishar with Susa (Shushan of the
ruble), the capital of Susiana and a residence of the Achsemenian
Kings, i he true site of the latter, however, as Loftus’s explora¬
tions showed, is at Shush, a widely spread ruin 30 or 40 miles to
the north-west. On the other side of Shustar is the locally classic
giound of Rani Hormuz. In fact, of the whole neighbourhood Sir
41. Rawlinson writes that it “still requires elaborate exploration,
and would well repay any traveller who would devote six months
to examining the ruins and carefully copying the inscriptions.”
1 he river Karun, which rises in the Bakhtiari Mountains and
passes down the broad Shattu ’l-'Arab, joins the Tigris and Euphrates,
r ii aSi )e<rI1i <yc^are^ ky naany and trustworthy authorities to be
we 1 adapted for steam navigation—save as regards one obstacle
at Ahwaz, removable at little cost—from its mouth to the near
849
in mbldW? °n- °f-tIie ?ief- CentreS °f the cotton industry
?«USSu’ 18 a dlStnct town in tlle government of
Vladimir, 68 miles north-east of the town of Vladimir ~ A
branch railway connects it with the Kovki station of the
ailway from Moscow to Nijni-Novgorod The town L
tery or4eeKigh “ ^ °f th<S ^ a III
tary of the Klazma, with two suburbs on the right bank
Annalists mention princes of Shuya in 1403. & Its first
men manufactures were established in 1755; but in 1800
its population did not exceed 1500. Its growth began
RuJuA ^ deVel°Pment of the ^tton industry in central
10 560 • hdvfC! t len haS been ral)idi in 1882 it had
aboufioonn r \aS afinst 10’440 in 187°- 0f these
about 10,000 live by the manufactures, and only a few
of PtwplvapgnCU+ftUre a nd gardcning- In 1881 the output
twelve cotton-mills was valued at £442 160 for
various cotton stuffs and £48,000 for cotton yarn. Tan-
nenes, especially for the preparation of sheep-skins—widely
renowned throughout Russia—still maintain their im¬
portance, although this industry has migrated to a great
extent to the country districts. The products of its manu¬
factories are chiefly sent to Moscow and Nijni-Novgorod.
Ihe town is mainly built of wood. Its cathedral (1799)
is a large building, with five gilt cupolas. Shuya has also
two gymnasia, for boys and girls, besides a progymnasium
or gills, and several secondary and primary schools.
ThehvhGrJpUpnfdTng dist™tis also important for its manufactures.
Ihe village of Ivanovo-Voznesensk, north of Shuya, with a nopu-
• tlnn oQm°re tJlan l9)0?0 inhabitants, employed 11,329 workmen
fAl^OO 000afnUfaCftrieS “At81, and showed a return of £1,939,950
Sv^Snvp the remainder for chemicals and machi-
A ; xAA and Kokhma are two other centres of manufacture,
rl1Svp nf APr0dUC At11 °f the manufactories within the district (ex¬
clusive ot Shuya and Ivanovo) being estimated at £630,000. These
ngures, of course, do not include any statistics of the petty trades
a snPPGTf1 An ty Sld<3 vA agriculture- Nearly every village has
pAAA / °f i °Wn’-bflck?> pottery (Menschikovo), wheels, toys
p cking-boxes, looms and other weaving implements, house furni-
tA’AAA ho°ts> gloves, felt goods, candles, and so on
ihe manufacture of linen and cotton in villages, as well as the pre¬
paration and manufacture of sheepskins and rough gloves occupies
about 40 000 peasants. The Shuya merchantsVfyTan active
trade m these products all over Russia, and in corn, spirits, salt,
AqoA16-' food stuffs, which are imported to a great extent. In
1880 the imported goods reached 1,613,000 cwts. (1,208,000 bvrail)
and the exports 1,318,000 cwts., chiefly by the Teza.
SHWE-GYENG, a district of British Burmah, in the
Tenasserim division, containing an area of 5567 square
miles, and lying in the valley of the Tsit-toung (Sitoung)
river. It is bounded on the N. by Toung-gnii district, on
the E. by the Poung-loung Hills and the Salwfn Hill Tracts,
on the 8. by Amherst district, and on the "VV. by the Begu
Yoma Hills. The boundaries have more than once been
altered, the last change having taken place in 1877. The
aspect of the country is mountainous, especially in the
north. . The Tsit-toung is navigable throughout its entire
length in the district by large boats and steam-launches.
Shwe-gyeng has never been accurately surveyed from a
geological point of view, but it is supposed to be rich in
minerals. Gold is found in most of the affluents of the
river Shwe-gyeng; copper, lead, tin, and coal also exist,
but are not worked. Except in the hills, the climate is
generally healthy; the average annual rainfall at Shwe-
gyeng station is 144 inches.
In 1881 the population of the district was 171,144 (89,687 males
and 81,45/ females), of whom Hindus numbered 958, Mohammedans
855, Buddhists 158,149, and Christians 1250. The only town with
more than 5000 inhabitants is Shwe-gyeng, the capital and head¬
quarters of the district, which was founded during the 18th century,
before the Burmese conquest, by Alompra. It is situated at the
junction of the Shwe-gyeng with the Tsit-toung, and had a popula-
tion of /519 in 1881. Only 187 square miles of the district were
cultivated in 1883-84; the cultivated area is, however, graduallv
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