With the Russian Expedition
roy of Azairbijan, who sent troops to arrest him. Jaffar escaped into Turkey, where he was well treated by the Governor of Van. In time he obtained Turkish money and some rifles, and, returning to Chiari, again defied the Viceroy, who now tried the usual Oriental game. Messengers were dispatched with presents and a hearty invitation to come as an honoured guest to Tabriz. Jaffar was deceived, and went, only to be received not with hospitality but with bullets, one of which passed through his head and finished him. His house was then burnt, his lands were seized and given to the chief of the Shikoik tribe of Baradost. Thereupon the murdered man's brother, Simko, fled into the hills, and established himself at Kotur, an old castle in a narrow valley, some two days' journey south of Mount Ararat. Now this Kotur valley was an important strategic point, for it guarded the passage between the Van vilayet and the Khoy plain, through which a Russian army might invade Armenia, or a Turkish army might invade the Caucasus. Simko was therefore worth a price. Caravans began to arrive at his castle from the north early in the year 1912 with guns and rouble notes. He suddenly became very rich and powerful, and acquired control over all the Khurds of the borderland, from Mount Ararat down to the Baradost plateau. Meanwhile the Turks, profiting by the disorders, had sent troops into Persian territory, and were claiming a rectification of the frontier, so as to bring it down to the south-west corner of Lake Urumiah. The ostensible reason was to protect the Sunni Moslems of the Urumiah plains, formerly nomadic Khurds, but now settled. But the real reason was that the Turks wished to get control of the important strategic points
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