Доклады Международного конгресса ИИСАА. Т. 1

II. Middle East, Caucasus and Central Asia / Ближний Восток, Кавказ и Центральная Азия Доклады Международного конгресса по источниковедению и историографии стран Азии и Африки. Т. 1. 2020 295 Though SemenArapov mentioned that the elephants didn’t have any decoration, in fact, by the order of the shah the animals were brought to the Russian court dressed in caparisons made of ‘golden and silver brocades’, which were delivered specially for this occasion from Isfahan by a courier sent by the first head of the mission, Sardār Khān. 1 In September 1740, while the embassy was still on its way to the Russian capital, the building of fourteen heated barns intended for housing elephants was started in Moscow by the order of the Governing Senate. The barns with masonry heaters were built by Matvey Galkin, who had been awarded the contract as the lowest bidder, by mid-October. They were located behind Tverskaya sloboda, standing in a yard surrounded by a fence. On 14 October the representative of the Iranian delegation, who was inspecting the construction site, asked to add private premises to these dwellings in order to accommodate elephant keepers and their wives 2 . Afterwards the barns stayed unguarded and became shabby, waiting for their residents who were delaying. Historical sources documented the everyday life of the embassy on its way to St Petersburg and described how the elephants were being taken care of. While the embassy was still in Tambov and later in Moscow, various pigments were bought for painting the elephants. 3 On 27 December 1740 fifty-two zolotnik s 4 of Strychnos nux-vomica 5 were acquired in Tambov as a medical treatment for elephants. Four pounds of the same medicine were bought in Moscow on the demand of elephant keepers on 6 August 1741. On 6 December 1740 two Russian leathers were bought for the animals in Tambov. On 31 July 1741 four iron frying pans were acquired in Moscow to bake chureks 6 for the elephants. According to the numerous provision lists, in the cold period the embassy received several buckets of ‘simple wine’ 7 as part of elephants’ diet on a daily basis, which was obviously regarded as a protective measure. 1 AVPRI. Fond 77. Snosheniya Rossii s Persiei. Opis’ 77/1. 1740 g. Delo 6. Fol. 78; Delo 15. Fol. 6. 2 AVPRI. Fond 77. Snosheniya Rossii s Persiei. Opis’ 77/1. 1740 g. Delo 15a. Fol. 123. 3 On 6 November 1740 acquired were such pigments as red lead, ochre, white lead, verdigris and blue copperas, weighing one pound each, while on 10 March 1741 one of the elephant keepers requested buying twenty zolotnik s of cinnabar and half a pound of white lead, verdigris, ochre and red lead. See AVPRI. Fond 77. Snosheniya Rossii s Persiei. Opis’ 77/1. 1740 g. Delo 16. Tom 1. Fols. 25v, 30, 44, 47. The pigments might have been applied during parades, used as make-up ingredients. 4 Old Russian measure of weight equal to 4.26 g. 5 Seeds of the tropical tree Strychnos nux-vomica , containing alkaloids strychnine and mentioned in Russian sources as chilibukha , chilibuga or selibukha . 6 Unleavened bread. 7 Grain spirit produced by single distillation from raw spirit.