Guz
old Asian unit of length
A guz (also spelled gaz, from Hindustani गज़/گز and Persian گز), or Mughal yard, is a unit of length used in parts of Asia. Historically, it was a regionally variable measurement similar to the English yard both in size and in that it was often used for measuring textiles. Values of the guz ranged from 24 to 41 inches (610 to 1,040 mm) over time. Today, it is generally used in the Indian subcontinent as the word for a yard. A present day sari is still measured as 7 guz while a traditional one can be as long as 9 guz.
History
Use of the guz in India was first established during the Mughal Empire. The guz in Rajasthan at the end of the 17th century was quoted as being 28+1⁄2 inches (720 mm). By 1875, the average value of the guz in Bengal was 36 inches (1.0 yd; 910 mm), but was 33 inches (840 mm) in Madras and 27 inches (690 mm) in Bombay.
By the 20th century, the guz was uniformly quoted as being equal in length to one yard in the English system, or 0.91 metres in the metric system. But there are some different values still in use, like Bikaner has 1 guz/gaz = 2 ft officially recognized and in use.
“Guz” enters the record as old Asian unit of length. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Asian, unit and length can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Guz” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Asian, unit and length provides the most credible route into that argument.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 7, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q1539628. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1875.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Guz”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Guz primary sources, Guz archive and Asian research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Guz”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Guz” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.