On the 31st of January 1834 will be Published) 



No. XV. 



OF 



THE EDINBURGH CABINET LIBRARY: 



BEING AN 



HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT 



OP 



PERSIA, 



FROM THE EARLIEST AGES TO THE PRESENT TIME : 



WITH A DETAILED VIEW OF ITS RESOURCES, GOVERNMENT, POPULATION, 

 NATURAL HISTORY, AND THE CHARACTER OF ITS INHABITANTS, PARTI- 

 CULARLY OF THE WANDERING TRIBES; INCLUDING A DESCRIPTION OF 

 AFGHANISTAN AND BELOOCHISTAN. 



BY JAMES B. FRASER, ESQ., 



Author of " Travels in Khorasan," " A Tour through the Himala," &c. 



Illustrated by a Map, and Thirteen Engravings by Jackson. 



PREFACE TO THE WORK. 



IN undertaking to describe so extensive and celebrated a region as the 

 Persian empire, the Author is by no means insensible to the difficulty of 

 the task on which he enters. The subject is wide and intricate, while 

 the sources of information are frequently imperfect or obscure ; but it 

 has been his study, by adopting a distinct arrangement, and by consulting 

 the best authorities, to present his readers with a correct and complete 

 picture of that interesting portion of Western Asia. 



His personal acquaintance with many parts of the country has afforded 

 ' material assistance in describing its aspect, productions, and inhabi- 

 u: i ; and he has availed himself of the observations of the greater num- 

 ber of modern travellers, both to correct his own opinions, and to supply 

 additional facts. 



The advantage of this actual knowledge has been especially important 

 in constructing the Map ; and, it is proper to remark, a very considerable 

 difference will be found between the positions of many of the principal 

 places, as given in that now submitted to the Public, compared with all 

 other geographical delineations of Persia. These corrections have been 

 made in accordance with a series of astronomical observations taken by 

 the Author, the details of which may be found in his " Travels in Khora- 

 san" and " On the Banks of the Caspian Sea ;" and every precaution has 

 been adopted to lay down the whole of the countries described in this 

 Work with the greatest possible accuracy. The route which the Author 

 pursued is distinctly marked, and may be satisfactory to some readers, as 

 showing the districts to which such of his descriptions as are founded on 

 personal survey more particularly apply. 



The fountains from which the ancient history of Persia is derived are 

 generally well known ; but, in drawing from them on this occasion, the 

 most earnest endeavours have been made to elucidate the subject, by ex- 

 amining into the opinions of every distinguished writer down to the pre- 

 sent time. The greater part of the narrative, subsequently to the Mo- 

 hammedan invasion, is taken from the pages of Sir John Malcolm, whose 

 volumes are now every where regarded as a standard authority in this 

 department. 



