926 



PERSIA, OR IRAN. 



from remote ages, patriarchal. The sheiks are the chiefs of tribes, but their authority is limit* 

 ed, for the Arabs have a high spirit of freedom. In the cities a stronger government obtains, 

 and the Sheriffe of Mecca, or Imam of Mascat, are more despotic. 



8. History. Arabia is famous in history for giving birth to the Mahometan religion. Ma- 

 homet, its founder, was born at Mecca, 

 in 569. From the leader of a sect he be- 

 came a powerful military chieftain, and was 

 proclaimed king at Medina, in 627. He 

 conquered a great part of Arabia and Syria ; 

 and the Khalifs, his successors, establish- 

 ed their religion and dominion in many coun- 

 tries of Asia, Africa, and Europe. The 

 Turks afterwards became masters of a part 

 of Arabia, but the chiefs who now rule the 

 different provinces of the country are only 

 nominally under the authority of the Porte, 

 or the Viceroy of Egypt. 



CHAPTER CXLIV. PERSIA OR IRAN. 



1. Boundaries. The present kingdom of Persia, which includes but a part of the exten- 

 sive country of the Persians, is bounded north by Turkistan, the Caspian Sea and the Russian 

 empire ; east by the kingdoms of Herat and Cabul, and by Beloochistan : south by the Gulf 

 of Ormuz and tlie Persian Gulf, and west by the Ottoman territories. It extends from lat. 26° 

 to 39^ N., and from long. 44° to 61° E., having an area of 450,000 square miles, and a pop- 

 ulation of 9,000,000 inhabitants. 



2. Mountains and Rivers. Two mountainous chains, belonging to the great Tauro-Cauca- 

 sian system, traverse the country in different directions ; the one stretching east and west to 

 the south of Mazanderan, under the name of the Elburz mountains, has an elevation of above 

 12,000 feet ; the volcanic peak of Demavend in this chain, is nearly 13,000 feet high; the 

 other chain stretches from northwest to southeast, under the name of the mountains of Curdis- 

 tan and Luristan. A great part of the country to the south and east of these chains is com- 

 posed of immense deserts and salt plains. The northwestern part forms a portion of the great 

 table-land, upon which are situated all Armenia^ Ajerbijan, Curdistan, &c. ; this plateau is 

 from 4,000 to 8,000 feet high. The principal lakes are Ourmiah in Ajerbijan, and Bakhtegan 

 in Farsistan, both salt. Some rivulets, falling from the mountains, water the country, but their 

 streams are so inconsiderable, that few of them can be navigated even by boats. In conse- 

 quence of this deficiency, water is scarce ; but the defect, where it prevails, is admirably sup- 

 plied by means of reservoirs, aqueducts, and canals. 



3. Climate. Those parts of Persia which border upon the mountains near the Caspian Sea, 

 are in general cold, as those heights are commonly covered with snow. In the midland prov- 

 inces of Persia, the air is serene, pure, and exhilarating ; but, in the southern provinces, it is 

 Hot, and communicates noxious blasts, which are sometimes mortal. 



4. Soil and Productions. The soil is far from being luxuriant toward Tartary and the Cas- 

 pian Sea ; but with cultivation it might produce abundance of corn and fruit. To the south of 

 mount Taurus, the country abounds in corn, fruit, wine, and the other necessaries and luxuries 

 of life. It affords oil in plenty, senna, rhubarb, and the finest drugs. Great quantities of ex- 

 cellent silk are likewise produced in this country ; and the Gulf of Bassora formerly furnished 

 great part of Europe and Asia with very fine pearls. Some parts, near Ispahan especially, 

 produce almost all the flowers that are valued in Europe ; and from some of them, particularly 

 roses, they extract waters of a salubrious and odorific kind, which form a gainful commodity in 

 trade. Few places produce the necessaries of life in greater abundance and perfection than 

 Shiraz ; and a more delightful spot in nature can scarcely be conceived, than the vale in which 

 it is situated, either for the salubrity of the air, or for the profusion of everything necessary to 

 render life comfortable and agreeable. The fields yield plenty of rice, wheat, and barley, 

 which they generally begin to reap in May, and by the middle of July the harvest is complet- 

 ed. Mofit of the European fruits are produced here, and many of them are superior in size 



The Flight of Mahomet. 



