PERSIA, OR IRAN. 



927 



and flavor to what can be raised in Europe, particularly the apricot, grape, and pomegranate. 

 The last is good to a proverb ; the Persians, in their pompous style, call it the fruit of Paradise. 



5. JMinerals. Persia contains mines of iron, copper, lead, and, above all, turkois-stones, 

 which are found in Khorasan. Sulphur, salt-petre, and antimony, are found in the mountains. 

 Quarries of red, white, and black marble have also been discovered near Taurus. Salt is abun- 

 dant, and, in many places, the surface is covered with a saline crust when left to itself. Bitu- 

 men and naptha are found in all the countries bordering on the Tigris and Lower Euphrates ; 

 they serve as cement, as pitch for lining the bottoms of vessels, and as a substitute for oil. Pe- 

 trolium occurs in Kerman. 



6. Divisions. The kingdom is divided into 11 provinces, at the head of each of which is a 

 beglerbeg, or governor-in-chief, and subdivided into districts, administered by hakims, or gov- 

 ernors. It must be observed, that many of the tribes of Curds and Luris, and several Turko- 

 man tribes in Khorasan are entirely independent. Provinces : Irak-Ajemi, Thabaristan, Ma- 

 zanderan, including Astrabad, Ghilan, Ajerbijan, Curdistan, Khusistan, Farsistan, including 

 Laristen, Kerman, Khuhistan, and Khorasan. 



7. Cities. Teheran, in the northwestern part of the province of Irak, is now considered as 

 the capital of Persia. It is about 4 miles in circumference, situated in a dreary plain, which 

 is only partially cultivated. It is furnished with a citadel, and surrounded by a strong wall ; 

 but it is not a handsome or well-built town. Within the fortress is the palace, which displays 

 no external magnificence. So excessive is the heat of the summer in this neighborhood, that 

 the king, and the greater part of the inhabitants, annually leave it for 2 or 3 months. The 

 population is then under 15,000 ; but, during the rest of the year, it amounts to 50,000. 



Ispahan, formerly the Persian capital, with a population of 700,000 souls, is seated on a fine 

 plain, within a mile of the river Zenderood. It contains some few squares and noble houses ; 

 but the streets are neither wide nor regular, and the town in general is wretchedly built. It 

 bears evident marks of neglect ; yet it is not so deserted, as to have only a small population ; 

 for it is still occupied by about 100,000 persons. Th« bazars are so extensive, that you may 

 walk for 2 or 3 miles under the shelter which they afford. The best manufactures of the place 

 are those of silk and cotton ; the latter stuff resembles nankin, and is worn by all ranks, from 

 the king to the peasant. The chief ornament of the town is the Palace of Forty Pillars, 

 called also the Persian Versailles. The exhaustless profusion of its splendid materials, may be 

 said to reflect, not merely their own golden or crystal lights on each other, but all the variegat- 

 ed colors of the garden ; so that the whole surface seems formed of polished silver and mother- 

 of-pearl, set with precious stones. In short, the scene seems almost to realize an eastern poet's 

 dream, or some magic vision. The roof is sustained by a double range of columns, each being 

 40 feet high, and shooting up from the united backs of 4 lions of white marble, while their 

 shafts are covered with arabesque patterns and foliage. The ceiling is adorned with the repre- 

 sentations of flowers and animals, in gold, silver, and painting, amidst hundreds of intermingling 

 compartments of glittering mirrors. The New Palace is also a fine edifice. One of the ba- 

 zars presents a long, covered walk of 2 miles in length, lighted by domes, and lined with shops, 

 but no longer exhibits the bustle and life of former days. Some of the mosques, and the 

 bridges over the Zenderood are also remarkable structures, and there are several colleges or 

 madrasses here. The Jews and Armenians are numerous in Ispahan. 



The other principal towns of this province are, Cashan, noted for its manufactures of cotton, 

 silk, and copper ware, with 30,000 inhabitants ; Koom, celebrated as the burial-place of several 

 Mahometan saints, whose tombs, remarkable for the splendor and richness of their decora- 

 tions, are visited by thousands of pilgrims from all parts of the kingdom ; Hamadan, a flouiish- 

 ing and industrious town, with 30,000 inhabitants, and Casiveen, a large town, with extensive 

 manufactures and a thriving trade, and containing 60,000 inhabitants. Near Hamadan are the 

 ruins of Ecbatana, once the magnificent capital of the Medes ; the remains of the palace, 

 which was nearly a mile in circuit, and of which the woodwork was of cedar and cypress, over- 

 laid with silver and gold, and the tiles of silver, are still visible. Balfrouch, in Mazanderan, 

 is a large town with 100,000 inhabitants, mostly engaged in trade and manufactures ; its bazars 

 are of vast extent. Asterahad, on the Caspian Sea, with 40,000 inhabitants ; Sari, 30,000 ; 

 and Recht, 60,000, with extensive silk manufactures, are the other principal places in this 

 quarter. 



Tauris or Tabriz stands on a plain bounded by mountains, which, though barren, recede into 

 a well-cultivated vale. In the 17th century it was considered as the second city in Persia ; but. 



