Chap. II* the Empire 
its Name from Ears, the Son of Azaz, that is> Ar- 
phaxad, the Son of Shem^ the Son of Noah •, but what 
Authority they have for this, is more than I can deter- 
mine j it is bounded on the Eaft by Kerman^ by the 
Gulph of Eerfia on the South, by the Province of 
Chuft^ian towards the Weft, and by a great Defart cal- 
led Naubendighian upon the North, which feparates 
it from Terac Agemi. This fandy Defart is of a vaft 
Extent, and reaches to the Frontiers of the Province 
of Chorafan ; it is the fame we have mention’d before, 
in fpeaking of the Province of Kerman. This is a rich 
and noble Country, abounding will all the Neceffaries 
of Life, but mofe efpecially famous for producing in 
the Neighbourhood of Shiraz.^ the richeft and fineft 
Wine in Perfta ; but the Imperial Grape of Eauris is 
efteemed moft pleafant and lufcious for Eating. They 
have alfo an admirable Glafs Manufafture in this Pro- 
vince, where they blow Bottles of an enormous Size, 
fome that are faid to hold three Gallons of our Mea- 
fure ; but they keep their Wine in earthen Veffels, as 
•we fhall have Occafion to fliow hereafter. The chief 
Cities in this Country are Shiraz., which will be defcri- 
bed elfewhere. Ear., formerly the Capital of a little in- 
dependant Principality -, Bander CongOy a Port upon the 
Perjian Gulph, to which we may add, though as I have 
faid fome comprehend it under the Province of Kerman^ 
the famous Port of Gamhroiony or Bander Abqffi. On the 
oppofite Shore of Arabia.^ there is a fmall Territory, cal- 
led from the principal Place therein, Elcatiff,'^\\\z\\ for- 
merly belong’d to the Perfians.^ and was fometimesa annex- 
ed to the Government of Farfijian, which is one Reafon 
•why I niention it here ; another is, that in feveral Maps, 
and in many oriental Authors, the Perfian Gulph is 
from hence called the Sea of Elcatiff. 
VIII. Chufijlan^ the Suftana of the Ancients is bounded 
on the Eaft by the Provinces of Farfijian, and Terac by 
the Gulph of Perfia on the South, by the Territory of 
Bajfora on the Weft, and by the Province of Curde- 
ftan on the North j the Capital of this Country is 
Schoufier, believed with Reafon to be the City of Shu~ 
fhan, mentioned in the Book of EJlher, famous for a 
noble Palace built here by the Perfian Monarch Arta~ 
xerxes, who is the Ahafuerus of the Scripture, and for 
the Tomb of the Prophet Daniel, of neither of which 
there are now any Remains* though a Perfian Author 
of great Credit affures us, that the latter was ftanding 
in his Time, and that he had feen it. 
lx. Curdebian, or Curdijian, part of the ahcient Af- 
fria, bounded on the Weft by the Dominions of the 
Grand Signor, by the Province of Chufijian on the 
South, by Erac Agemi on the Eaft, and by Arderheit- 
zan or Media on the North ^ it is with very little Rea- 
fon that this Country finds a Place among the Provin- 
ces of Perfia, for the Curds are a Nation that fome- 
times own the Protection of the Porte, and fometimes 
profefs a Dependance upon the Shah, but are in Reality 
Subjects to neither ; they are, to fay theTruth, a very ex- 
traordinary Race of Highlanders, governed by their own 
hereditary Chiefs, and the Reafon that I ftile them extra- 
ordinary is, becaufe their Force confifts in Horfe, of 
which fome Chiefs can bring Hundreds, others Thou- 
fands, and it has been known, that a Chief has brought 
twenty thoufand into the Field, where they behave as 
well as any Troops in the World. As to their Religion 
they call themfelves Mahometans, but except Circumfion 
and' Abftinence from Wine, in both which they are 
very ftricft, they obferve no other Precepts of the Alco-> 
ran, and have neither Moulahs nor Mofques, except in 
two or three of their great Towns. The Mountains of 
which this Country is full, are rude and barren, but 
the Valleys are fertile and pleafant, producing great 
Quantities of Tobacco and Vines; of the former they 
make a great Profit, but they make no Wine of the 
latter, which they convert into Raifins. The chief City 
in this Country is Betlis^ and befides this, there are 
fome other Places of Note, indifferently built, but well 
inhabited. Fhamas KouU Kan attacked thefe People of- 
ten, but with very little Succefs, and they have more 
than once defeated both the Perfians and the Turks in 
pitched Battles, yet they aft generally on the Defenfive, 
and feldom fight out of their own Country, 
of Persia. S79 
X. Erac Agemi, or as fome -W' rite, Azemi', the Rea- 
fon of this Addition is to diftinguifh it from a Province 
of the Turkifh Empire which is called Erac AraU-, and is 
precifely the ancient Province of Babylon ; whereas Erac 
Agemi is the ancient Parthia. This noble Province is 
bounded on the North by Aderbeitzan and Ghilan, by 
the Province of Chorafan on the Eaft, by Chufi§ian and 
Farfijian on the South, and by Curde (I an on the Weft, 
The chief City is the Capital of the Perfian Empire, 
viz. Ifpahan, or Spahawn, fituate in the Latitude of 32- 
Degrees, 40 Minutes North, and in the 50th Degree 
of Longitude Eaft from the Meridian of London ; there 
are alfo in this Province feveral other confiderable Places* 
fuch as Casbin, fuppofed to be the ancient Arfafia, Com, 
defcribed in the laft Seftion ; Sava mentioned there 
likewile j Hamadan, a very fine City on the Frontiers of 
Curdejian, the Country about it extremely fruitful in 
Rice, the Mountains in the Neighbourhood fupplying 
feveral fine Rivulets, which render its Territory won- 
derfully fruitful. The Turks became Maftersoficby 
Storm in 1623, and almoft totally deftroyed both it 
and its Inhabitants. Cajham, which lies about feventy 
Miles North of Ifpahan ; Tezd, which is fituated one 
hundred and five Miles to the Eaftward of that Capital. 
XI. Gilan, under which the modern Perfian Geo- 
graphers comprehend not only the Country properly fo 
called, which comprehend precifely the Hyrcania of the 
Ancients, but alfo the Provinces of Mazenderan and 
Tabreftan % fo that, confidered in this Light, it is a 
very extenfive Country, bounded by the Cafpian Sea on 
the North, by the Province of Chorafan on the Eaft, by 
that of Erac Agemi on the South, and by the great Coun- 
try of Aderbeitzan on the Weft. The whole of this Pro- 
vince is wonderfully fair and fruitful. It is diftinguifhed 
from almoft all the Provinces of this great Empire by 
fome very particular Advantages. In the firft Place, its 
Situation is very peculiar* for on the one Side it is cover- 
ed by the Sea, and towards the Land it is furrounded 
with Mountains and Rocks that rife like fo many natural 
Fortifications, with this fingular Circumftance, that while 
they are rude, inacceffible, and terrible on that Side, which 
is turned towards the reft of the Provinces of the Empire, 
they are on the Infide refpefting this Pro'vinee, of gentle 
Afcent, covered with perpetual Verdure and covered 
with Groves of Citrons, Oranges* Olives, and Figs. The 
very Summits of the Mountains fhaded by Cyprels-trees 
and other excellent Timber, which may be eafily tran- 
fported to the Sea-fide ; for through this Rampart of 
Rocks, Nature has formed feveral PalTages fo wide, and 
with fuch a Slope, as render them perfeftly eafy* and 
yet fo well fenced on each Side, that a fmall Barricade 
will render them impregnable. , Another fingular Benefit 
which this Country enjoys, is its unbounded and ama- 
zing Fruitfulnefs, which with very little Cultivation 
pours out fuch prodigious Abundance of all Things ne- 
ceftary and defireable, as is fcarce to be believed ; for it 
is equally famous for its Silk, its Oil, its Wines, its 
Rice* its Tobacco, and a \^aft Variety of Fruits. In 
other Parts of Perfia their Houfes are but mean, and the 
Moveables of the common People very coarfe ; but here 
on the contrary, every P^afant has a good Houfe, and 
moft of his Furniture is made of Box, of which they 
have the largeft and fineft Trees in the World, and a 
large Garden full of Citrons, Oranges, Figs, and Vines, 
fo large* that the Branches of them are frequently as 
big as a Man’s Body. A third Commodity, in fome 
Meafure peculiar to this Province, is a vaft Abundance 
of Fifh in their Rivers* and in that Part of the Cafpian 
Sea which wafhes their Coafts ; from whence, as the 
People draw an immenfe Profit* fo the Shah de- 
rives from thence a great Revenue. The Capital of 
this Province is Refech, which ftands in the Latitude of 
37 Degrees of North, a large and populous City ; be- 
fides which, there are Kesker, AJiara, and other eonfi- 
derable Places within its Bounds. Two Things more 
deferve our Notice ; one is, that the People of this Pro- 
vince are of the Turkifh, and not of the Perfian Religion, 
that is, they are Followers of Omar, and not of Ali i 
The other. That by the Treaty between the Emperor 
Peter the Great and the Shah in 1723, this Province 
was 
