88o A new and compleat Defcription Book III. 
was yielded to tTie Mamnieran znd labrejian 
are alfo very conflderable Countries, but fo like to 
Gilan in their Produce, that it is not neceffary to de- 
feribe them ^particularly. 
XII. Aderbeitzan^ which comprehends the greateft 
and beft Part of the ancient Media^ is a very noble and 
beautiful Country, bounded by the Province of Shirvan 
on the North, by Gilan and the Cafpian Sea on the 
Ead, by Erac Agemi and Curdejian on the South, and 
by the River Aras or Araxis on the Weft, which divides 
k from Georgia. The famous (hty of Tauris or Ea~ 
briSi which is deferibed in the foregoing Sedion, is the 
Capital of this Country, and was one of the fineft Cities 
of Perjta^ till deftroyed by the Turks in their laft War 
with the Perjians-^ when they are faid to have put one hun- 
dred thoufand Perfons of all Ranks Ages and Sexes to the 
Sword. Ardevil is another great and fine City in this 
Country, ftanding about thirty Miles from Mount Tau- 
ris ; Suliania^ which was deftroyed by Tamerlane^ was 
fcarce inferior to any City in Perjia, as the Ruins that 
ftill remain fufficiently teftify at this Day. It is ftill a 
good Town, containing about fix thoufand Inhabitants, 
but is particularly remarkable for a moft noble Mofque, 
in which is the Tomb of the Founder of this City, the 
famous Sultan Mahomet Chodabende. This Mofque has 
three great Gates, all of polifhed Steel, and the Tomb 
is feen through a Grate of the fame Metal, finely 
wrought in Foliages and Branches of Trees ; and though 
fome of thefe are of the Thicknefs of a Man*s Arm, 
yet they are fo exquifitely finifhed, that there is not fo 
much as a Joint to be perceived in the v/hole ; from 
whence the Inhabitants perfuade themfelves, and would 
willingly perfuade Strangers, that it is made of one en- 
tire Piece, and affirm that it was feven Years in making. 
Xin, Shirvan^ or according to the Perfian Orthogra- 
phy Schirwan^ contains the Northern Part or Media^ 
and is by many Authors made only a Part of the fore- 
going Province ; but we comprehend within it, for the 
Sake of keeping within Bounds, the little Provnice of 
Dagejian^ and fo much of Georgia and Armenia as be- 
longs loxE^Perfians \ and caking it in this Light, it is 
thus bounded ; by Circaffia and the Ruffian Territories on 
the North, by the Cafpian Sea on the Eaft, by Aderbe- 
itzan on the South, and by the Tutkifh Armenia and 
Georgia on the Weft. Schamakie is the Capital of this 
Province, and (lands in the Latitude of 40 Degrees 50 
Minutes North, between two Mountains well fortified, 
and is a Place of great Trade. Derbent^ or Debircany 
which fignifies an Iron Gate, is a famous Pafs between the 
Mountains and the Cafpian Sea. Baku is the only tole- 
rable Port on the Weft-fide of the Cafpian it is 
large and fafe, but not deep j the Town is fmall, but 
well peopled, and commanded by a Citadel ; it was 
given up to (ht Ruffians by the Peace of 1723. The 
Province of Dageftan is at prefent, for the moft 
Part, in the Hands of the Tartars^ and to curb this fierce 
Nation, who are able to bring twenty thoufand Men into 
the Field, the Ruffmns built the Fortrefs of St. Andrezv, 
not far from Tarku, which is the Capital of this Country, 
as Teflis is of that Part of Georgia which belongs ioPer- 
fta. That Part of Armenia which belongs to this Coun- 
try is ftiled AraUy and the Capital of it is ErivaUy 
which has been before deferibed. Within the Bounds 
of this Province (lands alfo the City of Nackfivan, which 
the Inhabitants are fully convinced is the oldeft in the 
World, having been built by Noah and his Children 
upon their coming out of the Ark, of which, if you 
will credit them, there are ftill fome Remains on the 
Mountains that are not. far from hence. Thus we have 
compleated a regular and Geographical Defeription of 
all the Parts of this great Empire, which will enable the 
Reader to comprehend perfedUy all that follows in the 
enfuing Sedion. And we dare alfo affure him, 
that he will find it of very great Ufe towards under- 
ftanding all the Hiftories of, and Travels through this 
Country, already publifhed, as well as the Accounts we 
may hereafter receive from thence, which might other- 
wife appear very unintelligible. 
3. PerfiUy extending from the 25th Degree of Lati- 
tude to the 45th, the longeft Day in the South k 
thirteen Hours and a Half, and in the North above 
fifteen Hours. In fo great an Extent of Country it is 
natural to fuppofe that the Air and Seafons are very 
different, as in Fad we find them to be. In the Mid- 
dle of the Empire, their Winter begins in Neijembery 
and continues till Martha with fevere Frofts and Snow, 
which falls in great Quantities on their Mountains, but 
not fo much in the cham pain Country j from the Month 
of March till May^ the Wind is ufually high, and from 
thence to September they have a calm fefene Heaven, 
without fo much as a Cloud j and though it be pretty 
hot in the Day-time, the refreftiing Breezes which blow 
conftantly Morning and Evening, as well as in the 
Night, make the Summer very tolerable, efpecially fince 
the Nights are near ten Hours long. The Air is fo 
pure, and the Stars fliine with that Luftre, that one 
Man may know another very well by their Light, and 
People travel much more in the Night, than the Day, 
In this Part of Perfa^ there are very feldom any Hur- 
ricanes or Tempefts, and very little Thunder and 
Lightning, nor is it fubjed to Earthquakes, and the 
Air is fo extremely dry in the Summer Seafon, that you 
will not find the leaft Dew or Moifture on any thing 
that is laid abroad all Night, or even in the Grafs, and 
it very feldom Rains in the Winter. No Country is 
more healthful than the interior Part of Perjia, as ap- 
pears by the hale Complexion of the Natives j they are 
ffrong and robuft, and, generally fpeaking, enjoy con- 
ftant Health, As for Foreigners, who come thither, 
it is a common Obfervation, that thofe who are 
healthy at their Arrival continue fo, and that thofe who 
are fick, feldom recover. 
The Air in the Southern Part of Perfia^ particularly 
about Gombroon^ is very unhealthy in the Spring and 
Fall : Our European Fadgrs never pafs a Year, without 
a dangerous Fit of Illnefs, which frequently carries 
them off. It is an ordinary Thing for two of them 
to agree, that if one of them die, the Survivor lhall 
poffefs the other’s Fortune. Nor is this any great Pre- 
judice to their Relations, for if a Man leaves private 
Truftees, or makes the Company his Executors, the' 
Heir of the deceafed will meet with great Difficulties ia 
Recovering the Teftator’s Effeds. The Months of 
JunCy July and Auguji are healthy enough, but fo very 
hot, that both Natives and Foreigners get up into the 
Mountains at that Time. The hot Winds which blow 
from the Eaft ward, over a long Trad of fandy Deferts, 
are ready to fuffocate them, and fometimes there hap- 
pens a Peftilential Blaft, which ftrikes the Traveller 
dead in an inftant. It rains but very feldom here, 
any part of the Year, and the Water they fave then is 
very unwholfome. 
The Provinces of Georgia, Shirvan and Adirbeitzan, 
are very dry and warm in the Summer, but fubjed to 
Storms and Tempefts in the Winter, and as fevere 
Frofts for fix Months as any Countries on the Conti- 
nent, in the fame Latitude j but as this Part of Perjia^ 
is very mountainous, there is frequently a vaft Diffe- 
rence between the Air on the North and the South-fide 
of the Mountains, and in a few Miles travelling Peo- 
ple think themfelves in a different Climate-, but however 
cold the Mountains in the North may be, they are ex- 
tremely healthful. On the contrary, the fkt Country of 
Gilan and Mezenderan, which lies upon the Cafpian Sea, 
and was the ancient Uyreania, is very damp, full of 
(linking Moraffes, and unheakhful, inlbmuch that the 
Inhabitants in the Summer retire into the Mountains, 
all the Water they have being foul and corrupted in 
the hot Seafon \ and here, and in Cborafan, it is faid 
Earthquakes are very common. 
4. ft is obfervable, that there is no Country in the* 
World of fo large an Extent as Perfia, where there 
are (o few navigable Rivers j there is not fo much as one 
River in the Heart of the Country that will carry a 
Boat of any Burthen, and you may travel feveral Days 
Journey, without meeting with any Water whatever, in 
fome Parcs. The River Oxus indeed which divides 
Perfia from Usbeck-Tartary, is a large Stream, but as 
there are no Branches of it, that arife in the Perfian Do- 
minions, it is «f liuls Ufe to them. The Rivers Kur and 
Aras ' 
