number is the more limited, as the extremities of Persia
barely touch the Araxes and Shatt el Arab, both of which
arise beyond her frontiers.
The first stream of importance towards the interior of the
kingdom is the Kizil U'zen, whose affluents traverse and
partially water five of the northern provinces. The principal
branch rises in Ardelán,1 and from thence it makes an
exceedingly tortuous course of about 100 miles in length in
the general direction of N.E. After this its line is more
direct for about 50 miles, through part of the table-land of
’Irak,8 and then it turns abruptly towards the N.N.W., and
runs for 40 miles between high precipitous banks, through
the district of Kizil Gechiler, near the extremity of which it
receives a tributary on the eastern side.
The Kizil U'zen now breaks through a terrific chasm in
the A’ngúrán mountains,3 and afterwards runs northward
about 10 miles, to the extremity of the strong defile called
Derbend,4 where it inclines a little eastward for eight miles,
and passes the village of Kará-Butta. Proceeding in the
same direction, at six miles beyond this place it receives the
Zengán river, which arrives, by a north-west course of about
70 miles, from the plain of Sultániyah: passing the town of
that name, their united waters run nearly northward, along
the deep valley eastward of Miana; in which, at about two
miles to the north-eastward, it receives a considerable tributary
bearing the name of that town. The latter tributary
is formed by the junction of the Karágul and the Eye
Dagemish rivers, which unite (the latter having previously
received two affluents) at a point two miles southward of the
town, after draining four basins which extend towards the
W.N.W. and S.W. parts of Azerbaiján. Soon after receiving
the Miana, the main trunk forces a passage through the
1 In about 35° 50' N. latitude, and 46° 45' E. longitude.
8 To 41° 57' E. longitude, and 36° 10' N. latitude.
8 Major Rawlinson : p. 59, Vol. X. Part I., of the Royal Geographical
Journal.
4 The Gates.—Tour through Azerbaiján and the Shores of the Caspian ¡
communicated by Colonel Monteith, E.I.C.—Ibid., Vol. Ill, Part I.
western branch of the Masula, and there takes a southeasterly
direction along the plain lying between these
mountains and the eastern branch of the same name ; the
distance measured in this direction, by the villages of Kish-
lak, Kaukend, and Weniserd, and the defiles of Gila wan and
Derbend, to Menjil, at the western extremity of the Elburz,
is about 130 miles.
Here the trunk formed by the western affluents receives
the Shah-rud, or eastern branch, which comes from the borders
of Mazanderan, through the country of the Chief of the
Assassins,1 after a course of nearly 90 miles in a direction
opposite to that of the other branch, and after having drained
the valleys along the western side of the Elburz. The meeting
of these arms gives a new direction to the Kizil U'zen,
which nearly forms a right angle with each of its two
branches, as it forces the passage of the Masula through the
defile of Rudbar, and the narrow valley of Rustam-abad.
Having traversed Gilan, the Sefid-rud (or White River, as
it is called) finally enters the Caspian Sea, after a northeasterly
course of about 80 miles from Menjil, and nearly
490 miles from its springs. The bed of this river is generally
many hundred feet below the surface of the adjoining
country ;2 but, near the pass of Rudbar, it becomes less deep;
and, when passing through the plain of Gilan, the banks of
the river are low and swampy, and the current is moderate.
The navigation is, however, impeded by the existence of a
bar at the entrance, on which there is only a depth of water
varying from three to seven feet.
The other rivers have their sources in the central plateau
of Persia, from whence they flow in an opposite direction to
that of the Kizil U'zen, and pass through the Zagros and
Bakhtiyari ranges, on the S.S.W., into the province whose
comparative geography is now about to be considered.
1 Or Old Man of the Mountain.—Colonel Monteith : pp. 14 and 15, Vol.
I I I . Part I., of the Royal Geographical Journal.
8 Near Kardgul the perpendicular height of the left hank appeared to
exceed 1500 feet.—P. 59, Vol. X. Part I., of the Royal Geographical
Journal.