Brogubs-
' ÏITBÖW
ÖRAP-HY.
Provinces.
Hyftafpea, or ; Ghyfetafp, has been ably ilîuftrated in ariate work o f
Major Rennell, The prefënt defign however only embraces the.
modern provinces, and limits; arid the former may be thus arranged,,
proceeding from the W. towards the N. E. after remarking that the
limits of the ancient and modern provinces often coincide, as they
cdnfift of rivers'and ranges of mountains*
I . Georgia, or more properly Gurguftan, in which may be in-
cluded Daghiftan and SMrvam Thefe may be confidered asconftituting
the Albania of the ancients; a name applied in different quarters to
mountainous regions; The ancient Iberia to thé W. is now chiefly the-
Imeritia of European Turkey, on the other fide of à " branch b£' the
Gaucafus.
а. Erivan : a large portion of ancient Armenia, between the river
Kur, or Cyrus on the north, and the Aras, or Araxes on the foüth.
3. Aderbijan including Mogan, the Atropatena of the ancients,
4. Ghilan to the eaft of the laft on the Gafpian feay and fynonymous-
with the ancient Gela. _
5. To clpfe the lift of countries on the Gafpian, Mazendran appears*
encircled on thefouth by a lofty branch of the Caucafian ehain, the feat"
of the Mardi of antiquity^; to the E. of w-hich was the noted province:
of Hyrcania, now Corcanand Dahiftan.
б. Returning to th eW . frontier there occurs Irac Ajefei*. chiefly -
correfponding with the ancient Ecbatana; In the fouth-of this province
is Ifpahan, the modern, capital of Perfia.
7. Ghofiftan extending to the river Tigris; but-the capital Büflora»,
or Bafra, after a recent vain attempt of the Arabs, remains fubjedt to the
Turks. , This province eorrefponds with the ancient Sufiana.*
8. The celebrated province of Fars, Perfis, o r Perfia proper, fur-
rounded with mountains on the N. the: W. the S: and on-the E. fepa-
zated by a defert from Kerman. Fars contains the beautiful city of*.
Shiraz, with Makar and the ruins of Perfepolis.
o, Kerman, the ancient Car-mania,
• Bat the name is antiquated. NiebtihFDefer, de 1’ ‘Arab. 277. Shutter; or Toftar, fs new -
the name of a large province. Loriftan is in Shutter. To the weft is the country of Havifa»,
the Ahwaz of D ’Anville. The tribe K ia b lfa on the S . o f Haviia. Ib.
' 1 0 . Lari flan,
TO. Lariftan, a fmafi'province on the Perfian Gulf to the S. E. of
.Ears, of which feme regard it as a part; nor does,the fubdiyïfion feem
to be known- îh ancient times, though the long ridge of mountains on
the S. of Fars, and generally about &o„B, nxHe&' from the--Perfian Gplf,
feem here naturally • tQî indicate; a 'maritime pr.ovince_h/which, if the ancient
Perfians had been addicted - to • commetfee,;'wOuJd -d)^we been the
feat of great wealth, by intercourfe. with Arabia, Africa, and India. But
this high fpirited nation of horfemen and warriors was totally averfe
from maritime enterprize, either- o f war or trade, whether frpm a con-*
tempt of the Arabian fife-eaters on their coaft ; or more probably from-
particular precepts of Zerduft or Zoroaftef, the founder of their religion,
as Hyde has explained, which rendered a maritime life incompatible
with the pta&ice Of. their faith. In modern times Ormys and Buflbra
feew that the Perfian Gulf is. adapted to extenfiye commerce, which
was indeed carried on there in thé reigns oftthe;. Arabian, chalifs. Mr.
Franklin, who in 1786 paflbd from Abu Shehar, or Bufeeer, to Shiraz,
found the mountains in this fouthern part extremely preeipitolis, and'
the fummits covered with fnow in the end of March ; a ciscumftance
unestpe&ed in fouthern Perfia, and in a'latitude nearer the line than*
Cairo,
■ t i . To the E. of Kerman is the-large province of Mekran, which
extends to the Indian defertsy atod is- tfee aïteièrit Gâdfüftan orGedrofia.
This province has always been .unferriley andfull of déferts ; andiclalfi-;
cal geography here prefents only.pne mean town called Pura, probably-
Borjian on the moft W. frontier. The extenfive fea coaft- om th e Indian
ocean, far from being the feat-of commerce* fcarcely prefects one harbour,
being almoft an umfornfline offterility, inhabited by'Afabs,*like
mbflr o f the -fouthern coaft« of Perfia, whiçh are* divided by mountains
and deferts from-the fértife and cultivated'land;'
12. Sègiftàh, - another wide frontier province towards‘India, wasfy
chiefly the Arâchofia and Sarahga -of1 anriqimÿ ; While the'province-
of Parbpamifus in the N; E;
. limits o f -Hindoftam- i
13. The grand and terminatiag-divifioa o f modern Perfia in -thèN. E. •
is„Corafan, bounded by the Gihon or Oxus on the N. E. and-on the S.’J
T T 2 ' , by
PRO«