3 ï» E R S I A. f §
Mountains, .called TCoh -.Zerdeh, or thé yellow mountain. Chardm5.' ooLlfiders the
noted Damavend of .-the Pèffians as :a range dividing Hyrcama from
■ Parthia; that is, in other words, the mountains 5óf Mazèndrim; and he
«tddk, that of $jhe mountains betwixt Pars and Kei roan the moft remark*,
able is . called'}ar on;. but the mountains of Kutdiftan alone pnffent forefts.
That ancient igeegwphe* Ebn. Haffical, whofc eurious work kchiefiy
-occupied with a defcription of Perfia, according .to its divifmns .in the
tenth century, informs us, that from the, vicinity qf, KurdiftatU'towards
Ifpahan, the^coutitry is wholly mountainous; and he.elaffes among the
chief heights the Damavend, from which he fays a profped is beheld
of fifty far&ngs, or 20®: miles; white that of Bifetoun, in thfc fame
region, was celebrated for remarkable .fedptufes;9 .From bis ^geography:
it appears that maa'y of thePerfians, even in Fars, ftill retained the
temples and worfhip o f their anceftoflT in. £he tenth century; foi that the
violence of the M a h om e ta n s after die; conqueft appears to have heen
greatly exaggerated. ■/'. ■ ;
The great weftern range Is alfo icalibd in feme-parts the rabuntains of
Looriftan; -and more to the 8. the Adervan, and Diaan, with Ajudük
N. of Lar. It* detaches fome remarkable branches to the S. E., as that
on the W. of -Kom, Calhan, Nathan, &c.; which from a. particular
mountain, may be called the range of Elburz. A nother branch fpreads
to the S. of Ifpahan, which D’Anville, corffiders as whit the Pèrfians
ftyle the Thoufand Mountains.* Still more to the S^ajfbge and ex-
tenfive branch (of which the whole, or one mouhtaip 4s iftflèd fte-
humut) extends between the rivers Kuren and Bundamir; afid. prefects
on the weftern fide of its furtKeft extremity the noted rffins of ,Perfepolis.
' ' Jp
On paffing towards the E. of Perfia, the juft delineation of the ranges
is attended with fimilar difficulties. The pafs of Khayar fs near the
fouthernmoft extent of the Caucafian heights of Mazendran; and there
is no room to believe that any ridge extends into the great faline #&rt.
D’Anville has drawn a range on the E. of that defert, extending on the
* iy. 10.' • |
9 p I72. D ’Anville marks Demavend due W. of Ifpahan. His Karagan is S. of Sultania.
« One of theTe, near Ifpahan, .is called Tag Ruftan. . - ■ , C * f
CHAP. IV. n a t u r a l g e o g r a p h y . 3 5 9
S* of Tu’flMz’as' far as the kk*e óf Zeré,* called itiffokie maps thé Sandy
rnöuh(liinS'’?a'ïid Eup'pllfbd1 to3 be the Mafdoianus of the ahcientsr.but
ihife l feems ah arbitrary idea, ;as'it‘,*is> improbable- that ancient- writers
fhottld have obferved tMfefffiwj ridge of fa-ndy’hills, while the great
defert itfelf totally éfcaped their‘knowledge'.'*' Mr. Eorfter' ereffed thefe
pretended mountains without difsövEring. them;;* -and found only fmall
rocky bills'fcattered in all dire&ionsi This fandy ridgfe may therefore
be dtfmiffed from the maps, along with that fup^so&d to pervade the
faline4’deleft; and the Möns MafdaraftnjsJiSii' probably t-Mt1 which now
paffes near. Metziroun, and feemsLto be ari elorigatfori of the Caucafian
chain" already.mentioned.
In tfeFcrifeihg this cbunïry óf fftouhtainsj fq‘ iiftf the btnphatical term
of Chardin-, fome dfgfée ef prolixity is unavoidable. \ T h é provlncè of
Fars is réprefentëd by fêfaie'writers as feparated from Kerman by mourn*
tains; buttEe real barrier is a defert of fand, extending from the- S. of
the lake of Baktegan to the proximity, of Z^rahg, and connected with
the great defert which divides“ Perfia into tWcf parts. The city of Yezd
being Ön delerty more properly belongs to Ears
4hah t?o ‘Kemian ; and was arranged fn/the- former divifion,! fev&; in the
tenth ■^cfehtury.'0 3 Nor are there" afiy mountains of ? confequeace in thé
eaffir of Ears.’ A low Irafige called. Medef by D’Anyille*paffes N. E.
ffitpligh the 'heart of Kerman; while th a t‘country ié^divided from
Mekranby a range in the fame < dirëéHonp-called by D’Anvilfe Kofez.
'Some other namelels ranges crofs 'Mekran in the fame direction, that
Êeareft Hindbftan bein^ citfêd by Rochette the Lakliee mountains. Ö»
the N., of Mekran a cOnfiderable raftgb- 'runs'E. and'W. which haS-.not
been named by D’Ahvil!e,f'■!thdhgft it feem the* Bedus.'bf Ptblfmy.'
But bf tffis part, a | before explained, 'tiiodern khowledgè-is-vtery- de«
fedftive,
* Mr Fotifter obferved1 no ridges from Candaliar ‘to^ Cörafén,-(Rennell, 153 • fee stóf!
■ 191.) whence it appears thnt djejfoundnonlyj difper^sd yheim^he. mag3 had rejwefent^di
Herat ftands on a fpsciou? plain; Forfter, ij.. 115 : but to the. N. of
Ipochqbacf ipgrfcMlflSar tberesi ,alrmge óf-mountains 'coyfewQ*1 w^tf ^fno^v. Ib.; .154.' hïPhe.-
0thei'?quWrter8 prefente$rocky^Kills difperfed in the defei;t. , Abo.ut three mi'les E\: of Khana-.
Jloody,. a chaip ofi paopntains: extend« N. and Sv ; ;
. 10 i^bnHaukal, 88, t
f Ruchette calls U Gehriabad.
M ount ain*
Fucther:-