36°.
M o unt a'i : Further bfWulli extend from the neigB"
bourhood: of' Shat/.an acrofs I to the; lake of V aihmd,: and may thus be
ccnfideredias fcrtaiag one range with that on the N. of Mekran, called
Uebelabad by la Rochctte. This range, however expires ,in the.:greht
defert to-the S. of Zarang. ‘ * v • g Tr , - ‘ ,
In the E. of Scgiftari is a ridge N. aiH S. called Soliman Koh, or the
mountains ofSeliman. It is probable .that'there are -mountains of eo.n-
fiderable height on the N. and W. qf the fca of Zurra ; one of which is
called Berlhek, and another Ouk, the . former being noted for a Fire
temple, the refort of the Ouebers. ; ; ; bv ' /
The Hindoo Koh,' and the mountains of Gaur,-the laft, probably
.the Paropamifus of antiquity, , need not be again mentioned,, except to
'pbferve that they have no . connexion with the chain of Caucafus, as
the ancients fuppofed; or they were rather milled by fimilar names
beiha- bellowed on very diftant mountains, in the wide extent of the
Scythian language.' They might as well have inferred that mount
h M was -a continuation of Hemus. As vail fandy deferts antepcepf
any continuity,of-ridges in the ce«re, p r te h jlf i^ r f r a , fd ip3tjifi
the mountains of Corafan are;widely feparated from thqfe of Gapr^
feeing as alreadyrihentioned, a mere ote^gation fof ^tfee .mountains
Mazehdran paffihg to tire N. E . j and far
Melhid, beihg well delineated by D’Anvifte. jpder the najnes of M p
Tufok, laM H opm , and M i^ j Koh, E^ne,,qf which j?afs.cjthe *ive;r
Tedjen, or Ochus. The river Motgab fprings from the mountains
c f Gatir, which bn the E. of H'erat bend tqwards the N* -forming
the range called Lokman by D’AnviUe, which terminates to the S. of
the greater Meru • and the defert of Karakum prevents the extenfion of
mountainous, ranges in this quarter.
This difcuffion fufficiently evinces the miftake of the ancient geographers
who extended their fuppofed range of Taurus throughout Aba,
inftead of Afia Minor: and if we mull violently »include the Caucafus,
whofe grand fummits are on the N. of the Euxine, under that' appellation,
it Hill terminates in Corafan. If, qn the .other > n d , the
Taurus be contitiued; by a fuppofed'xhain^ to that of Elwen , <
WOuld terminate in the great central defert, of at the mouth d f t e
. _ . t ' Perlian
Perfian gulph. As theigeographersIof antiqUity paid particular attention Mount
to the ranges of mountains, without which indeed- the fcience ltfelf be-
comcs an empty name, and hiftory, natural or civil, can never be properly
explained or underftoodj an invcftigatiou of this curious topic '
will not, it is hoped, be deemed urimeceffary. The marches of Alexander,
and other claffical topics, hive alfo recommended' the mountains of-
Perfia to particular, confideration ; wh^e, fonje^d^ee of prqlixity unavoidably
arifes from the obfcurity of the fubjeft, and the imperfection
ef, the materials.; <.
.^Souifpuft the-deferts Be ip^S^l^^d^W^vAlion^h ,few, words Be&rt*,
may ’On the eaft of defert |
commences,.which is pervaded by the riv-efj of Ahwaz,. apd extends to
the N. of Shufter, but D’Anville has fpread it too far to the E. This
tfefert rtiayfee about ,140 B. raifes tor fp p g tlj^ to , W,. and thr-breadth
S-hfiUtJ'O. In his map .of aucien^igeqgraphy D’4nyjJJe has oqiittg^ this
df£erticwhi(jh;feep,s ipde.ed unknown tq.ciiflic^l authority' It is-now
chiefly.'ip.©ffe&d by the wandering, tribis dF-^-rab's called Beni ||& k
a people who, like the defert, are not a little'qb/cdre.“
Jhe, Great Saline Defert extends -from, .thejngighhqnrhqpd qf -Kqm t(S
^hat of the fea of Zurra, in a line from E. Jtp W* ;Q.f .afeo.yt 4.,«© B. miles i
the breadth ft°m N* tc^S.-m^y be-,25^; biit.in th^datter quarter it may
be faid to join with the great defert of Kermanfey the Islauben pejjap,
which extends about 350'jniles. Thefe two- e^enftye:'-(feferta may
thus be cqnfidered as ftretdiing N. W. and =&.,£. jfor ajfoace'pf ^bout
yqp miles, by a medial breadth of abqutj^sqqy (even. np^ipcJoding in
the,-length other ,200 smiles of the defert of .Mekran.V thus 'lnterfetfri-mr » • • - , .. • . ' » ' 'v.'- - \ ’ p
this wide empire into two nearly equal portionSjj.as heforq. .explained^
Tins vaft extent is impregnated wieh‘,nitrev and other felts, whichitaittt
the neighbouring lakes and riyers p-'-but its natural'“hiftory has not^bieen
inveftigated with the -precifion of modern knowledge: Hn the S,.*of '
Mekran and towards the Indus are otherdlferts dfgfeaf extent.' '
A third gfeat defert,- that of Rarakum^or'-the BladkSahd, forms the
northern boundary of Corafan and modern Perfia ; but the defeription '
*’ See Ntebhur, but this tribe feems rather to the S’. ,of the deferj,
voL. u . I I gi|| | H >2 A more