'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOLUME II' [‎73v] (151/706)

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D AM A—DAM G
and thus its cornfields are levelled like terraces. Besides the town of
Damavand, situated nearly at its lower extremity, it contains ten vil
lages, and nothing can be more lively and flourishing than the appear
ance of this little tract. It is watered by two streams : the one flowing
from the north-west, which is small, the other from the north, which is
the principal river; they both meet the Damavand and flow through the
town. On the borders of these streams are planted willows, poplars and
walnut trees, which add generally to the landscape. The interior of
Damavand is thickly shaded by them, and the conjunction of trees and water
tends to keep up a constant coolness, even in the hottest part of the day.
The towm is spread over a hill, the principal street being at the foot of it
near the river. It is governed by a Saiyid, who has a large house at the
south end of the town, and whose jurisdiction extends over all the
villages that are dependent upon Damavand: of these there are about
30 in number, situated according to the quantity of water near them.
The mountain of Damavand is seen from the town to which it gives its
name: Damavand pays into the royal treasury a revenue of 497 tumdns,
118 kharwdrs, and 27 maunds of wheat.— (Morier; Fraser; Shiel; Stuart;
Thomson ; Felly .)' ;
DAMAYISH—(see DANA VISE)—
A range of hills bordering the plateau of Halvan, near Zuhab.— (Raw-
linson.)
DAMBALU—
A tribe of Azarbaijan, who inhabit 2,000 houses in the district of Sukaz,
west of Kh5I. One of the regiments of ’Abbas Mirza was formed from
men of this tribe.— {Morier; Malcolm.)
DAMBAT—
A village, lying north-east of the Kulush Kfih pass over the Ararat,
mountains on the road from Maku to Erivan. It is a Kurd village,
occupied summer and winter by Jelalis. Extensive Armenian ruins are
found here. The road on to Erivan is said to be easy. The entire
journey from Maku has been made in a landau with six horses in eight
hours. The difficult part is from Kulush Kuh to Dambat, where the
horses have to be assisted by the Kurds.— {Picot, 189i.)
DAMGHAN— Lat. 36°, 15' 3" ; Long. 54° 19' IS” ; Elev. 3, 767'.
The principal town of the district of the same name, 198 miles east of
Tehran, 50 miles south of Astrabad and 41 from Shahrud.
Description. —The ark or citadel, within which every family of Damghan
owns a small piece of ground, is on the west side, standing on an artificial
mound commanding both city and surrounding country. Inside it is the
Mauludkhaneh (house of birth), where Fath’Ali Shah was born. This
place had fallen in ruins, but has lately been repaired at the expense of
the Governor of the Samnan-Damghan district, and is now lent to travel
lers as a resting place. Damghan has an old brick caravansarai of Shah
’Abbas and several smaller, modern ones.