'The lands of the Eastern Caliphate Mesopotamia, Persia, and Central Asia from the Moslem conquest to the time of Timur' [‎246] (283/586)

246
KHUZISTAN.
[CHAP.
with 'Shushan the palace' of the Book of Daniel. About iso^miles
east of Mai-Amir, on the frontier of Fars and near the eastern
most of the affluents of the Kanin river, is Lurjan (otherwise
Lurdagan or Lurkan, all forms of the name of Lur), which Istakhn
describes as the capital of the Sardan (or Sardan) district,—a
spacious town embowered in trees. Mustawfi praises it for its.
abundant grapes^ and it was often held to be of the province
of Fars, on the borders of which it lay 1 .
The main produce of Khtizistan was sugar, for the sugar-cane
grew in almost all parts ofTt^ and^STukaOTasP states that in the
4th (10th) century^ throughout Persia, Mesopotamia, and Arabia,
no sugar but that exported from Khllzistan was to be found. He
says that Ahwaz, the capital, was renowned for a special kind of
kerchief, such as women mostly wear; and Tustar produced the
brocades (Dibaj) that were famous all the world over, as well as
rugs and fine cloth. Much fruit also was grown in Tustar for export,
particularly melons. The district of Siis was especiaUyjliehome
of the sugar-cane^ and the city exported enormous quantities of
tKis Commodity; silk too was woven here and cloth stuffs. In
'Askar Mukram they made veils of raw silk, and napkins, also
cloth. Basinna was famous for its curtains ; Kurktib for felt rugs;
and Nahr Tira for long face-veils 2 .
In Khuzistan all the rivers and canals were navigable for boats,,
and much of the traffic between the towns passed along the
waterways. The high roads centred in Ahwaz, to which the
traveller from Basrah journeyed either by water along the 'Adudi
canal, or by land across the salt marsh (Sabkhah) from 'Askar
Abu Ja far, opposite Ubullah, to Hisn Mahdi; and thence through
Stik-al-Arba'a to Ahwaz 3 .
The distances between the various cities of Khtizistan are
given by Istakhri and Mukaddasi in much detail. From Ahwaz
a road went west to Nahr Tira, and on thence to Wasit in Trak.
The northern road from the capital passed through'Askar Mukram
1 1st. 103, 126. I. H. 182, 197. Muk. 414. Kaz. ii. 201. Yak. i. 416;
iv. 189. Mst. 151. I. B. ii. 29. For Susan compare Sir H. Layard and
Sir H. C. Rawlinson in/. J?. G. S. 1839, p. 83; and 1842, p. 10s.
2 Muk. 416.
3 Kud. 194. Muk. 135.