'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOLUME II' [‎35v] (75/706)

58
azarbATjan
AZARBAl JAN—Between Lat. 36° 50' and 39° ; Long. 44° O' and 48° 50'.
History,
See Tabriz,
Geography.
Azarbaijan is one of tbe great divisions of Persia and stretches across the
, . north-west of the country. Commencing at its
south-west corner, its boundaries may be defined
as follows :—That on the west is formed by the Zagros range, dividing the
province from Turkish Kurdistan and Armenia up to the summit of the Lesser
Ararat on the north-west. The line dividing the province from Trans-
Caucasian Russia then follows the Araxes or Aras, the course of which
river it follows up to ’Abbasabad. It passes at a distance of 2| miles
outside this village ; then rejoining the Araxes, follows its course to a point,
14 miles below the Yadi Bulagh ford. Its eastern boundary here commences
in a line crossing the Mughan plain to a point on the Bolgarchai, which it
ascends to its confluence with the Adina Bazar Chai. This river it follows
to its source under the height of Jiku; thence it runs along the ridge of
mountains to Aqdagh, dividing it from Talish and Gllan. From this hill
the southern boundary runs in a curve below Mlaneh and Sain Kaleh to
a point above Sardasht, dividing the province from the districts of Khamseh
and Kurdistan.
Its greatest length is 270 miles from east to west, and its greatest breadth
250 miles from north to south. Chesney says its area is 25,285 square
miles.
The province of Azarbaijan is generally mountainous, intermingled with
fertile valleys, undulating plateaux, and some mountains of great height.
The mountain system of Azarbaijan all emanates from the mountains
of Kurdistan and, with the exception of the short spurs which run down
from that range in the west of the province to the Urumleh lake, it
consists of one range which meanders through the whole province. This
has its origin in Mount Akronal (?) in about Lat. 38° 20' Long. 44° 35'; from
thence it goes due east dividing the drainage of Kohl from that of Sal-maso,
apparently under the name of the Kuh Ma’shuq (pronounced Maishan),
and running south of Maraud, draining north to the Aras and south to the
AjI Chai; to the north-east of Tabriz it takes the name of Kosha Dagh,
shortly before which it throws a spur to the north called ShahvardI Kuh
(which runs parallel with the Ahar Chai branch of the Karasu river and ends
south of the bridge of Khudafarln over the Aras). The Kosha Dagh still
continues east dividing the drainage of the Karasu from that of the AjI
Chai to the Savalan Dagh. At this point the ridge turns due south still
dividing the Karasu (which flows round from the south of the Savalan)
to the north from the AjI Chai, till, in about Lat. 37° 50' it splits into two
main ranges, one going east the other west. The former maintains its
east direction till Long. 48° 35', when it also divides : one branch, the Bagru
Kuh, runs northward and divides Tallsh from Azarbaijan, while the other,
the Masuleh mountains, runs south to the Kizil Uzun River and divides Gllan
from Azarbaijan. The second main range, mentioned above, goes westward
under the name of the Buzgush to the Sahand mountains. Here it turn