'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOLUME II' [‎125r] (254/706)

which for administrative purposes were grouped into several sub-divisions,
varying in number from five to nine :—
1. Isfahan—
Extending east to near Nam, south to Yazdikhast, west to Chahar
Mahal and north to Kuhrud, about the same as the present province
of Isfahan.
2. Rai—
Later called Tehran, the same as the present Tehran province.
3. Sultanieh—
The present province of Khamseh, with Zinjan as seat of Govern
ment.
4. Kazvln—
Was the actual province of Kazvin together with the districts of Talish
(which is now part of Gilan) and Saveh (which is now joined to Tehran).
5. Qum and Kashan—
With Ardistan Gulpalgan, Tafrash and Farahan.
6. Lur-i-Buzurg—
Great Luristan, the present Bakhtiari province.
7. Lur-i-Kuchik—
Little Luristan, the present Luristan with Khurramabad and Burujird.
Up to the end of 1888 Burujird with its districts was a separate
province ; it was joined with Luiistan.
8 . Hamadan—
With Khirkanin, Darjazin, Malayar, Nahavand, ’Asadabad.
9. Yazd—
With Maibud and Nam. •
Samnan, Damghan, Shahrud and Bostam together with Khar formed
the province Qumish (old Commisene) ; Flruzkuh and Damavand were in
Tabaristan and neither Qumish nor Tabaristan nor Gilan were ever part
of Traq-i-’Ajam. During Fath ’AH Shah’s reign Qumish, with the exception
of Khar, formed par^ of Khorasan, and the tower, which marks the frontier
of that province on the west, is still standing between Deh-i-Namak and
Lasgird.
Although there is now no such province as ’Iraq-i-’Ajam, still it may
be as well co say a few words about the great central plateau of Persia,
which is practically what the old province was.
The appearance of this plateau is almost everywhere the same, being
entirely mountainous, with valleys of an indefinite length, but seldom
exceeding 10 or 15 miles in breadth. The mountains, which are barren
and devoid of timber, run almost invariably from west to east, and
either gradually sink into the desert or throw branches into the provinces
of Kir man and Khorasan.
The valleys are for the most part uncultivated except near the villages,
bu^ cannot be called barren, for the land in general is good.
The mountain system consists, 1st, of-the Elburz range, which bounds
it on the north and connects the mountain system of Persia with that of
the Hindu-Kush and the Himalayas ; 2nd, of the Alvand and Kuhrud
range, which runs through the centre of the province ; 3rd of a spur from
the main range of Ardalan, which runs from south-west to north-east,