'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOL. III.' [‎301v] (607/982)

592
LAR—LAR
4
LARDIGAN (?)— Lat. Long. Elev.
A village in Kirman, to which a road branches off from thatby Ahmadi
from Bandar ’Abbas to Saidabad, at the 159th mile from Bandar ’Abbas —
(Gill)
LARISTAN—
A province of Persia extending along the northern shore of the Persian
; Geography. Gulf 0 PP°site to the Pirate Coast, and
comprised roughly between Lat. 26°
30' and 28° 25' and Long. 52° 30'and 56°.
It has Ears to the north-west and north, Kirman to the north-east, and
the district of Shamil on the east, while on the south lies the Gulf.’ The
actual boundary line on the land side is, like that of most of the provinces
of Persia, vague and ill-defined, but it may be said to start on the west,
at the little sea village of Parak, which lies to the east of Tahiri, and from
there to take a semi-circular sweep in a north-easterly direction to Bld-
shahr, passing just to the south of that village ; from t here it runs north
east to a point about midway between Furg and Rustaq, and then
taking a curve to the south continues to Kahku and Guhreh, from the
latter of which villages it runs vid Latidan to the sea near Khamir.
The above may be taken as approximately the geographical limits of the
province, but, for administrative purposes, the entire coast-line, with
the exception of the Shlbkuh ports (q. v. ) and the country extending back
from it for a distance of some 20 miles inland on an average, for ms part
of the territory administered by the Governor of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Ports,
whose jurisdiction extends along the coast from Bandar Dllam on the
north-west to Jashk on the south-east.
The surface of the country is diversified with plains and mountains,
the general trend of the latter being from north-north-west to south-south
east, but the ranges in this province are not on the whole so extensive as
in other parts of Southern Persia, nor do they attain the same elevation,
seldom indeed exceeding 6,000 feet. Mountains rise along the whole extent
of the coast, giving it a bold appearance, while many of the peaks serve as
important landmarks to navigators of the Gulf. A great water-parting
begins in the hills north of Lar, and extends up to Hajiabad in the Darab
district of Fars, the rivers east of this flowing in the direction of Bandar
’Abbas, while those to the west of it drain into the sea between Charak
and Bushire.
The rivers are unimportant, the largest being, perhaps, the Shur, which
flows into the Clarence Straits near Khamir, but this, like many of the
smaller streams, is salt, and therefore not of much value for purposes of
irrigation.
The climate is trying to Europeans. In the belt which lies between
Climate s ^ lores Gkdf and the higher ranges
inland the heat in summer is very great, and is
increased by the sandy and barren plains with which this track abounds.
During the first two months of summer a strong north-westerly wind
prevails over the whole of the district, which at times blows with such
force that it brings with it clouds of a highly impalpable sand from the