'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOLUME I' [‎302r] (620/820)

Sabzawar. The southern part of the district as far as the Shur Rud
is mostly salt steppe and salt desert (Kavir) ; the remainder of the district
excepting the mountainous part is very fertile. The bed of the Shur
Rud lies about 3,500 feet above the level of the sea, the town of Nishapfir
3,917 feet, while the villages at the foot of the mountains are from 200 to
400 feet higher. Some of the villages in the mountainous part of the dis
trict are situated at an altitude of 5,500 feet or more. Number of kanzes
485.
The climate of Nishapur is mild in winter and hot in summer, because
the high mountains to the north keep off the
Climate. cold Tlie rainfall is very small; snow
seldom remains long on the ground. On the 14th March 1883, the snow
on the mountains had melted up to a height of 7,000 feet, although the
winter of 1882-83 had been exceptionally severe. The lowest tempera
ture observed at Nishapur was 27° F., at Ma’dan 16° F. Most of the
streams and rivers of the Nishapur district have their origin in the
northern mountains, and nearly all their water is used for irrigation.
It is only during spring when the snows melt that the waters of the streams
go as far as south of Nishapur, and fill the bed of the Shur-rud ; this river
runs first in a south-westerly direction, then, south of Sabzawar, turns
a little to the north-west and flows towards the great central Persian
depression, where it loses itself in the kavlr.
The agricultural produce of the district consists principally of rice,
millet, barley, wheat, and cotton (*). The vil-
Agricultural produce. ^ of ^
plain grow much poppy for opium,
but the opium does not contain much morphine. The castor oil plant is
much cultivated for lamp-oil. Some villages have white mulberry tree
plantations for the raising of silkworms, and nearly all villages have orchards
of fruit trees—peaches, apricots, pomegranates, pistachios, plums and
cherries. The vine also thrives well. On the mountains near Nishapur
very fine rhubarb (Rheum rivas) is found ;_the rhubarb of Nishapur is said
to be the best in Persia, and is much praised by the old historians; it is
consumed as a vegetable cooked with meat, or as jam ; it is also much
eaten in its raw state. Another wild plant used as a vegetable is the
shulpa (Gundilia tournefontii), particularly in spring when it is tender and
sweet; in winter it makes good fodder for cattle. Asafcetida grows on
some mountain slopes, a few fig trees are also occasionally seen.
The number of domestic animals in the district is estimated as follows
Transport—
Horses • *
.. 2,658
Mules
.. 1,638
Donkeys
.. 13,083
Camels
.. 4,500
(*) It is said that the soil of the Nishapur district is well suited for cotton
growing, which pays better than cereals, and therefore the villagers are now taking
to cotton-growing in preference to wheat. For some years .'‘past cotton cultivation has
largely increased in the Nishapur district.—(fi - . M. Temple.)