"أراضي الخلافة الشرقية في بلاد الرافدين، بلاد فارس، وآسيا الوسطى من الفتح الإسلامي إلى عصر تيمورلنك" [‎١‎٧‎٣] (٥٨٦/٢٠٨)

CH. XII] GILAN AND THE NORTH-WEST PROVINCES. 173
during the 4th (loth) century. The narrow strip of shore and
mountain slope, running north from the south-west corner of the
Caspian, and facing east wer that sea, is the Talish country,
a name which Yakiit gives under the plural form Talishan or
Tilshan. To the east, on the Tabaristan frontier, was the
mountain range of Ar-Riibanj, beyond which came the hill
district belonging to the great Karin family, whose chiefs had
from time immemorial been rulers of these fastnesses, as will be
further mentioned in Chapter XXVL
When Mukaddasi wrote in the 4th (10th) century, and the
Buyid supremacy was at its height, all Gilan, together with the
mountain provinces to the eastward and along the shore of
the Caspian, namely, Tabaristan, Jurjan, and Klimis, were in
cluded in the province of Daylam, but in later times these
eastern provinces came to be counted as separate. Afterwards
the name of Daylam itself for the most part fell out of use,
and the lowlands of the Safid RM delta gave their name to the
whole of the adjacent district, which was commonly known as
the Jilan province. More exactly, however, Jilan was the coast
district, while Daylam was the mountain region overhanging it,
and at different times either of these names in turn might be
taken commonly to include the whole province lying round the
south-western corner of the Caspian Sea 1 .
The chief city of Daylam is said to have been called Rudhbar,
but its situation is unknown. Mukaddasi on the other hand says
the capital was known as Barvan, but unfortunately it no longer
exists and none of the Itineraries give its exact position. Barvan,
Mukaddasi adds, had neither good houses nor good markets, and
possessed no Friday Mosque. Where the governor resided was
called the Shahrastan, and the merchants living here were wealthy,
so that it was a flourishing town. Of Jilan, Mukaddasi gives
Diilab as the chief town, which he describes as a fine place, its
houses being well built of stone; the market was excellent, and a
Friday Mosque stood in it. According to Abu-l-Fida Dtilab is
1 1st. 204, 205, 206. I. H. 267, 268. Muk. 353. Yak. i. 174, 812;
ii. 179, 711; iii. 571. Mst. 147, 191. A. F. 426. The name of Talish is
written with either the soft or the hard Arabic t\ and in the plural as
Talishan or Tilshan, also Tawalish in Mustawfi.
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