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MARAGHA

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Originally appearing in Volume V17, Page 668 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MARAGHA , a See also:

town of See also:Persia in the See also:province of See also:Azerbaijan, on the Safi See also:River, in 370 23' N., 46° 16' E., 8o m. from See also:Tabriz. Pop. about 16,000. It is pleasantly situated in a narrow valley See also:running nearly See also:north and See also:south at the eastern extremity of a well-cultivated See also:plain opening towards See also:Lake See also:Urmia, which lies 18 m. to the See also:west. The town is encompassed by a high See also:wall ruined in many places, and has four See also:gates. Two See also:stone See also:bridges in See also:good See also:condition, said to have been constructed during the reign of Hulaku See also:Khan (1256-1265), and since then several times repaired, See also:lead over the Safi River on the western See also:side of the town. The See also:place is surrounded by extensive vineyards and orchards, all well watered by canals led from the river, and producing See also:great quantities of See also:fruit for exportation to See also:Russia. On a See also:hill west of the town are the remains of a famous See also:observatory (rasad) constructed under the direction of the great astronomer Nasr-uddin of Tus. The hills west of the town consist of See also:horizontal strata of See also:sandstone covered with irregular pieces of See also:basalt and the See also:top of the hill on which the observatory stood was made level by taking away the basalt. The See also:building, which no doubt served as a citadel as well, enclosed a space of 380 yds. by 150, and the See also:foundations of the walls were 41 to 5 ft. in thickness. The See also:marble, which is known throughout Persia as Maragha marble, is a travertine obtained at the See also:village of Dashkesen (See also:Turkish for " stone-breakers " (about 30 M. north-west from Maragha. It is deposited from See also:water, which bubbles up from a number of springs in the See also:form of horizontal layers, which at first are thin crusts and can easily be broken, but gradually solidify and harden into blocks with a thickness of 7 to 8 in. It is a singularly beautiful substance, being of See also:pink, greenish, or See also:milk-See also:white See also:colour, streaked with reddish, See also:copper-coloured See also:veins.

An See also:

analysis of the marble gave the following result: See also:calcium carbonate, 9o•93; See also:magnesium, •75; See also:iron, 1.37; See also:manganese, 4.34; calcium sulphate, 2.3o; calcium phosphate, •24 (R. T. See also:Gunther, Geog. Journ. xiv. 517).

End of Article: MARAGHA

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