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population estimated at from 150,000 to 200,000. Mazandaran comprises two distinct natural regions presenting the sharpest contrasts in their See also:

RELIEF

relief, See also:

CLIMATE

climate and products. In the See also:

north the Caspian is encircled by the level and swampy lowlands, varying in breadth from io to 30 m., partly under impenetrable See also:

JUNGLE (Sans. jangala)

jungle, partly under See also:

rice, See also:

cotton, See also:

SUGAR

sugar and other crops. This See also:

section is fringed northwards by the sandy See also:

BEACH

beach of the Caspian, here almost destitute of natural harbours, and rises somewhat abruptly inland to the second section, comprising the northern slopes and spurs of the Elburz, which approach at some points within i or 2 M. of the sea, and are almost everywhere covered with dense See also:

FOREST

forest. The lowlands, rising but a few feet above the Caspian, and subject to frequent floodings, are extremely malarious, while the See also:

HIGHLANDS, THE

highlands, culminating with the magnificent Demavend (19,400 ft.), enjoy a tolerably healthy climate. But the climate, generally hot and moist in summer, is everywhere capricious and liable to sudden changes of temperature, whence the prevalence of See also:

RHEUMATISM (from Gr. /56µa, flux)

rheumatism, See also:

DROPSY (contracted from the old word hydropisy, derived from the Gr. 154w¢; i Swp, water, and appearance)

dropsy and especially ophthalmia, noticed by all travellers. See also:

SNOW (in O. Eng. sndw; a common Indo-European word; cf. in Teutonic languages, Ger. Schnee, Du. sneeuw; in Slavonic snieg', Lith. snegas; Gr. vi4a, Lat. nix, nivis, whence the Romanic forms, Ital. neve, Fr. neige, &c.; Ir. and Gael. sneachd; the original

Snow falls heavily in the uplands, where it often lies for See also:

WEEKS, EDWIN LORD (1849-1903)

weeks on the ground. The direction of the See also:

long sandbanks at the See also:

RIVER

river mouths, which project with remarkable uniformity from See also:

west to See also:

east, shows that the prevailing winds See also:

BLOW, JOHN (1648-1708)

blow from the west and north-west. The See also:

rivers themselves, of which there are as many as fifty, are little more than See also:

mountain torrents, all rising on the northern slopes of Elburz, flowing mostly in See also:

INDEPENDENT

independent channels to the Caspian, and subject to sudden freshets and inundations along their See also:

LOWER

lower course. The See also:

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief are the Sardab-rud, Chalus, Herhaz (See also:

Lar in its upper course), Babul, Tejen and Nika, and all are well stocked with See also:

TROUT (Salmo trutta)

trout, See also:

salmon (azad-See also:

MAHI

mahi), See also:

perch (safid-mahi), See also:

CARP

carp (kupur), See also:

BREAM (Abramis)

bream (subulu), See also:

STURGEON (Acipenser)

sturgeon (sag-mahi) and other See also:

fish, which with rice See also:

FORM (Lat. forma)

form the See also:

STAPLE

staple See also:

food of the inhabitants; the sturgeon supplies the See also:

CAVIARE, or CAVIAR

caviare for the See also:

RUSSIAN

Russian See also:

MARKET (Lat. mercatus, trade or place of trade)

market. Near their mouths the rivers, See also:

RUNNING

running See also:

COUNTER

counter to the prevailing winds and waves of the Caspian, form long See also:

sand-hills 20 to 30 ft. high and about 200 yds. broad, behind which are See also:

DEVELOPED

developed the so-called miird-db, or " dead See also:

WATERS, TERRITORIAL

waters," stagnant pools and swamps characteristic of this See also:

COAST (from Lat. costa, a rib, side)

coast, and a See also:

main cause of its unhealthiness. The chief products are rice, cotton, sugar, a little See also:

SILK

silk, and fruits in See also:

GREAT

great variety, including several kinds of the See also:

orange, See also:

lemon and citron.

Some of the slopes are covered with extensive thickets of the See also:

POMEGRANATE

pomegranate, and the See also:

WILD, JONATHAN (c. 1682-1725)

wild See also:

VINE

vine climbs to a great height See also:

ROUND (O. Fr. rond, Lat. rotundus, the Fr. is the source also of Du. rond; Ger., Swed., Dan. and Nor. rond)

round the trunks of the forest trees. These woodlands are haunted by the See also:

tiger, See also:

PANTHER

panther, See also:

bear, See also:

wolf and wild See also:

BOAR (0. Eng. bar; the word is found only in W. Ger. languages, cf. Dutch beer, Ger. Eber)

boar in considerable See also:

numbers. Of the domestic animals, all remarkable for their small See also:

SIZE

size, the chief are the See also:

black, humped See also:

CATTLE (Norman Fr. catel, from Late Lat. capitale, wealth or property, a word applied in the feudal system to movable property and particularly to live stock, and surviving in its wider meaning as " chattel " or " chattle ")

cattle some-what resembling the See also:

INDIAN

Indian variety, and See also:

sheep and goats. Kinneir, See also:

Fraser and other observers speak unfavourably of the Mazandarani See also:

PEOPLE

people, whom they describe as very ignorant and bigoted, arrogant, rudely inquisitive and almost insolent towards strangers. The peasantry, however, are far from dull, and betray much shrewdness where their interests are concerned. In the healthy districts they are stout and well made, and are considered a warlike See also:

RACE

race, furnishing some See also:

CAVALRY (Fr. cavalerie, Ger. Kavallerie or Reiterei, derived ultimately from late Lat. caballus, horse)

cavalry (boo men) and eight battalions of See also:

INFANTRY

infantry (5600 men) to See also:

government. They speak a marked See also:

Persian See also:

DIALECT (from Gr. Sia stcror, conversation, manner of speaking, &aXeyec6at, to converse)

dialect, but a See also:

TURKI

Turki idion closely akin to the See also:

TURKOMAN

Turkoman is still current amongst the tribes, although they have mostly already passed from the See also:

NOMAD (Gr. voµas, voµabes, wandering)

nomad to the settled See also:

state. Of these tribes the most numerous are the Modaunlu, Khojehvand and Abdul Maleki, originally of Lek or Kurd stock, besides branches of the royal Afshar and Kajar tribes of Turki descent. All these are exempt from taxes in See also:

CONSIDERATION (from Lat. considerare, to look at closely, examine, generally taken to be from con-, and the base seen in sidus, sideris, a star, the word being supposed to be originally an astrological or astronomical term)

consideration of their military service. The export See also:

trade is chiefly with See also:

Russia from See also:

MESHED (properly Mash-had, " the place of martyrdom ")

Meshed-i-Sar, the See also:

PRINCIPAL

principal See also:

PORT

port of the province, to See also:

BAKU

Baku, where See also:

EUROPEAN

European goods are taken in See also:

EXCHANGE

exchange for the See also:

white and coloured calicoes, caviare, rice, fruits and raw cotton of Mazandaran. Great quantities of rice are also exported to the interior of Persia, principally to See also:

Teheran and See also:

KAZVIN

Kazvin. Owing to the almost impenetrable See also:

CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character of the See also:

COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country there are scarcely any roads accessible to wheeled carriages, and the great See also:

CAUSEWAY

causeway of Shah Abbas along the coast has in many places even disappeared under the jungle.

Two routes, however, See also:

lead to Teheran, one by Firuz Kuh, 18o m. long, the other by Larijan, 144 m. long, both in tolerably See also:

GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good repair. Except where crossed by these routes the Elburz forms an almost impassable barrier to the See also:

south. The See also:

ADMINISTRATION (Lat. administrare, to serve)

administration is in the hands of a See also:

GOVERNOR (from the Fr. gouverneur, from gouverner, O. Fr. governer, Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, to direct, guide)

governor, who appoints the sub-See also:

GOVERNORS

governors of the nine districts of See also:

AMOL

Amol, Barfarush, Meshedi-Sar, See also:

SARI

Sari, Ashref, See also:

FARAH

Farah-abad, Tunakabun, Kelarrustak and Kujur into which the province is divided. There is See also:

FAIR

fair See also:

SECURITY (Lat. securus, free from care, safe)

security for See also:

LIFE

life and See also:

PROPERTY

property; and, although otherwise indifferently administered, the country is quite See also:

FREE

free from marauders; but See also:

LOCAL

local disturbances have latterly been frequent in the two last-named districts. The See also:

revenue is about £30,000, of which little goes to the state See also:

TREASURY

treasury, most being required for the governors, troops and See also:

PENSIONS

pensions. The See also:

capital is Sari, the other chief towns being Barfarush, Meshed-i-Sar, Ashref and Farah-abad. (A.

End of Article: MAZANDARAN

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