Illustrated Gazetteer of the Maritime Kingdoms

Volume 23

They skimp on food and restrict their personal spending only to prioritize their outward appearance. In the northern part of the country, the region of Gilan original: 額蘭 (E-lan) lies upon the shores of the Caspian Sea. Its many tributaries provide irrigation, the forests are dense, and the grasses are fragrant. The provincial capital has a population of 600,000. The city contains many ancient ruins; where tens of thousands once resided, there are now only crumbling walls and ruined barriers. The region of Mazandaran original: 馬散地蘭 (Ma-san-di-lan) is surrounded by the high peaks of the Caspian Sea region; the level ground at the foot of these mountains serves as a place for grazing sheep. The territory of Khorasan original: 可刺散 (Ke-la-san) is vast; its provincial capital is Mashhad original: 米食 (Mi-shi), with a population of 50,000. Although the fields and acreage are fertile, the people suffer from the predatory hearts of nomadic raiders who pillage without restraint; consequently, the farmers suffer in bitter poverty.

The interior region is called Iraq-i Ajami original: 以辣 (Yi-la); referring to "Persian Iraq," a historical region in central and western Iran. Its mountain ranges are barren, yet the products of its valleys are extremely abundant. However, because those displaced by war are forced to live there in close quarters, the area has fallen into a state of ruin. The national capital, Tehran original: 地希蘭 (Di-xi-lan), has a circumference of fourteen li A Chinese unit of distance, roughly 500 meters or one-third of a mile, and its city walls and moats are solid and secure. In the city of Isfahan original: 盎巴罕 (Ang-ba-han), houses and buildings are numerous; the city is wealthy from trade, and the people toil day and night. To the southeast, in the "Dawn Lands," only the city of Yazd original: 葉大 (Ye-da) has a dense population and flourishing commerce. In the suburbs of the city of Fars original: 法耳辣 (Fa-er-la); likely referring to Shiraz, the capital of Fars province...