‘The Oriental geography of Ebn Haukal, an Arabian traveller of the tenth century’ [‎141] (194/388)

( 141 )
" in the desert * : they infest the roads, and have not respect for
" any person."
The mountains of Mar en belong to the cold region of
Kirman : they are fertile and strong ; snow falls on them : and in
the time of the Guebres, or Fire-worshippers, they used to come
down from these mountains and rob ; but in the reign of the Ab-
bassides they became converts to the true religion, and have kept
their hands from evil actions. These mountains aifbrd mines of
iron. The mountains of the silver mines are near the borders of
Jireft, and extend to the pass of Derhan) from that to
the silver mountains is a journey of two merhileh. There are
pleasant and fertile valleys, with small towns, and many delight
ful villas.
The warm part of Kirman is more extensive than the cold ; in
somuch that there is not above one-fourth of the province liable
to the cold, from the borders of ^ Sirgan to the desert,
in the vicinity of Bam. The warm region extends from the
borders of Hormuz to Makran, and to the confines of Pars, and
of Sirgan, throughout Hormuz, and Miougan, and Jireft,
* The epithet Sehra Nishin (See Appendix) is sometimes used to express a solitary
retired man, a hermit, &c. The Ferhung Borhan Kattea informs us, that Bo-
louche is the name of a people inhabiting the desert , a ^ SO ^ ie narne a
country of Iran or Persia. I write the name Bolouche, on the authority of this excellent
dictionary, which accents the first syllable with dammay and describes the last lettei:
chim Farsi.