‘GAZETTEER OF PERSIA VOL. I Comprising the Provinces of ASTARÁBÁD, SHÁHRUD-BÚSTAN, KHÚRÁSÁN, AND SÍSTÁN’ [‎30v] (65/722)

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growth and a barren sandy plain, in places covered with reeds. On the
southern or Ghaz shore, the oak, maple, chanar (plane tree), beech, walnut
mulberry, &c., flourish in abundance • whilst of fruit trees the vine, pomeara-
nate, orange, fig, lemon, Grecian walnut, and almond grow in gardens and
in a wild state.
Here and there, where the forest thins, are extensive meadows sown with
rice, sesamum, wheat, cotton, &c. On the shore villages are scattered about
without any regularity, the inhabitants of which live in the greatest poverty.
The most considerable of these is Ghaz or Ghez, which lies almost on the
meridian of Ashurada, near the stream of the same name, and about
two miles from the shore. Here there is a Persian custom-house, and
almost all the commerce of the province of Astarabad has its centre here; as
the trade between that province and Russia passes almost entirely through
it. The country about this village, as indeed the greater part of this littoral,
is marshy, and becomes impassable after rain. On the meridian of the
Kara-Tapa stream, and about 5 miles from the shore, lies the town of Ashraf,
once celebrated for its magnificent palaces and gardens, which were planted
with remarkably fine specimens of cypress, mulberry, promegranate, lemon
and orange trees. At | mile to the north of Ashraf stands the castle of Sufi-
abad amidst the ruins of the Sufiabad palace. From this castle, which is built
on the summit of a hill and is plainly visible rrom Astarabad Bav, a magni
ficent view of the Caspian Sea is obtained. All these luxurious palaces and
gardens, constructed at the close of the 1 6th century by the Persian Shah
Abbas, and still remaining as a curiosity of elegance and good taste, are now
but a group of desolate ruins. The raised highway, constructed also by Shah
Abbas, which traversed the whole of Mazandaran and Gilan, is now
m an ecjually luinous state, and is overgrown with forests; and communica
tion in these provinces has become as difficult as it is in the other Persian
provinces, and in many places is by nothing better than a bridle path.
Besides the numerous mountain streams and channels that run only during
the spring floods, the following rivers flow into Astarabad Bay:—The
Kaia-Su oi Chernaya in Russia, which formed formerly the Russian
boundary with Persia, the Bagu or Siah-Ju,* Sarmala, Yillofra, Ghaz,
Bishbagh, Chabkand, Marzan, Nankand, Najar-Kala, Sivan, Jari, Khishtek,
Galiga (on the right bank of which stands the conspicuous hill of Nankand),
Sfrshir-Rala, Surgunju, Kari-Kilik, Shah-Kala, Mullah-Kala, Kazma-Kala,
Kaia-lapa, Bairan-Ali-Kalasi, Surgunja-Kala, Charman, Kantar Khan, and
Kubur-Burun.
All these streams have their source in the adjacent mountains, and follow
a winding course through the fertile region on the south of the bay,
many of them not drying up with the summer heats, but reaching the bay
itself, dhe principal of them are the Kara-Su and the Bagu, up which small
boats can proceed during the spring floods. All the others are too shallow
to admit boats of any sort. The Kara-Su or Chernaya falls into the bay
on the east, and is. distinguished from the other above-mentioned rivers as
much by its considerable size as by the transparency and sweet taste of its
w aters. nvei forms the boundary between the Persian dominion and
the nomad -Turkman tribe. All the remaining streams enumerated above
are inconsiderable ; the water in them, although sweet, is diverted at flood
time for the irrigation of the fields, and acquires a turbid appearance and a
bad taste.
* Meaning “ Black water ” in both Persian and Russian.