ASTRABAD, or Asterabad, a small province of Persia, sometimes included in that of Mazanderan. It is bounded on the west by the Caspian Sea; to the south it is separated by a lofty ridge of mountains from the districts of Damgan and Bistan; it extends to 58° of east longitude, where it is divided from Dahistan by the river Ashor. The country, although mountainous, and interspersed with deep forests, in which it is scarcely possible to travel, possesses beautiful and fertile valleys, producing rice, wheat, and other grains in abundance, or spread out in a boundless expanse of verdure, the pasturage of numerous flocks and herds. Fraser, who travelled through Persia in 1822, extols in the most lavish terms the appearance of the country, “There is no describing,” he observes, “the beauty and richness of these pastures; all is like velvet, smooth and soft, varying only in the height, not in the thickness, of the sward.” The soil, with little culture, is exceedingly productive, owing to the abundance of water which irrigates and fertilizes it. But while the province in many parts presents a landscape of luxuriant beauty, it is a prey to the ravages of disease, and the frequent incursions of the surrounding tribes. The heavy torrents which fall in the rainy season stagnate in the forests, forming morasses which, in the heats of summer and autumn, exhale a pestilential vapour, from the decomposition of the vegetable matter they contain. From these seats of noxious effluvia the wandering tribes of shepherds fly beyond the Goorgaun or the Attruck, and live on the verge of the burning sand, although they have to carry water for each day’s consumption from the distant river. The better classes retire from the intense heats of summer into the mountains; but the settled inhabitants of the villages, who cannot so easily remove, and who generally remain, suffer severely from sickness. Intermittent and putrid fevers, dropsies, and all those ailments which proceed from cold or from unwholesome air, prevail. The inhabitants, notwithstanding the unhealthiness of their climate, are a stout and athletic race. The revenue derived from this province by the king'of Persia does not exceed the vaľue of L.7000 sterling. It is famous, however, for furnishing a supply of matchlocks, or toffunchees as they are called, froth toffuny, a gun or matchlock, with which the troops who generally attend upon the king’s person are arme¾. This is the ancient Hyrcania, and is the native country of the Kadgers, a Turkish tribe, of whom the king is the head, and on whom he considers he can rely in times of danger.

Astrabad or Aster ab ad, a town of Persia, the capital of the above province, is situated on the south-east shore of the Caspian Sea, at the mouth of the river Aster or Ester, and at the head of an admirably sheltered bay, extremely convenient for shipping. This bay is formed by a neck of land, varying in breadth from 4 to 12 miles, which runs from a point near Astrabadfor about 70 miles eastward, dividing a strip of water from 8 to 40 miles broad from the main body of the Caspian Sea. Astrabad is an ancient city, and owes its origin to Yezzen-ibn-Mess-lub, an Arab chief of great celebrity, who commanded the armies of Soliman, the seventh caliph of the Ommiades, about the beginning of the seventh century. It was destroyed by Tamerlane. In 1744 Hanway visited this place, and attempted to open a direct trade with it from Europe. It is a pleasant, well-built town, about 3⅜ miles in circuit, and highly picturesque in appearance, from the buildings being intermingled with trees and extensive gardens. It was formerly larger, but Nadir Shah contracted it within its present limits. A mound of earth surrounds it, the remains of a mud wall once lofty and formidable, and defended by numerous towers, and also by a wide and deep ditch, now almost filled with rubbish. The only fortification it possesses is a small parapet, supplied with loop-holes for musketry, raised upon the mouldered wall. The streets and lanes are paved with stone, always kept in good repair; and a drain runs down their centre, a provision of infinite importance in this rainy climate, where the torrents which fall and are thus carried off would otherwise plough up and destroy the streets, or be allowed to stagnate in pools. The houses are constructed chiefly of wood, and are frequently furnished with verandas; their style of architecture is light and open, the roofs covered with red tiles, and sometimes with thatch. Many houses are provided with square towers, having openings, such as are used in other eastern towns, for ventilating the rooms. They have a good effect when seen from a distance, presenting the appearance of spires. Astrabad has but little trade; and the bazaars or public markets, though extensive, are but poorly filled, containing little more than the necessary supplies for the consumption of the place. There are no public buildings deserving of notice. The number of houses within the walls is estimated at from 2000 to 3000. The town is extremely unhealthy during the hot weather, owing to the damp and noxious exhalations of the surrounding forests. Astrabad is 400 miles north-east of Ispahan. Long. 54. 25. E. Lat. 36. 50. N.