YEZD, a province and town of Persia. The former is bounded on the west by the province of Isfahan, on the north by Sam nan-Damghan, on the east by Khurasan and on the south by Kerman and Fars. Much silk is produced in this district, but not sufficient for the requirements of the looms of Yezd, and quan tities are imported from Gilan. Other products are opium, madder, almonds and grain, of which last, however, only one third of the supply required for local consumption is grown, the surplus requirements being brought from the adjacent province of Khurasan. The eartern part of the province bordering on the Dasht i Lut (desert) is much exposed to moving sands, and culti vation here is very sparse. The revenue of the province amounted in 1926-7 to krans.
Yezd, the chief town of the province, is situated in 31° 54' N. and 54° 22' E. at an elevation of 4,24o ft., 162 M. S.E. of Isfahan and 192 m. N.W. of Kerman. The population according to one authority was estimated at 6o,000 in 190o while another gives 5o,000 only, of whom Zoroastrians or Parsees form a con siderable proportion. When the Arabs invaded Persia, the Zoroas trians fled before the persecution of the Muslims towards Yezd and Kerman and they have since remained here. The town, with
its narrow, dirty and unpaved streets, is divided into the Shahr i Nau (new town) and Shahr i Kohneh (old), separated by a wall with two gates. There are several mosques, seven colleges and numerous caravanserais. The main building of the old town is the Ark, or citadel, where the governor resides. In the Parsee quarter the streets are wider and cleaner, and the houses better, each hav ing its own garden. The highest and lowest recorded shade tem peratures are respectively 106° Fahr. in July and 20° in Decem ber. Commercially speaking Yezd occupies an important central position in Persia, whence a number of routes radiate. Passable roads for motors lead to Isfahan and to Kerman, from which latter place Duzdab, at the Indian railhead, and Seistan, are reached by a choice of caravan tracks. There is also an important direct caravan track to Bandar Abbas.