Kerman

KERMAN, a large province (ancient Karmania) and town of Persia. The province, which for administrative purposes includes Persian Baluchistan (q.v.) and Makran, is bounded north by the Qainat district of Khurasan and Yazd, west by Fars, east by British Baluchistan, while south it extends to the Arabian sea. Situated to the south-west of the great Central Iranian desert, Dasht-i-Lut, the province is terminated in the east by steppes, while from the direction of Yazd and Fars, it is bordered by desert and uncultivated land. The chief feature which distinguishes Kerman from Fars and the country north-west and west is that the cultivated part of Fars is an uninterrupted territory, while Ker man consists rather of a number of fertile areas, widely separated by desert tracts, through which the villages and settlements are scattered.

Divisions.

Geographically Kerman falls under five districts: • that of Kerman to the north, Sirjan to the west, Jiruft in the south and the two districts of Barn and Narmasir in the east. Chains of mountains stretch across much of the province from north-west to south-east. To the north is found the highest range which forms a part of the Kuh Rud and has peaks to the north west of Barn, with an altitude of nearly 15,00o ft. This chain separates the district of Kerman from that of Sirjan ; its con tinuation towards the south-east being the Jabal Bariz or Pariz. There are other parallel but less elevated chains to the south-west. Snow lies on these mountains for a considerable part of the year. Kerman has no important rivers : the cultivated areas receive their water from the mountains and from the most important stream, the Khalil Rud, which flows across the Jiruft district and empties itself into the Jaz Murian Hamun (or sweet-water lake) without reaching the sea.

Desert Areas.—The true desert of Kerman lies mainly in the north and north-east, where it merges into the great desert or "Lut" (a word meaning bare. void of vegetation) which itself stretches into Khurasan. The Kerman desert tracts differ from the Kavir of central Persia mainly in three respects : they are less saline, are drier and more sandy, and present in some places tracts of 80-100 miles almost absolutely destitute of vegetation. Yet they are crossed by well-known tracks, Kerman lying across the great roads leading from Fars to Seistan, Khurasan, and India and on the route for commerce and pilgrimage which leads from Bandar Abbas to the north-east of Persia and beyond. These

sandy wastes are said to be continually encroaching on the fertile tracts even in the Narmasir district which is being invaded by the sands of the desolate plains extending towards Barn. A feature of the country are the Kefeh, or salt swamps, which occur in isolated depressions, but nowhere in Kerman of so great extent as are the great Kavir farther north. The desert of Kerman lies about i,000 ft. above the sea, apparently on much the same level as the Lut from which it cannot be geographically dissociated.

Climate and Products.—The climate of Kerman varies much with the latitude and the relief of the land but has the reputation of being unhealthy, because the cool air from the hills is usually attended by chills and agues; but many of the upland valleys enjoy a genial and healthy climate.

At the present day the desert part of Kerman is probably more extensive than in ancient times, for, according to the historian Mustawfi, there were still forests affording cover for the larger beasts of prey in the first centuries of Islam. Now there are almost no trees, except date palms in great numbers around the villages and towns. Irrigation is very laboriously practised by the subterranean water channel or kanat. The principal products are wheat, barley and opium. The higher regions, or sardsir, pro duce in autumn millet, cotton and beet-root; in the garmsir, or warm region, rice and maize are cultivated in summer. Henna is produced around the towns of Barn and Khabis, and all sorts of fruits are found in abundance, the dates from the southern dis tricts being noted. The chief animal products are wool and kurk, the soft under-hair of goats, the latter being used in the manufac ture of Kerman shawls, which in delicacy of texture yield only to those of Kashmir, while often surpassing them in colour and design. Bandar Abbas is the natural outlet of Kerman, but since shipping has shown a preference for Bushire the trade of Kerman in this direction has greatly fallen off. The four main roads from the interior to the coast at Bandar Abbas are still only rough tracks, which are sometimes insecure.