LURISTAN, in the wider sense, the "Land of the Lurs," namely that part of western Persia which is bounded by 'Iraq on the west and extends for about 40o m. north-west–south-east from Kirmanshah to Fars with a breadth of ioo to 540 m. It is chiefly mountainous, being intersected by numerous ranges running north west–south-east. The central range has many summits which are almost within the line of perpetual snow, rising to 13,000 ft. and more, and in it are the sources of Persia's most important rivers, as the Zayendeh-rud, Jerrahi, Karun, Diz and Karkheh. Between the higher ranges are many fertile plains and low hilly districts, well watered but comparatively little cultivated in consequence of intertribal feuds. The Lurs are thought to be aboriginal Persians with a mixture of Arab blood. Their language is a dialect of Persian. Outwardly they are Mussulmans of the Shiah sect, but most of them show little veneration for either Prophet or Koran, and the religion of some of them seems to be a mixture of Ali Illahism involving a belief in successive incarnations combined with mysterious, ancient, heathen rites. The northern part of Luristan, which was formerly known as Lur-i-Kuchak (little Luri stan), is inhabited by the Feili Lurs and these are divided into the Pishkuh (cis-montane) Lurs in the east and Pushtkuh (ultra montane) Lurs in the west adjoining 'Iraq. They number about
350,000. Little Luristan was governed by a race of independent princes of the Khurshidi dynasty, called atabegs, from 1155 to the beginning of the 17th century when the last atabeg, Shah Verdi Khan, was removed by Shah Abbas I. and the government of the province given to Husain Khan, the chief of a rival tribe, with the title of vali. The descendants of Husain Khan have re tained the title but now govern only the Pusht-i-kuh Lurs. The southern part of Luristan was formerly known as Lur-i-Buzurg (great Luristan) and is composed of the Bakhtiari district of the province and the districts of the Manasani and Kuhgalu which belong to Fars. The Bakhtiaris number about 200,00o, the others 40,00o. Great Luristan was an independent state under the Fazle vieh atabegs from ii6o until 1424, and its capital was Idaj, now represented by mounds and ruins at Malamir 6o m. S.E. of Shushtar.
"Luristan" in the more restricted sense, is a province of Persia, now officially known as Burujird (q.v.) which has for the present replaced Khurramabad as the headquarters of the pro vincial government.