LARISTAN, is the name of a small province of Persia, which stretches along the northernshort; of the gulf of the same name, from the 55th degree of East Longitude to the 58th. It is bounded by Fars on the north-west, and Ker man on the north-east. The province is diversified with plains and mountains. It is poor and unproductive, and is so extremely arid and destitute of water, that the inhabi tants arc barely enabled to cultivate the date tree, and a lit tle wheat and barley. The coast is in the possession of several piratical Arab tribes, who reside in small towns and mud forts on the shores of the Gulf. Their sheiks pay a small tribute to the king.
Lars, the capital of the province; was formerly a magni ficent city, but is now in i tins. It is situated in East Long. 52° 45', and North Lat. 27° SO', at the foot of a range of hills, in a wide plain, covered with palms. It contains ma ny elegant buildings ; and the bazar is said to be the no blest structure of the kind in Persia. It is built on a much greater scale than that of Shiraz, with loftier arches, and of superior workmanship. The houses in the town are conve
nient, and well furnished. Each of them has a badgeer and surdab; the former to cool the inner apartments, and the other as a place of retirement from the insuppot table heats of summer. The residence of the khan is in the middle of tite town, mil is encircled with a strong wall, flanked with towers. The lulus of the famous castle of Lars, are still to be seen on the summit of a hill, immediately behind the town. The principal manufactures of Lars, arc muskets and cotton cloth ; and the population is about I2,C00.
The city of Tarem contains about 12,000 inhabitants. It stands on a plain on the banks of a salt river, and is a mean town, consisting of a mud fort, encircled by wretched huts, formed of the branches of the date tree.
The port of Congoon contains about 7000 inhabitants, and has an excellent roadstead. Sec Macdonald Kinneir's Memoir of the Persian Ernfiirc, p. S I.