ABSTRACT
The Mazanderan is one of the two Persian provinces which lie along the southern shore of the Caspian Sea. In the time of Alexander the Great it was part of Hyrcania, one of the satrapies of Darius's kingdom. The whole of that sea coast is unlike the other borders of the Caspian, and it is equally unlike the rest of Persia. Hidden away between a high mountain range and a treacherous and inhospitable sea, with desert both east and west, it enjoys but scanty intercourse with the rest of the world. The villages have no streets, but are formed of farms loosely grouped together. Meshedesser is the port of a fairly large town called Balfroosh, and to Balfroosh was the nearest centre of interest during the author's stay; but to reach it meant a good four miles ride, and that over a road which was a mere path through orchards, rice-fields and woods.
