The Caspian Provinces: A World Apart Three local histories of Mazandaran

Abstract

Every ruler defeated by an enemy and unable to maintain himself in another country would come to this land for safety, and be untroubled by the schemes of his foe. The people of Tabaristan have no need of anything brought from another province, and everything that exists in the cultivated world for living a pleasant life can be obtained there. Winter is like autumn in other places and summer like spring; its land is covered with meadows and gardens, so that the eye rests on nothing but greenery. The air from the north is temperate and soft, but due to the proximity of the sea and the multitude of pools, fogs and clouds are sometimes more frequent than in other provinces.—Ibn Isfandiyar, Tārīkh-i Ṭabaristān, 1:76, extractsIf anyone blessed with perceptiveness, intelligence, wisdom and an understanding of the times, after reading and contemplating this book, ponders with the eye of reflection and experience the tyranny, heretical innovations and contempt for others that the men of Gilan have constantly displayed, he will know for sure what consequences will follow from ingratitude for benefits received and from violation of the dues owed to an ancient benefactor.—ᶜAbd al-Fattah Fumani, Tārīkh-i Gīlān, 5