KAZVIN  , a

province and town of Persia . The province is situated N.W. of Teheran and S. of Gilan . On the W. it is bounded by Khamseh . It pays a yearly revenue of about k22,000, and contains many rich villages which produce much grain and fruit, great quantities of the latter being dried and exported . Kazvin, the capital of the province, is situated at an elevation of 4165 ft., in 36° 15' N. and 50° E., and 92 M. by road from Teheran . The city is said to have been founded in the 4th century by the Sassanian king Shapur II (309–379) . It has been repeatedly damaged by earthquakes . Many of its streets and most of the magnificent buildings seen there by Chardin in 1674 and other travellers during the 17th century are in ruins . The most remarkable remains are the palace of the Safawid shahs and the mosque with its large blue dome . In the 16th century Shah Tahmasp I . (1524–1576) made Kazvin his capital, and it remained so till Shah Abbas I . (1587–1629) transferred the seat of government to Isfahan .

The town still bears the

title Dar es Salteneh, " the seat of government." Kazvin has many baths and cisterns fed by underground canals . The system of irrigation formerly carried on by these canals rendered the plain of Kazvin one of the most fertile regions in Persia; now most of the canals are choked up . The city has a population of about 50,000 and a thriving transit trade, particularly since 2899 when the carriage road between Resht and Teheran with Kazvin as a half-way stage was opened under the auspices of the Russian Enzeli-Teheran Road Company." Great quantities of rice, XV . 23fish and silk are brought to it from Gilan for distribution in Persia and export to Turkey .