BIRJEND

birjend, the capital of kain, a sub-province of khorasan in persia, in 32 deg. 53' n. 59 deg. 10' e., and at an elevation of 4550 ft. pop. about 25,000. it is situated 328 m. from meshed by the direct road, in a fertile valley running east and west, of which the southern boundary is a lofty range of barren hills known as kuh i bakeran. through the valley runs the khusp river, which loses itself in the desert towards the west; it is, however, generally dry. the water-supply of the town and of the 70 or 80 villages under its jurisdiction is very scanty. on the east of the town at the foot of a hill stands a dilapidated fort. birjend has six good caravanserais, a college and some mosques; post and telegraph offices were established there in 1902.