KASHAN

kashan, a small province of persia, situated between isfahan and kum. it is divided into the two districts _germsir_, the "warm," and _sardsir_, the "cold," the former with the city of kashan in the plains, the latter in the hills. it has a population of 75,000 to 80,000, and pays a yearly revenue of about l18,000. kashan (cashan) is the provincial capital, in 34 deg. 0' n. and 51 deg. 27' e., at an elevation of 3190 ft., 150 m. from teheran; pop. 35,000, including a few hundred jews occupied as silk-winders, and a few zoroastrians engaged in trade. great quantities of silk stuffs, from raw material imported from gilan, and copper utensils are manufactured at kashan and sent to all parts of persia. kashan also exports rose-water made in villages in the hilly districts about 20 m. from the city, and is the only place in persia where cobalt can be obtained, from the mine at kamsar, 19 m. to the south. at the foot of the hills 4 m. w. of the city are the beautiful gardens of fin, the scene of the official murder, on the 9th of january 1852, of mirza taki khan, amir nizam, the grand vizier, one of the ablest ministers that persia has had in modern times.