At the time of the Mahometan conquest, "Chaldea and Babylonia
occupied the rich region south of the river Tigris, watered by
the Euphrates, and were known as Irak of the Arabs, as
distinguished from Irak of the Persians, which corresponded
somewhat nearly to the modern kingdom of Persia. … Irak of
Arabia was at this time under the jurisdiction of Persia, and
the wandering Arabs who roamed over the broad desert were
tributary to Persia when they pitched their tents on the
eastern side, and to Rome when sojourning on the side towards
Syria; though they were at no time trusty allies or subjects.
The region of Irak contains many relics of a former
civilization; there are the mounds that mark the site of old
Babylon."
_A. Gilman,
Story of the Saracens,
pages 226-227._
IRAN, Table-Land of.
"Between the valley of the Indus and the land of the Euphrates
and Tigris, bounded on the south by the ocean and the Persian
Gulf, on the north by the broad steppes which the Oxus and
Jaxartes vainly attempt to fertilise, by the Caspian Sea and
the valley of the Aras [embracing modern Persia, Baluchistan,
Afghanistan and Russian Turkestan], lies the table-land of
Iran. Rising to an average height of 4,000 feet above the
level of the sea, it forms an oblong, the length of which from
east to west is something more than 1,500 miles. … As far
back as our information extends, we find the table-land of
Iran occupied by a group of nations closely related to each
other, and speaking dialects of the same language."
_M. Duncker,
History of Antiquity,
book 7, chapter 1._
See, also, ARYANS.
IRDJAR, Russian defeat at.
See RUSSIA: A. D. 1859-1876.
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