Food Sources: Earth, Water, and Air - Food Culture and Health in Pre-Modern Islamic Societies - page 9

found. Within the mountains the plateau
lies in the rain shadow. In general the 10
inch rainfall line follows the inner foot-
hills of the Zagros-Elburz-Kopet Dagh
ring of mountains and marks the bound-
ary between areas where cereals can be
cultivated extensively without irrigation
and areas dependent upon irrigation. The
summer grazing of the nomadic tribes
also lies in or near the 10 inch line. Rain
begins in November and continues inter-
mittently to the end of March and, in the
south and north-east, to the end of April.
Heavy snowfalls are common in winter.
Vegetation is limited but some forest is
found in Kurdistān and Luristān; and a
narrow belt of oak forest in Fārs. Con-
siderable areas, notably in Ā £ arbāy ¡ ān,
Kurdistān, and northern Fārs consist of
mountain pasture. South-east of Tehrān
are two great salt deserts, the Da ª t-i
Kavīr and the Da ª t-i Lū, which together
with Sīstān have a relatively low elevation.
The climate of Sīstān is one of extremes
and the average annual rainfall only 2 ½
inches. It is estimated that only 10-14 per
cent of the total area of the whole country
is under cultivation. Some 30 to 35 per
cent is desert and waste. The remainder
is grazing-land and forest.

November and the first week in January,
and in central Persia between the end of
October and the end of November; and
spring wheat between the end of February
and the end of April. Wheat is harvested
in the south about the end of April or the
beginning of May; in the upland areas of
Fārs about a month later, and on the pla-
teau some two to two and a half months
later. Barley is harvested about three to
four weeks earlier than wheat. The yield
on wheat varies greatly in different parts
of the country. In general it is low. The
peasant normally saves part of his crop for
the following year's seed.

Rice
The main rice-growing area is in the
Caspian provinces. Some rice is also grown
in the Lin ¡ ān and Alin ¡ ān districts of
Ifahān and, on a small scale, in Fārs,
‡ ūzistān, Kurdistān and other districts.
According to tradition rice was originally
imported from India. In some areas rice
is sown broadcast, but in the main rice-
growing areas such as Māzandarān and
Ifahān it is sown in nurseries ( ¶ azāna )
and transplantation ( ni ª ā ) takes place
after a month. In Māzandarān the land
is ploughed in April, flooded and then
ploughed twice more. A fortnight after
transplanting weeding ( vi ¡ īn ) begins, the
weeds being trampled into the mud. The
rice fields are kept permanently under
water for two to three months. Rice is
reaped in September. The main varieties
are known as adrī, girda, dum-i siyāh and
ambarbū .

Grain crops
Wheat and barley are the staple crops
and are grown as irrigated ( ābī ) and unir-
rigated ( daymī ) crops up to an elevation of
about 10,000 ft. Maize and millet have also
been widely grown throughout the country
since early times. Wheat is mainly grown
as a winter crop; but in the high valleys of
the Zagros and Elburz it is also grown as a
spring crop. The regions with the greatest
production of wheat are the neighbour-
hood of Ma ª had in ‡ urāsān, western
Ā £ arbāy ¡ ān, Hamadān, Kirmān ª āh,
and Ifahān. In south Persia wheat and
barley are sown between the first week in

Sugar cane
This was mainly grown in ‡ ūzistān in
early Islamic times and in the middle ages;
and to a minor extent in Māzandarān.
In the later middle ages its cultivation
in ‡ ūzistān died out. An attempt was
made in ā ¡ ār times to revive it, and