gems, turquoise, Iran, Persia, Persian turquoise

Farsistan is a literary travel account presenting scenes, observations, and legends from Persia, framed as extracts from the diary of a British traveller. The work combines descriptions of Persian landscapes, cities, customs, society, and historical associations with stories and traditions connected with the places visited. Of particular gemological interest is a section on the turquoise mines (pp. 68–76), providing an early nineteenth-century account of this important Persian gemstone resource.