QAYEN

also spelled Qain, town, northeastern Iran. Qayen is a place of great antiquity and complex history. The present town, which lies in a broad valley, was founded in the 15th century to replace an older town. Later, the Uzbeks (a Turkic people) took possession of Qayen and held it until Shah 'Abbas I (15881629) expelled them. In the 18th century it fell under the control of the Afghans. The modern town is surrounded by a mud wall; more affluent residential areas lie outside it. The town's chief industries produce felts and carpets. The surrounding area consists of hill ranges of 9,000 feet (2,750 m) running northwest-southeast and sinking to the Sistan depression in the south. The region specializes in the cultivation of saffron, supplying nearly all of Iran. The area's principal products also include grain, vegetables, and wool. Pop. (1986) 15,955.