10 KHANS. 



the more thickly inhabited parts of Western 

 Europe. 



The khans are buildings erected by the govern- 

 ment for the accommodation of travellers, and are 

 very plentiful on all the main roads. They are 

 entirely unfurnished ; in some there are a good 

 many rooms, and the building itself is surrounded 

 by a wall enclosing a court-yard, in which the 

 horses are turned for the night. The gate of the 

 khan is kept carefully locked, lest a marauding- 

 party of Albanians should carry off the animals 

 whilst their owners are asleep. The khangee, as 

 the keeper of the khan is called, generally sells 

 wine and Indian corn-cake or bread. There are 

 khans in the towns likewise, but these are inha- 

 bited generally by the lowest and dirtiest rabble, 

 consequently cleanliness must not be looked for 

 in them. After taking the precaution of sweeping 

 the floor, we used to place our quilts to sit cross- 

 legged upon whilst we ate our frugal meal, and 

 then in a short time forgot our cares. The khans 

 are seldom water-tight, and travellers may have 

 opportunities of star-gazing occasionally through 

 the roof; but these are minor inconveniences, not 

 worth mentioning. Vermin are certainly abun- 



