16 A Brief Description of Herat, [Jan. 



One of the students, being sleepy, was not aware of her coming, and 

 therefore he remained in the college. He awoke and peeped fearfully 

 through the holes of the window. He cast his eyes on a ruby-lipped lady, 

 one of the companions of Goher Shad." She caught the sight of 

 the scholar, and fell in love with him. She left her associates, and en- 

 tered the room of the student, who gained the pleasure of her society. 



She was a delicate virgin, and after leaving the student, she joined 

 her party, who suspected her by the irregularity of her dress and man- 

 ners. 



Goher Shad, on the information of this, was very much vexed, and 

 to wipe away the reproach, she married all her associates to the students 

 of the college, who were first ordered to avoid the friendship of the 

 women. She gave them clothes, fine beds, and good salaries to live upon ; 

 she made rules for the collegians to meet their wives after seven days, on 

 the condition not to forget their studies. She did all this to arrest the 

 progress of adultery. 



On the east end of the city flourished a very grand ancient building , 

 called Masjid Jamah, or great mosque. It was erected by Sultan 

 Ghiasuddin, the old king of Gaur, 700 years ago. He was the 

 son of Muhammed Sam, and the sixth descendant of Abu Bakr, one 

 of the friends of Muhammed. 



The mosque has four doors and many arched domes. We made our 

 entrance through the door called dar-hauz-vah.il. Having traversed 70 

 paces under a roof supported by massive pillars, we opened into the 

 great square of the mosque. 



On our left hand were two pieces of marble, decorated with Persian 

 inscriptions, which contained no valuable subjects, but an order to the 

 custom-house officers, to provide the mullas with livelihood. The length 

 of the square is 111 paces, and the breadth, 83. 



There are four lofty and magnificently painted arches facing each 

 other. The arch which stands to the west led us into the praying place, 

 covered with heaps of mud, which has lately fallen by the severity of 

 the winter. We saw a marble tomb -stone lying on the ground, which 

 had Arabic characters. It was engraved by Ferokh Shad Shervani, 

 to cover the grave of Sultan Abu Saed Kurgani. 



The eastern arch exhibits a great deal of Muhammedan neglect. It is 

 almost hidden under considerable masses of earth. The arch, which is 

 situate towards the south, contains numerous Arabic inscriptions. They 

 are all wasted away by the rains. 



The northern arch is the place for students ; it conducted us into a 

 cupolated structure, where we were astonished to see a marble slab in 



