iS The Persian Travels Book I. 



according to the Opinion of the Armenian*, is the mod ancient City of the World j 

 built about three Leagues from the Mountain upon which the Ark of Noah refted: 

 from whence it alio takes its Name :, for Nakjn the Armenian Tongue fignifics a 

 Ship , and Sivan , refling or repdfwg. 'Twas a great City, now wholly ruin'd by 

 the Army of Sultan Amurath. There arc the Remains of feveral rare Mofquees, 

 which the Turks have deftroy'd', for the Turks and Perfians deftroy one anothers 

 Mofquees as raft as they fall into one anothers poffeflion. This City is very ancient, 

 and the Armenians report that it was in this place where Noah went to live , when 

 he went out of the Ark. They lay further, that he was Buried here •, and that 

 his Wife has a Tomb at Mar ante upon the Road to Tauris. There runs a little 

 River by Naksivan , the Water whereof is very good :, the Spring whereof is not 

 far diftant from the Head of the River of Karabagkr. The Armenians drove a great 

 Trade in Silk formerly in this Town , which is now very much abated : however, 

 there is a Kan which has the Command there. All the Country between Erivan 

 and Tauris was wholly deftroy'd by Sha-Abas King of Perfia, and the flrft of that 

 Name-, to the end that the Armies of the Turks, not meeting with any fubfiftance, 

 might perifh of themielves. To this purpofe , he lent all the Inhabitants of Zulfa 

 and the Parts ad joy ning into Perjia, Old and Young , Fathers, Mothers, and Chil- 

 dren , with which he planted new Colonies in feveral parts of his Kingdom. He 

 fent above 27000 Families of Armenians into Guilan , whence the Silks come •, and 

 where^the harfhnefs of the Climate kill'd abundance of thofe poor People , that 

 were accuftom'd to a milder Air. The mod confiderable were fent to JJpahan, 

 where the King put them upon the Trade of Silk, and lent them Commodities, 

 for which they paid upon the return 0/ their Market? , which fuddenly let the Ar- 

 menians upon their Feet again. Thefe are they that built the City of Zulfa, which 

 is only feparated from IJpahan by the River of Sendcrou , calling it New Zulfa , to 

 diftinguilh it from the old City , which was the Habitation of their Anceftors. A 

 third part of the People were difpers'd into other Villages between Ifpahan and 

 Sciras. But the old People dying , the young ones generally turn Mahumetans - 

 fo that now you can hardly meet with two Chriftian Armenians in all thofe fair 

 Plains , which their Fathers were fent to manure. 



Among the Ruines of Naksivan appear the Ruines of a great Mofquce , w r hich 

 was one of the moft (lately Buildings in the World: which fome fay was built in 

 memory of Noah's Burying-place. As you depart out of the City , near to the 

 River that runs by it, appears a Tower, which is an excellent piece of Architecture : 

 It is compos'd of four Duomfs joyn'd together, which fupport a kind of Pyramid, 

 that feems to be fram'd of twelve little Towers •, but toward the middle it changes 

 its figure, and lefTening like a Spire, ends in a Point. The Building is all of Brick, 

 but as well the out-fide as the in-fide is over-fpread with a kind of Varnifh of Parget, 

 wrought into Flowers, like Embofs'd Work. 'Tis thought to have been an Edifice 

 fet up by Temur-ieng , when he had Conquer'd Perfia. 



Between Naksivan and Zulfa , on each fide , as well to the North as to the South, 

 there are ten Covents of Chriftian Armenians , diftant about two or three Leagues 

 one from the other. They acknowledge the Pope , and are govcrn'd by certain 

 Religious Dominicans of their own Nation. And to keep up their Religion, they 

 fend from time to time , to Rome , certain Children born in the Country, to learn 

 the Latin and Italian Tongues, and other neceffary Sciences. It is thought there are 

 in this Quarter above fix thoufand Souls that abfolutely follow the Do&rine of the 

 Church of Rome; only that they fing the Office and the MaJS in the Armenian 

 Tongue, that all the People may hear and underhand them. The Archbifhop, being 

 chofen, is fent to Rome to be confirm'd. He refides at a great Town , which is one 

 of the moft lovely places in all Afia • the Wine and Fruits that grow there are very 

 delicate, befides the abundance of all other things necefTary for Humane Life. Every 

 Covent (lands near a great Village : the chiefeft where I have been twice , is Aba- 

 rener , the fecond Abraghonnex , the. third Ke ma , the fourth Soletak^, the fifth 

 Kouchkachen , the fixth Giaouk^, the feventh Chiabonnez. , the eighth Araghoiwhe, 

 the ninth Kauz,uk^, the tenth Krfouk^, which lyes upon the Frontiers of Curdiflan or 

 aAffyria. Here it is , that the Armenians believe St. Bartholomew and St. Matthew 

 to have been Martyr'd, of which they pretend to (hew fome Relicks at this dav. 

 Many Mahometans came thither out of Devotion , efpccially fuch as are troubPd 



with 



