Chap.IV. of Monfieur Tavernier. 2\ 



environ'd with Mountains on every fide , but only upon the Weft. The furthefi 

 Mountain is not above a League from the City ^ but there is one which almoft 

 touches it , being only feparated from it by the River. 'Tis a good Country, and 

 fruitful in Corn ; there is good Pafturage , and great (lore of Pulfe. Some think 

 that Tauris was the ancient Ecbatane , the Metropolis of the Empire of the Medcs. 

 It is at this day a great City and well peopl'd , as being the Mart for Turkie, 

 Mufcovy , the Indies , and Perfia. There are an infinite nnmber of Merchants, 

 and vaft quantities of all forts of Merchandize : particularly of Silk , which is 

 brought out of the Province of Guilan , and other places, there is alio a great 

 Trade for Horfes, which are handibm and cheap. Wine, Aqua-vitce, and indeed 

 all forts of Provifions are cheap enough ', and Money trolls about in that place 

 more than in any other part of Afia. Many Armenian Families have got great Eftates 

 there by Trade, and undcrftand it better than the Per/tans. A little River , the 

 Water whereof is very good , runs through the middle of Tauris ; it's call'd Schein- 

 kaie , over which there are three Bridges to crofs from one part of the City to the 

 other. 



The moll part of the Buildings in Tauris are of Bricks bak'd in the Sun ^ the 

 Houfes not being above one or two Stories high at moft. The tops of the Houles 

 are terrafs'd ; the Roofs within are vaulted, and plaiftcr'd with Earth mix'd with 

 chopt Straw, which they whiten afterwards with Lime. In the year 1638 the 

 City was almoft ruin'd by Sultan Amur ath; but it is almoft all rebuilt again. There 

 are in it Bazars, or Market-houfes, which are well built, and many Inns very 

 commodious , two Stories high, The faireft is that of Mirz.a£adc y Governour of 

 the Province , who caus'd it to be built with a Market-houie adjoyning , to which 

 he has added a Mofquee and a Colledge, with good Revenues. 



Tbe great Trade of Tauris renders it renown'd over all Afia : for it has a con- 

 tinual trafnek with Turks , Arabians , Georgians , Mengrelians , Pcrfians , Indians^ 

 Muscovites , and Tartars. The Bazars or Market-houfes , which are cover'd , are 

 always full of Goods : for there are fome which are peculiar to the Handicraft- 

 Trades •, the moft part whereof are Smiths, fuch as make Saws, Axes, Files, and 

 Steels to ftrike Fire , with Tobacco-ftoppers belonging to them. Some there are 

 that make Pad-locks : for the Eaftern People fatten their Doors only with wooden 

 Bolts. There are alfo Turners, that furnifti the neighbouring Parts with Spinning- 

 Wheels and Cradles : and fome Goldfmiths, that make trifles of Silver. But there is 

 abundance of Silk-weavers that are Artifts, and work very neatly j and indeed there 

 are more of thole than of any other Trade. Here it is that they drefs the greateft 

 part of the Shagrin Skins that are vended fo plentifully all over Perfia ^ for there 

 are none unlefs it be the Country-people, but wear Boots or Shooes of Shagrin- 

 Leather. This Leather is made either of the Hides of Horfes , AfTes , or Mules, 

 and only of the hinder part of the Hide : but the AfTes Hide has the beft 

 grain. 



There arc to be icen at Tauris > Ruincs of the ftately Edifices round about 

 the great Piazza, and the neighbouring Parts: they have alio let run to ruine 

 four or five Mofquecs of a prodigious height and bigneis. The moft magnificent 

 and the biggeft {lands as you go out of the Town , in the Road to Jfbahan. The 

 Pcrfwjs will not come near it, but look upon it as defiJ'd , and a Mofquee of He- 

 reticks , in regard it was built by the Soumm , or the followers of Omar. 'Tis a 

 vaft Structure fairly built , the Front whereof is fifty Paces broad , with an afcent 

 of eight Steps. It is lin'd without with Brick-work varniuYd with different Co- 

 lours ^ and adorn'd within with very fair Painting A V antique , and abundance of 

 Cifers and Arabian Letters in Gold and Azure. Upon two fides of the Fore-front 

 are rear'd two Minarets or Towers very high , but not very wide , yet with Stairs 

 to go up to the top. They are lin'd with varnifh'd Brick-w r ork , which is the uf'ual 

 Ornament of the Per fan Buildings : and at the top ftand two Cupola's, form'd like 

 the Turbants which the Pcrfians wear. The Gate of the Mofquee is not above four 

 Foot wide , cut out of a great tranlparent white Stone, four and twenty Foot high, 

 and twelve broad. Entring at the Door of the Mofquee , you come into a fpacious 

 'Duotno , thirty fix Paces in Diameter, rais'd upon twelve Pillars within , and iup- 

 ported by fixteen without , which Pillars are very high, and fix Foot fquare. Below r 

 there is a Baluftrade or Rails that run round about the Building , with Doors to go 



from 



