06 The Persian Travels Book III. 



From Agiaoux to Spanktiere. 



From Spanhticre to Softer. 



From Softer to Argiche. 



From Argiche to S^uiarakierpou. 



From Quiarakierpou to Perkeri. 



From Verhcri to Zmrz.az.hu 



From Zuarz.az.in to Soufcrat. 



From Souferat to Devan, where two Piaflers arc gather'd for every Horfe-load, 

 or elfe you muft pay at K^. 



From Ztewtf to J^;-* , where there is a Duty of two Tomans and four Abaffis to 

 be paid for every Horfe-load. For though P3w be in the Territories of the Grand 

 Signer, yet the Perfian Money is better lik'd than his own Coyn. 



•Van is a great City upon the fide of a wide Lake of the fame name. There is a 

 good Fortreis belongs to it, that is feated upon the top of a high Mountain which 

 ftands by it felf. There is but one fort of Fifh in the Lake, a little bigger than 

 a Pilchard , of which they take great (tore in the Month of April. For about a 

 League from the Lake there is a great River that is call'd Bcndmahi , which de- 

 fending from the Mountains of Armenia, empties it felf into the Lake. Now in 

 March when the Snow melts and fwells the River , vaft numbers of thefe Fi{h come 

 down the River into the Lake*, which the Fifher-men obferving, fo ftop up the 

 Mouth of the River that the Fifh cannot go back ; for elfe they would not ftay 

 above forty days-, at which time they catch 'em up in wide-mouth'd Baskets at the 

 Mouth of the River,thinking to return ; it being lawful for any man to fifh.The people 

 drive a great Trade in thefe Fifh, tranfporting them into Pcrfia and Armenia -, for, 

 the Perfians and Armenians both, drinking Wine at the end of their Feafts, they 

 then bring this Difh to the Table for a relifhing-bit. The people of Van tell a 

 Story, how that there was a certain rich Merchant who fartn'd the whole Fifliery, 

 paying a good fum of Money for it to the Bajha ; who thereupon flriclly forbad 

 any to fifh but the Merchant ; whereas before it was {ree for any man. But when 

 the Fifhing-feafon came , and that the Merchant thought to have caught his Fifh, 

 he met with nothing but Serpents. So that after that time the Fifhery was never 

 more farm'd. And there feems to be fomething in if, for the Baflia*s y who are a 

 fort of people that will lofe nothing they can get , would be certain to firm the 

 Fifh again and again , were there not fome ftrange reafon to hinder it. There are 

 two principal Iflands in the Lake of Van ; the one call'd Adakctons , where there 

 ftand two Covents of the Armenians , Sourphague and Sourp-kara : the other Ifland 

 is call'd Limadafi , and the name of the Covent is Limqmliafi, all which Armenian 

 Monks live very auftcrely. 



From Van to Darcheck^ 



From Darcheck^to Nuchar; it ftands in the Territories of a Bey of CurdiFian, 

 being a paltry Village confiding of two or three little Houfes. Thefe Bey's are a 

 kind of particular Lords , upon the Frontiers of both the Empires of Turkic and 

 Perfia, who care for neither: for they lye lb fecure among the Mountains, that 

 there is no affaulting them by force. The Curds in general are a brutifh fort of 

 people •, who though they ftile themfelves Mahometans , have very few Moullatfs to 

 inftrufl: or teach them. They have a particular veneration for black Grey-hounds U 

 fo that if any perfon fhould be feen to kill one of them , he would be knock'd o'thc 

 Head immediately. Neither does any one dare to cut an Onion with a Knife in their 

 prefence •, but it muft be fqueez'd between two Stones by him that intends to make 

 life of it •, fo ridiculoufly fuperftitious they are. 



The Bey to whom Nuchar belongs has his Toll-gatherers in that place, who exact 

 fixteen Abaps for every Horfe-load , befides a Prefent which the Caravan-Bafii 

 is oblig'd to prefent him, which comes fometimes to ieven or eight Tomans , fome- 

 times more : for otherwife the Bey would be furc to watch tjic Caravan at fome 

 fcurvy place, and plunder it to fome purpofe. As once it happen'd to a Caravan, 

 with which my Nephew went along in the year 1672:, though he had the good 

 luck to lofe nothing more than one Camel laden with Englifi Cloth , and another 

 with his Provifion. The Bafta of Van and the Kan of Tauris took the Field with an 

 intention to remedy thefe diforders: cfpccially the Bafoaof Van, who perceiving 

 that the Merchants would forfake that Road by reafon of the Injuries they dayly 



receiv'd. 



