XT" • m ' ' " ' ' ~ "- ■ - ■ ___. 



156 The Persian Travels Book IV. 



over their Cheeks. They carry a great Club in their hands , as the Painters reprefcnt 

 John the Baptifi in the Wildernefs. Between their girdles and their wafts they ftuff 

 a company of pittifu! Flowers , or ellc a fort of Herbs , which after Exhortation 

 both the young and the old Dervfs beftow upon the Merchants and Tradefmen % 

 ftotn whom at the fame time they receive Alms. Toward the Evening they go home 

 again-, and I forgot to tell you, that before the door of the Houfe (lands always a 

 large VefTel of Water with feveral little Cups , and Ice in the Summer, where all 

 pafJTengers may drink upon free-coft. 



The River of Scnderon, which as well as the reft of the Rivers of Perfia , except 

 the esfras , is not able to carry a Boat, is a very great relief to Ifpahan. ' Behind 

 the Mountains of the South beyond Zulfa is another River , call'd^%mz, which 

 about five or fix Leagues above Jfpahan runs within a League and a half of Sender™, 

 Sbu-Abas the firft attempted to have joyn'd the two Rivers together , to which pur' 

 pofe he went about to have remov'd certain Rocks that ftood in his way , but not 

 being able to compafs his defign , his SucceiTors laid afide all the thoughts of attem- 

 pting any more. Could it have been done , the Champaign of Ifpahan would have 

 been one of mod fertile and delicious places in the World \ whereas now the River 

 is of no ufe, running through Delert Countries and Flains of Salt. As for the River 

 of Senderou , in Winter it over-flows, but in Summer it has very little Water, being 

 oftner foarded than crofs'd over upon Bridges. About four Leagues above Ifpahan thtv 

 are conftrain'd to force it into their Lands to water their Fields and Grounds, which 

 elle would produce nothing at all. Wells they have a great manv in feveral places ■ 

 butbefides, that they are not able to furnifli that great cjuantity of Water which is 

 neceflary } the River Water is much better to fatten the Land'. Now you n.uft ob- 

 ferve that their Channels never return to the River , being wafted upon the Ground • 

 fo that the River of Ifpahan being very much wafted before it comes to the City by 

 reafon that it is ftilUeiTen'd by fo many Channels, about ten or twelve Leagues from 

 thence , it ends as it were quite fpent in a few Merfhes. This fcarcity of Water 

 which is fo general overall Perfia , is the reafon that they are extraordinary Husbands' 

 of it, and buy it very dear. Therefore is the fuperin tend ant of the Water, which 

 brings the King in a very confiderable Revenue, one of the moft contended for em- 

 ployments m the whole Court. For every Garden is Tax'd more or Ids accord in* 

 to its bignefs, for the Water it requires once a Week; which Water is let go into 

 the quarters which have need of it, every Garden having a particular Channel 

 whence they have their Water by turns. But you muft have a care of attempting 

 to bring this Water in before your turn, for fhould it come to be known , aneafie 

 Fine would not excufe the matter. I knew two Franks , who becaufe they prcfum'd 

 to take m Water in the night time befpre it was their turn , had like to have loft ill 

 their Land by Confiication , had itnot been for the particular favour of the King to 

 the Franks , and yet all that favour did not excufe them from being foundly amere'd 



There arc four Bridges a quarter of a Leagues diftance one from another that oofs 

 the River of Senderou to Ifpahan. That which crofTes the walk bears the name of 

 iilyvccrdi-K«n , who caus'd it to be built , being alio callM the Bridge of Zulfa It 

 is built of good Brick joyn'd together with Free-ftone , and very level , not being 

 higher in the middle than at either end. It is not above three hundred and fifty paces 

 long, and twenty broad, being fupported by feveral fmall Arches of Stone which 

 are very low. Of each fide there is a Gallery eight or nine foot broad which runs 

 from one end to the other , feveral Arches twenty-five or thirty foot high fupporting 

 the Platform, where when the heat is not extream, they that plcafc may walk for the 

 lake of the frefti Air. But the moft ufual paiTagc is under the Galleries, where 

 there are feveral out-lets upon the River to let in the frefti Air. For the Galleries 

 are very high from the level of the Bridge , to which you afcend by eafie fteps , the 

 middle of the Bridge not being above twenty-five foot broad , ferving for Wagons 

 and Pack-horfes. There is alio another way all along by the Water fide, where 

 there are feveral Stones laid to ftep upon, to keep you from being watchct. It 

 croffes through all the Arches of the Bridge, through little doorsmadc in every 

 Arch from one end to the other , defending from the Bridge by a little pair of 

 ftairs , tak n out of the thicknefs of the Arches fupporters. There is another Stair- 



t t0 u r j ^ t0 the GalIerics of abo «t two fathoms broad , with ftays or Rails 

 on both (ides Th« Bridge is truly a very neat j>iece of Architefture , if I may not 

 iaytheneatcitmall/Vr/;*. c T Y here 



