PERSIA. 37 



with the buildings and gardens belonging to it, is three miles in cir- 

 cumference There are in Ispahan 160 mosques, 1 800 caravanserais,, 

 260 public baths, a prodigious number of fine squares, streets. and 

 palaces, in which are canals, and trees planted to shade and better ac- 

 commodate the people. This capital is said formerly to have con- 

 tained 650,000 inhabitants ; but was often depopulated by Kouh Khan 

 during his wars ; so that we may easily suppose that it has losr great 

 part of its ancient magnificence. In 1744, when Mr. Hanway was 

 there, it was thought that not above 5000 of its houses were inhabi- 

 ted. 



Shirauz lies about 225 miles to the south-east of Ispahan. It is an. 

 open town, but its neighbourhood is inexpressibly rich and beautiful, 

 being laid out for many miles in gardens, the flowers and fruits of 

 which are incomparable. The wines of Shirauz are reckoned the 

 best of any in Persia. The town is the capital of Farsistan, or Persia 

 Proper, and has a college for the study of eastern learning. It con- 

 tains an uncommon! number of mosques, and is adorned by many no- 

 ble buildings ; but its streets are narrow and inconvenient, and not 

 above 4000 of its houses are inhabited. Shirauz has many good bazars 

 and caravanserais ; that distinguished by the appellation of the Va- 

 keel's bazar (so called from its being built by Kherim Khan) is by far 

 the handsomest. It is a long street, extending about a quarter of a 

 mile, built entirely of brick, and roofed something in the style of the 

 piazzas in Covent-garden ; it is lofty and well made ; on each side are 

 the shops of the tradesmen, merchants, and others, in which are ex- 

 posed for sale a variety of goods of all kinds ; these shops are the 

 property of the Khan, and are rented to the merchants at a very easy 

 monthly rate. Leading out of this bazar is a spacious caravanserai, 

 of an octagon form, built of brick, the entrance through a handsome 

 arched gateway ; in the centre is a place for the baggage and mer- 

 chandise, and on the sides, above and below, commodious apartments 

 for the merchants and travellers ; these are also rented at a moderate 

 monthly sum. About the centre of the above-mentioned bazar, is an- 

 other spacious caravanserai of a square form, the front of which is or- 

 namented with a blue and white enamelled work, in order to represent 

 China-ware, and has a pleasing effect to the eye. 



The city of Shirauz is adorned, according to Mr. Francklin, with 

 many fine mosques, particularly that built by the late Kherim Khan, 

 which is a noble one. Being very well disguised, says our traveller, 

 in my Persian dress, I had an opportunity of entering the building 

 unobserved. It is of a square form ; in the centre is a stone reservoir 

 of water, made for performing the necessary ablutions, previous to 

 prayer ; on the four sides of the building are arched apartments al- 

 lotted for devotion, some of the fronts of which are covered with China 

 tiles ; but Kherim Khan dying before the work was completed, the 

 remainder has been made up with a blue and white enamelled work. 

 Within the apartments, on the walls on each side, are engraven various 

 sentences from the Koran, in the Nushki character; and at the upper 

 end of the square is a large dome, with a cupola at top, which is the 

 particular place appropriated for the devotion of the vakeel ; or for 

 the sovereign : this is lined throughout with white marble, ornament- 

 ed with the curious blue and gold artificial lapis lazuli, and has three 

 large silver lamps suspended from the roof of the dome. In the cen- 

 tre of the city is another mosque, which the Persians call the Musjidi 

 Noo, or the New Mosque, but its date is nearly coeval with the city it- 



