576 Notes on the Geography of Western Afghanistan. [June, 



event took place about 360 years before the Hejree, soon after the 



departure of Christ from the earth. 



The second account makes Shumeran to be called after a daughter of 



Bahmun, a king of Persia. Her name being also Homaee chehrazad ; 



and that Dara bin Dara had commenced the works of Herat, which after 



his death were completed by Alexander the Great ; but Eshk the Arsak 



exerted himself to remove every mark of this conqueror, even to changing 



the turns of the roads under the gates. 



The third account gives the honor of the foundation of Herat to a 



daughter of Zohak, at a period when a Prince called Jooghun, of the 



race of Kue Kaoos, was settled in Badgheesh. 



The fourth and most curious account is as follows : — 

 Alexander finding his country much distressed by the constant 

 inroads of the Torks, obtained leave from his mother to proceed to 

 the frontier and build the city of Herat, on condition, that he did not 

 remain absent more than one year. During the progress of the work, 

 the people of Kohndez remonstrated against the building of so strong a 

 post. Alexander wrote for the advice of his mother ; she ordered 

 her son to send up to the capital some of the soil from the foundation 

 of the new city, which she in secret placed under the carpet of her 

 council chamber. 



Then she assembled her Roman councillors who all gave different 

 opinions, — she requested them to retire and to pause over their opinion 

 and to return next day, — during which she removed the earth of her 

 son's new city, from under the carpets. On the following morning the 

 councillors all agreed that it was quite correct and advisable to build the 

 new city. The mother therefore wrote to her son to carry out his own 

 plans and intentions, as the qualities of the soil of Kohndez went to 

 prove its inhabitants were of vacillating disposition and not likely to 

 enforce their opinion, so Herat was built by Alexander. 



The fifth account makes Alexander to find in a box an account of 

 the first building of Herat by Christians, according to the plan of which 

 he restored the city. The sixth account makes Herat to be founded 

 by Alexander Zowelkornuen mentioned in the Koran. The seventh 

 account is compounded of the former statements, that Seyawosh, Dara 

 and Alexander each built portions of the walls. 

 Many other versions are given : one Shaikh declaring that the pro- 



