1870.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 229 



corresponds exactly with that of Bukhara in height and in thick- 

 ness, as well as in its battlements and turrets. It is 13 kilometres, 

 819 metres, in circumference, and encloses a space of 2533^ tanabs. 



Samarqand is therefore larger than Bukhara by 500 tanabs. 

 This is occasioned by the number of gardens ; for, in point of popula- 

 tion, ' it is decidedly inferior to the latter town. The inhabitants 

 are reckoned at from 30,000 to 35,000 souls. The outer wall has 

 six gates. On the western side, it has but one gate, the Darwazah i 

 Bukhara ; there is also one on the eastern side called QalandarKliani. 

 The south and north sides, have each two gates ; those in the for- 

 mer are called Paikobak [Kaiqubad ?] and D. Chah i Zindali ; the 

 others D. Sozan-girani and D. Khwajah Ahrar. The last takes its 

 name from the venerable saint of Samarkand, who is buried close to 

 this gate. The ruins which surround the town lead one to suppose that 

 it was formally of much greater importance than it is at present, or 

 when it was rebuilt after one of its numerous catastrophies, it must 

 have been enlarged towards the south-east. The ground to the 

 west, more especially that northwards of the wall, which bears 

 the name of Qal'ah Afrasiab is more thickly covered with ruins 

 than the rest. This, however, cannot have taken place very recent- 

 ly. Since the time of Timur, his ancient capital has not altered 

 in form. One thing is certain that in the height of its prosperity, 

 the environs of Samarkand were in a much better state of cultiva- 

 tion than they are now, and vestiges of gardens still remain where, 

 by Timur' s order, his wives entertained Clavijo so magnificently. 

 The town is supplied with water by three rivulets descending from 

 the northern declivity of Mount Azalyk. The first enters Samar- 

 qand a little to the eastwards of the Khwajah Ahrar gate; having 

 skirted the eastern and northern sides of the Fort, it leaves the 

 town and waters the fields to the north of the Bukharian road. 

 The second water-course entering the town near the gate of 

 Sozan-girani quits, it on the eastern side and unites with the 

 third which skirts the same sides, both together flowing into the 

 Ab i Mashhad, as the people call it. This stream washes the base 

 of the northern wall of the town. Such an abundance of water 

 admits of every house being well supplied, and contributes greatly 

 to the salubrity of the town. 



