28 The Persian Travels Book I. 



verted into Mofquees-, and if you will beleive the Armenians , they will tell you, 

 that there were in Sdtanie near eight hundred Churches and Chappels. 



Three Leagues from Sdtanie ftands an Inn , and a League farther a great Town 

 call'd Ija, where there is another very commodious Inn, and moft excellent 

 Wine. 



From thence you go to Habar, an ancient City and of a large extent, but very 

 much ruin'd, inhabited by Armenians for the moft part : Here , for the good Wines 

 fake the Travellers flay to recruit their Bottles. 



From Habar , after feven hours travel you come to a Village call'd Partin. From 

 Zangan to Vartin you reach in two days. It ftands in a fertil Plain , where there 

 are lèverai other Villages. It is not above three Leagues broad , being enclos'd on 

 each fide , to the Eaft and Weft , with a row of high Mountains, 

 i Having pafs'd this Plain , you come to a barren Country and ill inhabited , which 

 lafts all the day, till you come to Sexava. You pafs by the Ruines of a Village, 

 where there are but two Houfes Handing , with the Tower of a Mofquee , which 

 is very high and flender. Then you come to a Mud-wall'd-Inn , built fome few years 

 fince -, and near to that a Caftle call'd Khiara , upon the peek of a Hill , but very 

 ill built. 



Sexava is a little City in a Soil that bears excellent Nuts. The Inns that are 

 there, being built of Earth , and being but little , are very handfom and convenient, 

 their number fupplying the defect of their fmalneis. 



From Sexava , after feven hours travel, you come to a great Inn , call'd Jdgioup, 

 which was formerly a nobler place than now it is, {landing alone in a field. Three 

 Leagues from thence you meet with another lpacious Inn , call'd Cochkeria -, and 

 four hours farther you come to the Inn Benghè ' , where the two Roads meet which 

 I fpake of in the foregoing Chapter. 



From Benghè to Kom , are three days journey, over a barren , dry, and defert 

 Country, where there is no Water but Ciftern-water , except in fome very few 

 places , where it is very good. Four Leagues from Denghê is a fair Inn -, and three 

 Leagues farther ftands another , about a Mile from a Village to the South . where 

 there grows excellent good Wine , white and red. From this laft Inn to Sava is not 

 above three hours travel with the Caravan. 



Sava is a good City in a fertil Plain , where there are feveral Villages. The 

 greateft Trade of the Town is in little grey Lamb-skins , the curl whereof is very 

 neat , of which they make Funs. Two or three Leagues beyond Sava the Country 

 is very well manur'd , and after you have forded a River half a League from the 

 City, after two hours travel, you come to one of the faireft Inns in all Per fia , which 

 was finifh'd when I went laft to JJpahan. From thence to Kom it is about feven or 

 eight hours journey, through a dry and fandy Road: but half a League on this fide 

 Kom the Land is very good and fruitful. 



Kom is one of the great Cities of Per fia, in a fat Country abounding in Rice. 

 There grow alfo excellent Fruits , particularly large and excellent Granates. The 

 Walls are only of Earth , with little Towers clofe one to another -, and the Houfes 

 being only of Earth , are never the handfomer within-fide. At the entry into the 

 Town you muft crofs a River , over a ftone Bridge, and then turning to the right 

 hand over a fair Key, you come to an Inn very well built and very convenient. 



That which is moft remarkable in Kom is a large Mofqnee,r\o lefs in veneration among 

 the Perfians , than the Mofquee of Ardeiiil. There it is that you may fee the Sepul- 

 chers of Sha-Sefi and Sha-Abas the Second \ as alfo the Tomb of Sidi-Patima , the 

 Daughter of Iman-Hocen , who was the Son of Holy and Patima-Zuhra the Daughter 

 of Mahomet. The great Gate of the Mbfquee anfwers to a 'Piazza more long than 

 broad , where ftands an Inn and certain Shops , which without-fide are fomewhat 

 beautiful. One of the fides of the Piazza is clos'd up with a low Wall , over 

 which appears the Shore, and a River which you crofs at the end of the Piazza. Over 

 the great Portal of the Mofquee ftands an Infcription , in Letters of Gold , in the 

 Praife of Sha-Abas the Second. The firft place that you enter into is a Court of 

 more length than breadth, which may be term'd a Garden , in regard that on each 

 fide of the Alley in the middle , which is pav'd , there are feveral fquare Beds of 

 Flowers ^ yellow Jafmin,and other Plants j which are rail'd in by a Rail that runs all 

 the length of the Alley on each fide. It is not an eafie thing for the Chriftians to 



get 



