o6 



The P ersi an Travels Book III 



From AgietoHX to Spanktiere. 

 From Spankticre to So tier. 

 From Soker to Argiche. 

 From Argiche to Quiarakierpom 

 From Quiarakierpon to Perkeri. 

 From Perkeri to Znarz.az.in. 

 From Z<narz.az.in to Sonferat. 



From Souferat to Devan, where two Piafters are gather'd for every Horfe-load, 

 ©r elfe you muft pay at jP^w. 



From Devan to , where there is a Duty of two Tomans and four Abajfis to 

 be paid for every Horfe-load. For though /^w be in the Territories of the Grand 

 Signer, yet the Perfian Money is better lik'd than his own Coyn. 



^« is a great City upon the fide of a wide Lake of the lame name. There is a 

 good Fortreis belongs to it, that is feated upon the top of a high Mountain which 

 ftands by it felf. There is but one fort of Fini in the Lake , a little bigger than 

 a Pilchard , of which they take great ftore in the Month of April. For about a 

 League from the Lake there is a great River that is call'd Bendmahi , which de- 

 fending from the Mountains of Armenia, empties it felf into the Lake. Jtfow in 

 March when the Snow melts and fwells the River , vaft numbers of thefe Fifh come 

 down the River into the Lake -, which the Filher-men obferving , fo ftop up the 

 Mouth of the River that the Fifh cannot go back -, for elfe they would not ftay 

 above forty days -, at which time they catch 'em up in wide-mouth'd Baskets at the 

 Mouth of the River ,thinking to return -, it being lawful for any man to fifh.The people 

 drive a great Trade in thefe Fifh, tranfporting them into Perfia and Armenia - y for, 

 the Perfians and Armenians both, drinking Wine at the end of their Feafts, they 

 then bring this Difti to the Table for a relifhing-bit. The people of Van tell a 

 Story, how that there was a certain rich Merchant who farm'd the whole Ftfhery, 

 paying a good fum of Money for it to the Bafia ; who thereupon ftri£tly forbad 

 any to fifh but the Merchant ; whereas before it was free for any man. But when 

 the Fifhing-feafon came , and that the Merchant thought to have caught his Fifh, 

 he met with nothing but Serpents. So that after that time the Fifhery was never 

 more farm'd. And there feems to be fomething in if, for the Sofia's, who arc a 

 fort of people that will lofe nothing they can get , would be certain to farm the 

 Fifh again and again, were there notfome ftrange reafon to hinder it. f There are 

 two principal Iflands in the Lake of Van ; the one call'd Adaketons , where there 

 ftand two Covents of the Armenians , Sourphagne and Sourp-kara : the other liland 

 is call'd Limadafi , and the name of the Covent is Limqmliafij all which Armenian 

 j_ Monks live very aufterely.J 

 From Van to Darcheck^ 



From Darcheck^to Nuchar, it ftands in the Territories of a Bey of Curdislan, 

 being a paltry Village confifting of two or three little Houfes. Thefe Bey's are a 

 kind of particular Lords , upon the Frontiers of both the Empires of Tarkie and 

 Perfia, who care for neither : for they lye fo fecure among the Mountains, that 

 there is no aflaulting them by force. The Curds in general are a brutifh fort of 

 people i who though they ftile themfelves Mahometans , have very few MoullaWs to 

 inftruct or teach them. They have a particular veneration for black Grey-hounds \ 

 fo that if any perfon fhould be feen to kill one of them , he would be knock'd o'the 

 Head immediately. Neither does any one dare to cut an Onion with a Knife in their 

 prefence \ but it muft be fqueez'd between two Stones by him that intends to make 

 ufe of it fo ridiculoufly fuperftitious they are. 



The Bey to whom Nuchar belongs has his Toll-gatherers in that place , who exact 

 fixteen Abajfi's for every Horfe-load , befides a Prefent which the Caravan-Bafii 

 is oblig'd to prefent him , which comes fometimes to feven or eight Tomans , lbme- 

 times more : for otherwife the Bey would be fure to watch the Caravan at fome 

 fcurvy place , and plunder it to fome purpofe. As once it happen'd to a Caravan, 

 with which my Nephew went along- in the year 1672-, though he had the good 

 luck to lofe nothing more than one Camel laden with Englijh Cloth , and another 

 with his Provifion. The Bafia of Van and the Kan of Tauris took the Field with an 

 intention to remedy thefe diforders : cfpecially the Bafha of Van , who perceiving 

 that the Merchants would forfake that Road by reafoa of the Injuries they dayly 



receiv'd, 



