' Part IL Travels into the 'Le v a î^t, ï 3 9 
found, being covered over above a Foot deep-, the Sand lying in heaps on all 
Hands. This Sand was extreamly fine and fait, and was very troublefome to our 
Eyes, even in the Kervanferay, where all our Baggage was covered over with it. 
The Storm lafted from Noon to Sun-fet, ahd it was fo very hot the Night follow- 
ing, without any Wind, that one could hardly fetch breath : which in my Opini- 
on was partly occafioned by the reflledtion of the hot Sand. Next day I felt a 
great pain in one Eye, which made it fmart as if Salt had been melted into it, and 
this I attributed to the heat of the Night before, and the Sand that had got into 
my Eyes, though I had waited them with cold water in the Evening after the 
Storm was over. For the next two days after, we had ftill fuch hot Winds, that 
they fcorchedour Faces and Hands, in the fame manner as the heat of an Oven 
would have done i but fo foon as we were paft Lar, we began to find it cold in the 
Night-time. Thofe who come from Bender towards Schirai, ought to t^ke (pecial Circumfpeft?- 
care, to cover their Stomach very well at L<zr, otherwile they will not fail to fall "f^ii 
fick. At length, (thanks be to God,) I arrived at Schiras the Hrft of May. Raum to 
' Sthirau 
CHAR VL 
Of the Antiquities that are to be feen betmxt 
Schiras and Tfchehel-minar. 
I Shall fake the occafion of this fécond abode at Schiras to give the defcription 
of what is moft lovely and curious to be feen in that Country, though indeed, 
there be no more but ruins, whereof the Antiquity is not well known, nor what 
they have been in former times but they deferve to be feen by Travellers who go 
into thofe parts, and are very well worth the pains of Reading, by thofe who had 
rather truft to my relation, than to go and fee them themfelves. For my part I had 
pleafure enough in feeing them, and Monfieur Volière was with me » he came from 
France with Monfieur Tavernier as far as Bender^ from whence we came back toge- 
ther t» -Îc^/V^// i he with deli^n to return to France, and I to (hift elfc where, and 
go on to the Indies : I could have wifhed not to have left him fo foon, for he is an 
honeft man, and very pleafant Company* 
To fee thofe Antiquities fo much Celebrated amongft the Curious, being out of 
the Town of Schiras, you muft go ftreight South'Eafi, keeping the way that leads 
to the Lake where the Salt is made that is ufed in thofe Quarters. Having Tra- 
velled on an Agatfch and a half, you fee to the Left Hand a Hill, which is almoft A Lake where 
oppofite to a Village ftanding in the middle of the Plain ; you muft go up to the ^^'^ }^ 
top of that Hill, and there you fee the ruins of a curious Temple. That place is 
fquare, and in the middle of the Face that looks to the North-lVe^, there is a Antiquity ând 
great Gate \ another in the middle of the fide that looks to the South^Eafi \ and °f ^ ^^'^ 
a third in the middle of the Face that looks to the Nortb-Eafih there is none to LcaeJe^artd a 
be feen on the oppofite fide, nor any fign that there has ever been any there: iialf from 
the Jams of thefe Gates are each of one piece of a dark grey and very hard ftone, Schin^ 
and are at leaft ten Foot high, and famewhat more than two Foot and a half 
broad : the Lintel and Threftiold are of the fame, and contain about four Foot in 
length i fo that thefe Gates or Doors are about fome ten Foot high, and four» Foot 
wide. On each fide of the Gate there is a Figure cut in reliet as big as tlie life, 
the one refembles a man holding on his Arm a kind of Manipule, as Priefts do 
when they are Cloathed for faying of Mafs ", only with this difference, that it is no 
broader at the ends than in the middle; in the other Hand he holds a thing like a 
Bowl, or a Heart, out of which mounts up a flame. The oppofite Figure feems 
to be of a woman, holding in one Hand a kind of Holy-water-pot, and we could 
not dcvife what it was (he held in the other, it being fo broken and cut with a 
Chiziel, unlefs it be a Çandleftick and Candle, or rather a Holy-water-fprinkle. 
T 2 There 
