Part III Travels into ^/;^ I N D I E S. 9 ' 
fo kind, as to accompany me by tarns to all the places of Amedabad^ whi- 
ther raj Curioiity led me : They are lodged in the faireft and longeft Street 
of the Town. All the Streets of Amedahad are wide, but this is at leaft 
thirty Paces over, and at the IVefi end of it there are three large Arches that 
take up its whole breadth. 
Going from their Lodgings, one enters by thefe high Arches into the 
Meidan-Chahj which lignifies the Kings Square. It is a long Square having The Meidan of 
four hundred Paces in breadth, and feven hundred in length, with Trees jdmeMad. 
planted on all lides. The Gate of the Catfle is on the Weft lidc, oppofite to 
the three Arches, and the Gate oixho. ^ervanfcray 0^:1 iht South, On the 
fame lide there are fix or feven pieces of Canon mounted, and on the other, 
fome more great Gates which are at the Head of pretty fair Streets. In 
this Meidan there are feveral little fquare Buildings about three Fathom high , 
which are Tribunals for the Cotoual^ who is the Criminal judge. In the mid- 
dle of the place there is a very high Tree, purpolely planted for the excr- 
cife of thofe who learn to fhoot with the Bow, and who with their Ar- 
rows ftrive to hit a Ball which for that end is placed on the top of the Tree. 
Having viewed the Meidan^ we entered the Caftlc by a very high Gate, The Caflie of 
which is betwixt two large round Towers about eight fathom high. All the Amdahad, 
Appartments of it lignifie but little, though the Caille be walled about with 
good Walls of Freeftonc, and is as fpacious as a little Town. 
The J^erx'^w/^r^j' in the Meidan ^ contributes much to the beautifying of The fair 
that place. Its Front is adorned with feveral Lodges and Balcony's fuppor- '■'^^ni'erayoîû^z 
ted by Pillars, and all thefe Balcony's which are of Stone, are delicately cut ^^^l^^af 
to let in the Light. The entry is a large eight-fquare Porcli arched over 
like a Dome, v>rhere you may find four Gates, and fee a great many Bal- 
cony's : Thefe Gates open into the body of the Building, which is a Square 
of Freeftone two Stories high, and varniihed over like Marble, with 
Chambers on all fides, where Strangers may lodge. 
Near the Meidan^ is a Palace belonging to the King, which hath over the The Kings Pa- 
Gate a large Balcony for the Muficians, who with their Pipes, Trumpets, '^'^^ 'vc^Amda- 
and Hoboys, come and play there, in the Morning, at Noon, in the Eve- 
ning, and at Midnight. In the Appartments thereof there are feveral Or- 
naments of Folliages, where Gold is not fparcd. The Englilh Fadory is 
in the middle of the Town, They are very well lodged, and have fair 
Courts. Their Ware-houfes commonly are full of the Cloaths of Lahers 
and Dehly^ with which they drive a great trade. 
There are many Mofq ties great and fmall in Amedahad^ but that which is 
called Juma-mefiidy Fridays Mofque, becaufe the devout People of all the Juma-mefgH 
Town flock thither on that Day, is the chief and faireft of all. It hath Fridays 
its entry from the fame Street where the Dutch-houfe is built, and they go W'^^^"^* 
up to it by feveral large Steps. The firft thing that appears is a fquare 
Cloyfter of about an hundred and forty Paces in length, and an hundred 
and twenty in breadth, the Roof whereof is fupported by four and thirty 
Pillafters. The Circuit of it is adorn'd with twelve Domes, and the Square 
in the middle paved with great fquare Bricks. In the middle of the Front 
of the Temple, there are three great Arches, and at the fides two large 
fquare Gates that open into it, and each Gate is beautified with Pilafters, 
but without any order of Architedure. On the outiide of each Gate there 
is a very high Steeple, which hath four lovely Balcony's, from whence the 
Muezins or Beadles of the Mofque, call the People to Prayers. Its chief 
Dome is pretty enough, and being accompanied with feveral little ones, 
and two Mmarets^ the whole together looks very pleafant -, all that pile is 
fupported by forty four Pillars placed two and two, and the Pavement is 
of Marble. The Chair of the Imam is there as in other Mofques, but 
befides that, in a corner to the Right hand there is a large Juk refting up- 
on two and fourty Pillars eight Foot high apiece, which muft only have 
been built to hide the Women that go to the Mofque, for that Jube is clo- 
fed up as high as the Sealing with a kind of Pannels of Plafter with holes 
through j and there I faw above two hundred Faauirs^^who held their Arms 
crofs ways behind their Head, without the leaft ftirring. 
C Amedahad 
