Chap. II. info I 
ries here, in one of them, they fay, they have St. Georgeh 
Skull. 
There is not any Mofque in ’Teflis^ though it be under 
a Mahometan Prince, and though the Perjians have at- 
tempted to build one feveral Times, they could never 
accomplifti their Defign, for the People mutinied and 
beat down their Work ; which Adion, though very 
affronting to the Perftan Religion, yet the Emperor of 
Perfia is afraid to come to any Extremities with them, 
left they fhould revolt to their Neighbours the 'Turks^ 
and fo ’Peflis and all Georgia enjoy their Liberty to re- 
tain almoft all the exterior Marks of their Religion ; 
for, on the Top of all the Steeples of their Churches ftands 
a Crofs, and in them they have Bells, which they often 
ring. Every Day they fell Pork openly, as well as other 
Viduals, and Wine, at the Corners of the Streets, which 
vexes the Perftans to fee, but they cannot help it. Some 
few Years fince they built a Mofque in the Fortrefs, and 
the Georgians could not prevent it : But when the Prieft, 
after their Cuftom, came up to the Top, to make Pro- 
feffion of his Faith, and call the Mahometans to Prayers, 
the People fo ply’d him with Vollies of Stones, that he 
was forced to fly down in Hafte, and never dared to 
appear there any more. 
The publick Buildings, viz. their Market-places, 
Inns and Magazines, are well built of Stone, and kept 
in good Repair. The Prince’s Palace is a noble and 
beautiful Building, being adorn’d with Halls and Rooms 
of State, Gardens, Aviaries, and fpacious Courts, to 
which the Viceroy of Caket*s Palace is not much inferior. 
The Out-parts of the City are adorned with feveral 
Houfes of Pleafure, and many beautiful Gardens, of 
which the Prince’s is the biggefl: •, but the Trees are 
fuch only as ferve for Shade and Coolnefs. 
The Capuchins, who were fent into Georgia about the 
Year 1657, by the Pope, have an Habitation in this 
City, as alfo at Gory, where they are highly efteemed 
as Phyficians, which is the Title they give themfelves, 
but they make very little Progrefs in the Converfion of 
the Georgians ; for befides that thefe People are very ig- 
norant, and take little Care to inftrud themfelves, it is 
fo rivetted into their Heads, that Falling, as they ob- 
ferve it, is the eflencial Part of the Chriitian Religion, 
that they do not believe the Capuchins to be Chriftjans, 
though they fall as they do, becaufe they are informed, 
they do it not in Europe, 
The City of Teflis is very well peopled, and there are 
as many Strangers refort thither as to any Place in the 
World, for there is a great Trade driven there, and the 
Court is very numerous and magnificent, becoming the 
Capital City of a Province, The Georgians do not call 
it ‘Teflis, but Cala, i. e. The Fortrefs, which is a Name 
they give to all Habitations encompafled with Walls, 
and fame Geographers call it, Tebele-Cala, or, The hot 
City, either by Reafon of the hot Baths, or becaufe the 
Air there is not fo cold and boifterous as in other Parts 
of Georgia. 
12. On the 28th he departed from Teflis, and palling 
thro’ Sogan-lou, or the Place of Onions, Handing upon 
the River Kur, came to Kupri-Kent, or the Village of the 
Bridge, becaufe there is a very fair Bridge over the 
River Tabadi, in the Arches of which are made little 
Chambers and Portico’s, and in every one of them a 
Chimney, on Purpofe to lodge Strangers, and in the 
middle ones Balconies, to take the cool Air in the Sum- 
mer ; Melick-Kent, or, the Royal Village, and fo to 
Dely-Jan, a Village of 300 Houfes, feated upon the 
River Acalflapha, which runs at the Foot of an high 
and dreadful Mountain, part of Mount Taurus. Here 
is Plenty of Water, and the Ground is very fertile, and 
a great many Villages to be feen on every Side, fome of 
which flood fo high upon the Points of the Rocks, that 
they were almoft indifcernable. They are inhabited by 
Georgian Armenian Chriftians, but not intermix’d, 
becaufe they have fuch an inveterate Enmity one againft 
another, that they cannot live together in the fame Vil- 
lages. The moft Part of the Houfes of thefe Villages 
iire no better than Caverns or hollow Places made in the 
Earth ; the reft are built with Timber, and covered 
with T urf. 
^ VoL. II. N<> 128, 
E R S I A. 869 
Thefe Sort of Buildings are very convenient, being 
cool in Summer, and warm in Winter. The Borough 
of Dely-Jan, and all the Country round about for fix 
Leagues, is govern’d by its own natural Princes, from 
Father to Son, and holds of Perfla, as Georgia does. 
It is called the Country of Cafac, the People being flout 
and fierce, defeended from the Cofaques, who inhabit 
the Mountains on the North-Eaft of the Cafpian Sea, 
and is at prefent under a Prince called Kamjhi-Can. Fie 
lodg’d at Kara-Phijhijh, a large Borough, feated at the 
Bottom of the Mountains, which feparate Georgia fromi 
Armenia. It ftands on the Banks of the River Zengui^ 
and palling Bichni, where there is an Armenian Monaf- 
tery, our Author arrived at Erivan^ Jan. 7, 1673, 
13. Erivan is a great City, but dirty. The Vine- 
yards and Gardens make the greateft Part of it, there 
being no ornamental Buildings in it. It is fituated in 
a Plain, encompafled with Mountains on every Side, 
between two Rivers, the Zengui, and ^eurk-boulack. 
The Fortrefs itfelf may pafs for a fmall City, contain- 
ing 800 Houfes, inhabited by Perftans only ; for though 
the Armenians have Shops there to work and trade in 
in the Day-time, yet they return to their Houfes in the 
Evening. It is furrounded with three Walls of Earth, 
and Brick made of Clay, with Battlements, and flank’d 
with Towers, and ftrengthen’d with Ramparts, accord- 
ing to the Cuftom of the Ancients, and in it is con- 
ftantly maintain’d a Garrifbn of 2000 Men, The Go- 
vernor of the Province’s Palace is within this Caftle, 
and is a very fpacious and delightful Place in Summer. 
The City ftands about a Cannon-fhot from the For- 
trefs, but the Space between is filled up with Houfes 
and Market-places, which are fuch pitiful Strudlures, 
that they may be removed in one Day. There are fe- 
veral Churches in this City, of which the Epifcopal See, 
called ireou-ye-rize, and Catovike are the Chief ; the reft 
are fmall, funk deep in the Earth. Near the Epifcopal 
Church is an old Tower, built of Free-ftone, of antique 
Work, with feveral inferiptions, but none can read 
them ; nor is it known when, by whom, or for what 
Ufe it was built. At a little Diftance from it is the 
Grand Meydan, or great Market-place, 400 Paces fquare, 
where they ufe all Exercifes, both for Horfe and Foot, 
as Caroufels, Racings, Wreftling, and Managing of 
Horfes for War. There are many Baths and fair Inns 
in it. The Air is good, but a little thick and cold, 
for their Winter lafts long, and they have Snow fome- 
rimes in April. The Country is very delightful and 
fertile, and produces Fruits in great Flenty, efpecially 
Wine, which is there good and cheap. 
The Armenians have a Tradition, that Noah planted 
his Vineyard near Erivan, and fome pretend to ftiew the 
Place, about a fmall League from the City. The Ri- 
ver and Lake, which is twenty-five Leagues in Com- 
pafs, furnifti the City with excellent Fifti of nine Sorts, 
of which the Trouts and Carps are famous all over the 
Eaft. In the Midft of the Lake is a fmall Ifland, where 
ftands a Monaftery, whofe Prior is an Archbifhop, and 
takes upon him the Title of Patriarch, refufing to ac- 
knowledge the Grand Patriarch. The Armenians hold 
this City to be the moft anciently inhabited Place in the 
World ; for they affirm, that Noah and all his Family 
dwelt there, both before the Deluge, and after he 
came out of the Ark, and that the earthly Paradife 
was there : But all this is a Story without Foundation, 
reported by Perfons equally ignorant and vain-glo- 
rious. 
Two Leagues from Erivan ftands the famous Monaf- 
tery of the Three Churches, the Sanftuary of the Arme- 
nian Chriftians. The Armenians call it Ecs-miazin, 
which Name alfo the principal Church bears. It is a 
fubftantial, but dark Strudure, all built of large Free- 
ftone. The Monks fliew feveral Reiiques preferved in 
it, as a Finger of St. Peter, and two of St. John the Bap- 
tift, a Rib of St. James, Bifliop of Jerufalem, and an 
Arm of St. Gregory, &c. but they muft be very credu- 
lous and fuperftitious, that can believe them fuch. The 
two other Churches that flood near this are, St. Caiana 
and St. Repfma, the Names of two Roman Virgins, who 
fled into Armenia, as they fay, in the 9th Perfecution, 
10 M and 
