870- Sir John CHARDiN’i Travels Book 
that this City was built by KeUCofrou, and that Darah- 
Reihoni^ or Darius, began to build the Caftle ; and that 
Skender-Roumi, i. e. Alexander the Great, finiflied it. Ac 
Ebher they begin to fpeak the Perftan Language, which 
is fpoken all the Way to the Indies, more or lefs pure, 
as the People are more or lefs diftant from Schiras, where 
it is fpoken in the greateft Perfection. 
, 19, From Ebher he travelled to P^r/^r, leaving Cashin 
five Leagues on the Left-hand. This great City ftands in 
a delightful|Plain, three Leagues from Mount Alou-vent, 
one of the highelt and moft famous Mountains in Per- 
fta. It is fix Miles in Circumference, containing 12000 
Houfes, and 100,000 Inhabitants, of which there are 
forty Families of Chriftians, and one hundred Jews, 
but all very poor. It was formerly walled, but they are 
now all fallen down. The chiefeft Ornament and 
Grace of Casbin is the King’s Palace, and the great Num- 
ber of the Seats of the Perftan Grandees, who attend 
upon the Court, which has its continual Refidence there. 
There are but few Mofques in Casbin, but the Royal 
Mofque, called Metjhid-jha, is one of the largeft and 
faireft in ail Perfia. This City has no great Plenty of 
Water, but it is fupplied, with all it has, by fubterra- 
neous Channels called Kerifees. 
The Air is thick, and not very healthful, and the 
Soil dry and fandy, yet it abounds with Meat, and all 
Manner of Provifions, which are brought thither from 
the Countries adjoining, which having many well wa- 
ter’d Plains, feed a World of Cattel, and produce pro- 
digious Quantities of Corn. The faireft Grape in Perfa, 
called Shahoni, or the Royal Grape, being of a Gold 
Colour, and tranfparent, of which the ftrongeft and 
moft lufcious Wine in the World is made, grows here. 
The Air is very hot in Summer all the Day long, but 
the Nights are fo cold, that if a Man expofe himfelf 
never fo little to the Air, after he is undrefled, he is 
fure to fall fick. Some of our European Geographers 
affirm it to have been the City, which the Greeks called 
Ragea, or Rages, afterwards Europa and Arfacia, and 
now Cashin, from a King of that Name. It is go- 
vern’d by a Darogue, or Mayor, chofen every Year, 
whofe Office is worth to him 600 Tomans, or 2000 
Pounds. 
Having pafled Cashin, he came to Kaiare, and having 
lodg’d there, travelled the next Night (for that’s the ge- 
neral Way ot travelling all over the Eaft, to avoid the 
Heat of the Sun, which would hurt both Man and Beaft 
in the Day-time) by Segs-abad, which fignifies, the Ha~ 
bitation of Dogs, to Sava, a great City, feated in a fandy 
and barren Plain. It is two Miles in Circuit, and wal- 
led round, but fo miferably built, that, unlefs it be in 
the Midft, it runs to Ruin for want of Inhabitants. 
The Hiftories of Per/ia unanimoufly agree, that the 
whole Plain of Sava was formerly a Salt- Marfh, or Lake; 
but how it was dried is not certainly known : Some fa- 
buloufly report, that Haly, Mahomet*^ Son-in-Law, 
drain’d it by a Miracle ; and to preferve the Memory of 
it, the People built this City in the Midft of it. 
19. Juft over againft Eaftward, at four Leagues 
Diftance, ftands a Place of Pilgrimage, moft famous 
for the Devotion of xht Per fans. They call it Ech- 
mouil, that is to fay, Samuel', for they believe, that this 
Prophet was there interr’d, and over his Tomb is built 
a moft fumptuous Maufolmm, in the midft of a magni- 
ficent Mofque. Over-againft it is ftill to be feen fome 
Remnants of the City of Rey, which is reported to have 
been once the biggeft City of Afia, next to Babylon. 
The Perftan Hiftories relate, that it was divided into 
ninety-fix Quarters, every one of which had forty-fix 
Streets, and every Street 400 Houfes, and ten Mofques ; 
that there were in it 6400 Colleges, 16600 Baths, 15000 
Towers of Mofques, 12000 Mills, 1700 Channels, and 
13000 Inns, and People almoft numberlefs. 
The Chronicles of the Magi make Chus, the Grand- 
child of Hoah, to be Founder of it; and Ptolemy^ calls 
it Raquaia ; but the vulgar Opinion is, that it was 
founded by Houjheing Pijhdadi, or the Chief Juftitiary, 
and enlarged by Marroutfher, his SuccefTor. It was de- 
ftroy’d by the Mahometans, who being divided into two 
Seds, viz. Of Sbia and Sunnis, made War one upon the 
other for fixty Years together. The Sed of Sunnis cal- 
led in the Affiftance of the Tartars, and, by their Help, 
bore down the Sed of Shia. In thefe Wars the Tartars, 
by their frequent Incurfions, deftroy’d the potent City 
of Rey, and reduced it to nothing before the booth 
Year of their Hegyra. The Soil about it is fertile and 
pleafant, and produces great Plenty of Fruits ; but the 
Air is unhealthy, making the Skin fwarthy, and breed- 
ing Agues. 
Departing from hence, he pafled by an Hill, called 
Couh-Telifm, which has this remarkable and peculiar 
to it; that as you approach nearer and nearer to it, 
it fhews a different Form, and varies both in its Bignefs 
and Figure ; that the Top or Point of it is always in 
Sight, and you would think, that it turned that Side, 
which Way foever you flood to look upon it. Itconfifts 
of a black Earth, that crumbles like that of the burning 
Mountains ; but it is not known to have vomited Fire. 
The People of the Country fay, that they that afcend 
that Mountain never come back again. 
20. H aving pafled it, he came to Com, a large City, 
feated in a Plain, by a River-flde. It contains 15000 
Houfes, as the People fay, and is furrounded with a 
Moat and Wall, flank’d with Towers, but half ruined. 
On the River-flde are two fair Keys, and at the Eaft of 
the City a fine Bridge. It contains many large and beau- 
tiful Market-places, both for Wholefale and Retale : 
Though it be a City of no great Trade, yet they export 
large Quantities of Fruit, dried and raw, and parcicu- 
cularly Pomegranates; Soap, Sword-blades, and Earthen 
Ware, both white and varnifh’d, which hath this pecu- 
liar Property, that it cools the Water in Summer both 
wonderfully and fuddenly, by Reafon of its continual 
Tranfpiration. It contains a great Number of fair Inns, 
Maufolseums and Mofques, wherein the Grand-Children 
and Defendants of Ali, which are the Perftan Saints, 
called Tman-Zade, Sons of the Apoftles, lie interr’d. 
One of thefe Mofques is the moft celebrated in the 
Eaft: It has four Courts, of which the firft is planted 
with Trees and Flowers, like a Garden, with Terrafles 
on each Side ; the fecond is not fo beautiful as this, 
but the third is nothing inferior to it, being (urrounded 
with Apartments two Stories high, and having a Terrafs, 
Portico and Canal. In the fourth are the Chambers 
and Lodgings for the Priefts, Governors and Students, 
that live upon the Revenues of the facred Place. Front- 
ing thefe Courts ftands the Body of the Strudure, con- 
fifting of three great Chapels upon a Line. To the 
Middlemoft belongs a Portal, eighteen Foot high, of 
white Marble. The Top is a large Half-Duomo, over- 
laid without with large fquare China Tiles, painted with 
Morefco Work, and embelliflh’d within with Gold and 
Azure. The Folding Doors are plated with Silver, gilt 
with Vermillion. 
In it ftands the Tomb of Fatima in the Midft, which 
is overlaid alfo with China Tiles, painted A-la-morefco, 
and overfpread with Cloth of Gold, which hangs down 
on both Sides. It is enclofed with a Grate of mafly 
Silver, ten Foot high, diftant half a Foot from the 
Tomb, and at each Corner are Apples of fine Gold. 
In the two Chapels on each Side ftand the Tombs of 
the two laft Kings of Perfia, viz. Abas and Sophi, both 
very magnificent ; but on that of Abas are written in 
large Charaders of Gold, feven Elegies upon Mahomet 
and Haly, made by the Learned Hafan-Caza. 
Thefe are rare Pieces of Eloquence, and in them 
may be feen not only the Genius of Perftan Poe- 
try, but the Tranfports of the Mahometan Devo- 
tion. This City contains fcveral other beautiful 
and fumptuous Edifices, and would be a very plea- 
fant Place, were it not for the Heat, which is ex- 
ceflive, there being no Place in all Perfia where the 
Sun ftorches more violently, yet is the Air wholfom, 
and Soil fruitful, efpccially in Piftachio’s. The Peo- 
ple are very courteous and civil. The River that paf- 
feth by it is but a fmall Current in Summer, but 
beino- fwell’d with the Snow-waters that fall from 
the Mountains, it fometimes overflows great Part of 
the City. 
From 
