Chap. IL ^ the Emp ire 
As to Foreign Merchants, they lodge their Goods in 
the publick Caravanferah about the City, which ferve 
them alfo inftead of Inns for Lodging and Diet j but 
there is this Difference between an Inn and Garavanfera^ 
that every Perfon finds his oWn Bedding and Cookery 
in the Caravanfera, whereas in our Inns we have not that 
Trouble. There are two Things, however, that ren- 
der a Caravanfera preferable to an Inn ; one is, that a 
Perfon is not fubjed to the Extortions of an Inn- 
keeper, but buys his Provifions at the beft Hand \ and 
the other, that let the Merchant take up ever fo 
many Rooms, he fhall not be diflurbed in them, and 
pays but a Trifle for his Warehoufe or Lodgings ; and 
upon the Road he pays Nothing. There are not, it 
feems, lefs than fifteen hundred of thefe publick Cara- 
vanjera\ in Ifpahan^ which have been ereded by charitable 
People for the Ufe of Strangers ; moft of them are built 
after one Model, and differ only in the Dimenfions. 
There is a handfome Portal at the Entrance, on each 
Side of which are Shops, from whence you enter into 
a Square, about which there is a Cloifter or Piazza, 
and within are Lodging- Rooms and Warehoufes for 
Goods : There is alfo Stabling and Conveniences for 
Horfes and other Beads on the oudide, or they may be 
brought into the .Square and fattened there, as is fre- 
quently done upon the Road more efpecially where there 
is Danger of Robbers. 
As to Taverns, there are none at Ifpahan^ their Reli- 
gion prohibiting Wine. However, fome of the Perfians 
will drink pretty plentifully in private. There are 
very handfome Coffee-houfes in the principal Parts of the 
di'own, where People meet and talk Politicks, though 
they have no printed Papers in them, and there we 
meet with fome Amufements peculiar to the Country, 
as the Harangues of their Poets, Hittorians, and Priefts, 
who hold forth and get a Crowd about them ; and it 
feems they expedl a fmall Prefent from their Audience 
for their Amufements and Inttrublions. 
14. The Buildings of the Palace, with the Gardens 
belonging to it, rake up above a League in Compafs. 
The two Gates which come up to the Royal Meydan^ 
or Square, are, one of them called Alicapi^ and the 
other DouletCuna *, over one of them is a Gallery, where 
the Shah ufed to fit and fee martial Exerdfes performed 
on Horfeback. No Part of the Palace where the Court 
refides comes up to the Royal Square ; but having en- 
tred the principal Gate, there is a Hall or Court on the 
Left-hand, where the Vizier and other Judges adminitter 
Juttice on certain Days *, and on the Right are Rooms 
where Offenders are allowed to take Sandtuary. From 
hence to the Hall, where the Shah ufually gives Au- 
dience, is a handfome Walk : It is a long Room well 
painted and gilded, and fupported by forty Pillars ; it is 
divided into three Parts, one a Step higher than the 
other, on which the great Officers ftand according to 
their Rank, As to hereditary Nobility, there is nofuch 
Thing in Perfta. On the third Afcent is the Royal 
Throne, raifed about a Foot and a half above the 
Floor, and about eight Feet fquare, on which is fpread 
a rich Carpet ; here the Shah fits on it crofs-legged up* 
on folemn Occafions, having a Brocade Cufhion under 
him, and another at his Back. 
As to the rett of the Apartments of the Palace, and 
particularly the' Haram^ or Womens Apartment, nei- 
ther Foreigners or Natives can give an exadl Defcripcion 
of them, none being permitted to enter but the Eu- 
nuchs j but in general we are told, that they confift in 
feparate Pleafure-houfes difpers’d about the Gardens, 
much of the fame Form with the Houfes firft defcribed, 
and that their great Beauty confitts in the fine Walks, 
Fountains and Cafcades about them. Beyond the Gar- 
dens the Shah has a large Park walled in, where the 
Ladies hunt and take their Pleafure with the Prince. 
In this City are above one hundred and fifty Mofques 
or Temples, covered with Domes or Cupola’s, which 
appearing through the Trees that are planted almoft all 
over the Town, in the Streets and Gardens, afford a 
noble Profpebl j but the common Buildings are fo low, 
that they are hardly difcerned by one who takes a View 
of the Town on the Outfide, 
of Persia. 887 
All Chrittians being prohibited to enter their Mofques, 
or even to come within their Courts, under fevere Pe- 
nalties, it is not eafy to meet with a particular Defcrip- 
tion of them. There is a Gate which leads to the 
great Mofque covered with filver Plates, Through this 
Towr you proceed to a Court with a Piazza or Cloy- 
fter on each Side, where the Priefts lodge who belong 
to the Molque. Oppofite to the great Gate are three 
large Doors which open into it.- The five Ifles the 
Mofque is compofed of are beautified with Gold and 
Azure, In the Middle is the Cupola^ fupported by 
four great fquare Pillars 5 the Hies on the Sides are 
lower than that in the Middle, and born upon thick 
Columns of Free-ftone *, two great Windows towards 
the Top of the Middle Ifle give Light to the whole 
Mofque ; on the Left-hand towards the Middle ftands 
a Kind of PuTit, with ttone Steps to go up to it ; the 
Bricks and Tiles on the Outfide of the Building are 
painted with various Colours, after the Manner of Per- 
fta, and the Floor of the Mofque is covered with Car- 
pets, all People putting off their Shoes as they enter it , 
there are no Seats or Pews as in the Chriftian Temples, 
or any Kind of Imagery or Piffures. The Oucfie is 
Stone, and the Walls lined fifteen Foot high with white 
polifhed Marble ; and in the Middle of the Squap be- 
fore the Molque is a large Bafon, where they wafh 
themfelves before they enter the Temple, The Mofques 
have, moft of them. Cupola’s, with Steeples or 
Towers, whither the MollAs go up to fummon the 
People to their Devotions, according to the Mahometan 
Mode, making no Ule of Bells. 
15. The numerous Hummums or Bagnio’s in this 
City are another Subjed of Travellers Admiration 5 
fome of thefe are fquare Buildings, but moft of them 
globular. The Stone of which they are built is ufually 
white and well poliflied ; the Tops are covered with 
Tiles painted blue ; the Infides are divided into many 
Cells or Chambers, fome for Pleafure, and others for 
Sweating, and the Floors are laid with black and white 
Marble. The Perfians bathe almoft every Day, look- 
ing upon it to be extremely conducive to Health, an 
cffedual Remedy for Cold, or Aches, and many other 
Diftempers* But what is admired as much by Foreign- 
ers as any Thing about Ifpahan^ is the Charhag^ being a 
Walk above an hundred Yards wide, and extending a 
Mile in Length, from the City to the River Zenderhood 
on each Side are planted double Rows of Trees, and in 
the Middle runs a Canal, not continued upon a Level, 
but at every Furlong’s Diftance the Water falls into a 
large Bafon and forms a Cafcade, and the Sides both 
of the Canal and Bafons are lined with hewn Stone, 
broad enough for feveral Men to walk a-breaft upon 
them. On each Side of this Walk are the Royal Gar- 
dens, and thofe of the great Men, with Pleafure Houfes. 
at fmall Diftances, and all together form as agreeable a 
Profpeft as can be imagined. 
Ac the End of this Walk is a Bridge over the River 
Zenderhood^ which leads to the Town of Julpha'i there 
are alfo two other Bridges, one on the Right, and the 
other to the Left, by which the neighbouring Villages 
have a Communication with the City, and which moft of 
our Travellers are pleafed to call its Suburbs, though 
they are diftant a Mile from Ifpahan, and on the other 
Side the River. Thefe Bridges are taken Notice of for 
the Oddnefs of the Architedure, for it feems on each 
Side, both above and below, are arched PafTages, thro* 
which People ride and walk from one End of the Bridge 
to the othei-, as In the covered Streets of the City 5 and 
at little Diftances there are Openings to admit the Light. 
The Arches of thefe Bridges are not very high, there 
being no Veffels to pafs under them, for this River is 
not navigable any more than the reft of the Perfian 
Screams. It is true, in the Spring, on the melting of 
the Snows in the Mountains, it makes a pretty good 
Appearance, but at the latter End of the Summer the 
Channel is exceeding narrow^ and fliallow, infomuch 
that there is not Water enough for the Gardens which 
belong to the City to fupply the Want whereof they 
have abundance of W^ells about Ifpahan, of very good 
Water for all Domcftick Ufes. 
1 6 , Xh® 
