1 
888 A new ahd compkat Dejcription Book III. 
i6. T'he Town, ’Or rather the Borough of Julpha^ _ The City of Schiras or Sheraz^ as we pronounce it, 
‘ilands on the South-fi.de of the River Zenderbood ; and lies about two hundred Miles to the Southward of If- 
though there are many who look upon it as a Suburb pahan, in twenty nine Degrees, fifty Minutes of North- 
Ifpahan, yet it certainly deferves to be confider-- Latitude, and is ufually reckoned the fecond City of 
ed by itfelf, as being a very large and a very confi- the Kingdom. It is the Capital of the Province of 
derable Town, the Buildings of which are more re» Tm, or the ancient Perfta % fome will have the Name 
gular, and to the full as magnificent as thofe of Tfpahan. derived from Cyrus the Great, there being a Tradition 
It is generally reckoned two Miles in Length, and about that he was buried there j others fay it is derived from 
a Mile in Breadth, and is beyond Comparifon, taking Sberab^ which in the Perf.an Tongue, fignifies a Grape, ' 
all Circumftances together, the fineft Place in Perjia *, becaufe chat Fruit abounds in this Place j and others 
for, with refpeft to Floufes, Trade, Manufactures, and In- Word Sheer, which fignifies Milk ; but as it is 
duftry, there is nothing comes near it ^ and as to beau- very material from whence the Name is derived, fo 
tiful Walks of Trees, cooling Shades, delightful Foun- I believe it is impoffible to determine at this Day. The 
tains, pleafant Gardens, and magnificent Summer-houfes, T ov/n is feated in a pleafint fertile Valley, about tv/ency 
they are every where to be met with. Tire principal Miles in Length, and fix in Breadth, and has a Rivuiec 
inhabitants are the Armenians, and befides thefe, there funning through it, vdiich in the Spring has the Ap- 
are Georgians, Cir caftans^ Mingrelians, and other Chri- pearance of a large River, and fometimes encreafes to 
ftians,buc no Mahometans, who dwell in it. The Foun- Lch a 1 orrent asl to bear down the Houfes in its Way, 
dation of this Place, and the Rife of the Armenians, who l^ut in the Summer is almoft dry. There are no Walls 
are now as confiderable Merchants as any in the World, about the Place, nor does it contain above four thou- 
are Flvents that deferve our Notice. land Floufes at prefent :■ The Compafs of it is reckon’d 
It was the iamous Shah Abbas who firft rook Notice tu be about leven Miles, but then it is to be confider’d 
of the Candour, Affability, Diligence, Penetration, ifiat much the greateft Part of this Space is Garden, 
and Integrity of the in the Management of The publkk Buildings taken Notice of, are the Vice-^ 
their little Concerns in their native Country, where roy’s Palace, the Mofques, Bagnio’s, the vaulted Streets 
they were liable to the Incurfions of the Perfans and the and Caravanfera’s, which being of the fame Model as 
Purks. He was not only an ambitious and powerful, thole ol Ifpaban, do not need a particular Defcription 
but a very wife and prudent Prince; he was dtfiroiis of here-, only it is oblervable, that they let molt of their 
introducing Trade into his Dominions, where, till his Buildings run to Ruin, as in other Towns of Perfiay 
Reign, it was hardly known and no lefs defirous of every Generation chufing to build new Houfes, rather 
infpiring his Subjects with the fame Views, who were than ule thofe of their Anceftors. It is remarked alfo, 
little acquainted therewith. In order toaccomplifh thefe chat there is no Place where the Mahometan Superftition 
great and laudable Defigns, he thought it proper to prevails msore than here, there being a Mofquc or Tem- 
effablifli a Staple Commodity, by Way of Foundation, pie to every twenty Houfes almoff, tfieir Domes co- 
and for that Purpofe, fixed upon Silk. He then tran- vered with blue varnifhed Tiles, make a pretty Ap- 
fporced twenty or thirty Armenians into the Province of pearance among the Trees ; here is alfo a College where 
Gilan, where they acquitted chenifdves fo well, that in the liberal Arts are ftudied, of which the Fame is great 
a very fhort Space of Time vafl Quantities of Silk v/ere for breeding many Perfons of renown’d Learning, 
made there. Encouraged by this happy Beginning, he The Streets or Sheraz are, for the moft part, narrow 
demoiiflred the Town of Old Julfha in Armenia^, as has and dufty, but there are fome broad ones with Canals 
been fhewn in the former Section, and tranfported the and Bafons, faced with Scone : But what Sheraz is moft 
Inhabitants into the Neighbourhood of Ifpaban, where by remarkable tor, is, the fine Gardens and Vineyards about 
his Royal Munificence, and under his powerful Protec- it. The Cyprefs-Trees, of which their Walks are chiefly 
don, they bulk the Place of which we are now fpeak- compofed, are the callefl; and largeft that are any where 
ing, and by his Diredlion undertook to diftribute all rhe to be found, and grew in a pyramidal Form; ; intermix’d 
Silk that was not wrought up by Perftan Manufadlurers, with thefe are feveral broad fpreading Trees, and all 
through Afia and Europe, a reafonable Price being firft Manner of Fruits, as, Pomegranates, Oranges, Lemons, 
fixed, which at diejr Return they were obliged to pay, Cherries, Pears, Apricots, Dates, hPc. None of thefe 
all the Profit being, left to theml'cives ; when it was ne- are planted againft Walls as with us, but ftand in the 
eeffary, the Shah advanced them Money for carrying on Allies, and fometimes irregularly, as in a Wildernefs. 
their Commerce, but by Degrees, and as they grew They have alfo Abundance of fweet Flowers of various 
wealthy,- the Government no longer took any Share in Colours, but not planted in that regular Order as in the 
their Trade. ' ' Gardens of Europe. Their Vineyards and Wines are 
In this Manner, from the right Notions of one Man, preferable to any in Perfia, and the Canals, Cafeades, 
and from his juft Viev/s for the Benefit of his Subjedts, Fountains, and Pleafure-Houfes in their Gardens, are 
arofe all the Trade of the Armenians, who are now be- not at all inferior to thofe of Jfpahan. The Shah’s Gar- 
come a Nation of Merchants, and carry on the moft den here is no lefs than two thoufand Paces fquare, and 
extenfive Dealings of any People in the World ; for be- furrounded with a Wall fourteen Foot high, but of late 
fides their Eftablifti-ments here, and in all the great Cities Years, the Gardens, as well as the Buildings of Sheraz, 
of Perfia, they fpread over the whole Eaft, carry on Rave been pretty much negledled. 
a prodigious Trade in Rujfia, and have Fadfors of their i8. Thirty Miles to the North-Eaft of Sheraz are 
own Nation in moft of the great Trading Cities in found the nobleft Ruins of an ancient Palace or Tem- 
Europe. In fhort they are become as noted in this refpedf pie, that are now to be feen on the Face of the Earth 
as the Jeivs ; but what redounds eternally to their Repu- even. Rome itfelf, as it is faid, has nothing comparable 
ration, their Application to Trade, and their Dealings to thefe venerable Remains of Antiquityq the Place at 
as Brokers, has not In the leaft kfiened their Charadler, this Day is called Chilmaner, or forty Pillars. Mr. 
.for Candour or Probity; they are diligent, affable and Herbert fays, it was built upon a Mountain of dark 
difereet, but content with a moderate Profit, ferve thofe coloured Marble, and the Steps hew’d out of the folid 
that employ them faithfully, are grateful to their Bene- Rock ; but others who have viewed k more narrowly 
fadfors, love each other as Brethren, and are extreamly fince, obferve, that the Steps are compofed of large 
ufeful to ail the Countries in which they are fettled. This Stones, fifteen or fixteen Foot in Length, and of fuch 
Digreflion in Favour of fuch a Sort of Men, and in a Thicknefs, that fix or feven Steps are cut out of one 
order to explain the Prudence and publick Spirit of Stone, the whole being fo artificially joined, that they ap- 
Shah Abbas their Patron, and fuch of his Succeflbrs pear to be but one Piece, which might eafily occafion 
as chofe to tread in his Steps, we thought might be Hiv. Herbert lo miftake. It is feated at the North-eaft 
agreeable, to the Reader, though it carried us a little End of that fpacious Plain where PerfepoUs once ftood, 
oiit of our Road, to which we fhall now return, in and generally held to be part of the Palace of Darius, 
order to continue the Defcription, we have promifed of who was conquered by Alettander the Great. The Front of 
the principal Cities in Perjia, before thofe Confufions this Palace ftood towards the Weft, and was about five 
began that have ppoduced fuch fatal Alterations, hundred Paces in Lengthy the whole taking up near 
threefcore 
